I was at the office on Monday when I opened Twitter and saw that Fuel Subsidy was trending number 2.

I later discovered our newly elected president has removed the Fuel Subsidy hence the trend.
I didn't take it seriously so I continued with business.

Later in the day, my generator set started sounding like it would go off any minute so I locked up and went to get fuel at Sobaz.

Getting to Sobaz there was a mild crowd and they were still selling for #215 per liter. I got 10L and made a mental note to bring my 30L keg to stock up the next day, Tuesday.

Tuesday was very hectic at the office and before I know it, it was already 4:30 PM. I don't have any staff yet so it's just me doing all the selling, packing, delivery, running errands, and online posting😂

I left the office by 5 PM and entered Keke to Sobaz. Getting to Sobaz, their meter was reading #400 per L.

At that point, I started feeling apprehensive. (I don't function well in panic or rush situations)

I sha asked some of the motorists if other stations are selling at cheaper rates.

They said Rainoil was selling for the same #215 while Conoil and Vokestar were selling for #300.

Ughelli based?

It's quite affordable bro.

Matrix filling station ughelli #550

Kossyso:
Ughelli based?

Yes o. I'm in Ughelli.

It was already past 5 PM so I decided to check Rainoil since the rate seems good.

I took a Keke to one of their stations but found it locked. I took another Keke to another of their stations but it was the same situation.

I met two older men and one lady who I suspect to be black marketers sitting inside the station with their heavy kegs so I went in and greeted them. I asked if they sold in the morning and at what rate.

One of the men told me they sold for #215 but the crowd was insane.

He said at some point they had to go invite police officers to control the crowd. He said it was 5 gallons to his when they turned off the machine saying they got a directive to stop selling.

The lady said they are waiting in the hope that they would resume selling but they doubt as time is far gone.

She complained she has been there since 6 AM. She said they were in an organized queue and it was almost her turn to buy before some community boys came and disrupted the operation and by the time police officers came to reorganized the queue, she wasn't fortunate to be at the front.

She said she hasn't showered since morning and she is feeling so sad because she spent the whole day in vain.

They advised me to come very early the next morning and join the queue as that is the only time and way I would be able to get fuel.

I was already tired so I sat with them for a while before leaving for my house.

Woke up early this morning and connected to Pastor Bolaji's "Next Levels Prayer" on Mixlr while doing my chores.

(You can follow Pastor Bolaji Idowu and the Harvesters Ministry on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube)

The plan was to leave the house before 7:30 but the prayer session was too intense so I had to wait till the prayers are over.

I left the house by 8 AM and entered a Keke to my street junction. I was about to cross the road to board another keke to Rainoil when one of the Keke men parked at my street junction asked where I was heading.

"Na Rainoil I dey go o. You know if them don start to sell this morning?" I asked.

He told me Rainoil was yet to start selling and that he also heard they are no longer selling for gallons. He told me not to bother myself and to buy from another station.

I just stood and was thinking of the next step when another Keke rider came and affirmed what the first guy said.

I decided to call my mom to help me check if the Conoil opposite their market was selling.

She called me back some mins later and told me they were selling.

The station was not too far from my junction so I took a stroll there.

Got there and saw that they were selling for #350. I was about to get excited when I saw a man displaying the 3L of fuel he got for #1050

He said, "This fuel no go even carry me reach junction. E for even better if I go buy that #500 per Liter own instead of this one😂"


Looking at the keg I saw the fuel was not even up to the normal 2L and aborted my mission🤣

By this time it was already 8:45 and I needed to go open my office.

I went to my mom's shop and told her the meter was too tight and she told me to go buy it like that or look for another station.

I headed to my office to go open first before going on this fuel-hunting voyage.

I opened my office, did the usual daily cleaning routine and waited to see if any client would come before I leave.

By 10, I headed to the same Rainoil the Keke riders told me not to go😂

I was fortunate to get an empty Keke so I engaged the rider in a conversation and before you know it, we were making several stops at different stations at the express.

We first went to Sobaz and it was #450. We branched off at Matrix but they were not selling plus they don't even sell to kegs.

We saw a mild crowd at NNPC and branched but the people weren't sure of their current price or if they would sell.

We finally got to Rainoil and the crowd that welcomed us was crazy.

I paid the Keke rider and went inside.

I saw some women lying down on the hard floor with their kegs safely arranged by their sides.

I first inquired about the keg situation and they said they refused to sell to kegs yesterday but they are waiting in hopes that today would be different.

I joined them and we started gisting. I later saw one of the pump attendants sitting with some guys that looks Hausa. There was a space for me to sit so I carried my keg and joined them.

They were having watermelon and pineapple when I got there and they offered me some. I politely declined and asked the pump attendant if they would sell to kegs today.

She showed me some kegs by the side of their office and brought out a wad of cash. She said, "See my gallon and money when I want take buy fuel since yesterday. Manager no allow any of us buy fuel for ourselves yesterday. Immediately I start to sell and manager give permission to sell for gallon na my own I go first sell"

One of the guys sitting there said he came from Bayelsa because the fuel was selling for #450/500. He said someone told him Ughelli was still selling for #215 so he had to come down with his kegs.

I asked him if he was a black marketer and he said yes. We chatted some more and suddenly saw people rushing into the station. We looked at the gate and saw the manager driving his Okada into the premises.

He drove in, parked his bike and walked past us with high-padded shoulders like deputy Tinubu while incoherently answering our greetings.

He went inside his office while we dispersed our small group.

I quickly went and placed my gallon at the front of one of the pumps and that was a like a cue for others to follow. In my mind, I was like, "Indeed, the last shall be the first🤣"

Some people started throwing punches and and fighting over space for their kegs. Some people when stubborn pass me even put their kegs for my front I no talk because no be me them go beat on top fuel matter🤣🤣🤣

We finished arranging our kegs and started waiting for the manager. While waiting, people started talking about the new price they may likely sell today.

Some said they may sell #350, others said they believe it won't be more than #300 one man even said he saw them offloading last night and they told him the fuel came from the depot at the rate of #350 so it will be #375 or #380 but not #400.

They were still speculating the price when the manager came out and did his thing on one of the pumps.

The people over there started shouting till he got to our pump and did the same thing.

Nothing prepared us for the price we saw. #510, the meter read.

You buy abi you no buy

People comparing Nigeria to other African countries where they don't subsidies petrol forget that much of the crowd at the petrol station at just looking for petrol to power their generator for businesses and homes.

In other countries they have steady power but in Nigeria we have epileptic power. The effect of this hike in price can never be same. It's going to be brutal here

Premium gist

Enjoyed reading this...you write so well.

Hope to read the concluding part....and sorry about your experience

Everybody started shouting and provoking..

At that point, I was feeling so frustrated because how I want take buy 1L of fuel for #510? Where I dey sleep?

Some motorists said they would go and park their vehicles for today because it won't be possible to buy fuel at this rate.

We were standing and looking confused when one woman came and started fighting over her keg that was shifted from the line.

She came in a very troublesome manner and before we could say 'Tinubu' she was already throwing punches at the other woman whose keg is closed to hers😂😂

The other woman was not fighting back sef. She was only trying to draw her attention to the new fuel price but this lady was acting like she was on colos 😂😂

She managed to calm down when the voices telling her to look up became much and the dismay and remorse on her face could not hide when she saw the #510.


Little by little the once crowded station started decreasing.

I remembered Sobaz was selling for #450 when I was coming here so I quickly took my keg and decide to go there before they hear of the increment but was disappointed when I got there and saw #500 on their meter.

Still better than Rainoil plus their fuel is very good but I no still buy because I never know where I want start to buy this fuel of #500 from.

Asabe4:
Enjoyed reading this...you write so well.

Hope to read the concluding part....and sorry about your experience

Thanks for reading and thanks for the compliment, too.❤❤

jjcena:
You buy abi you no buy

I no buy.

jjcena:
People comparing Nigeria to other African countries where they don't subsidies petrol forget that much of the crowd at the petrol station at just looking for petrol to power their generator for businesses and homes.

In other countries they have steady power but in Nigeria we have epileptic power. The effect of this hike in price can never be same. It's going to be brutal here

That's the problem. How can I buy fuel for my office and also for my home? E no work na.

Right now I'm typing this gist from a place of anger and mosquitoes. If not for the rain that is falling heat would have been included.

It's so tiring..

BOSSkesh:
Premium gist

🤣🤣

close eye and go for solar and you will never regret it, l use solar 24/7 and l dont care about gen or nepa only fuel for the car?

E shock you abi

ebenezary:
close eye and go for solar and you will never regret it, l use solar 24/7 and l don't care about gen or nepa only fuel for the car.

Solar is good but where does one get the money for outright payment?

My neighbor at the office is into solar and they told me the one that will power everything in my office is 800K+

If it's on installment I probably would have considered it all these while but coughing out 800k at once won't be easy.

E shock you abi😆

marlow1962:
E shock you abi😆

E shock me o😂

TimeArena1:


E shock me o😂

Welcome to chapter 2

Good writer from Ughelli. Tough time ahead!

marlow1962:

Welcome to chapter 2

Welcome too. We are in this together🤝

Iriruaga100:
Good writer from Ughelli. Tough time ahead!

Thank you, sir/ma'am. We hope for better days ahead.

This tori is interesting. You write so well my dear. I miss Ughelli town sha.

kosssy:
This tori is interesting. You write so well my dear. I miss Ughelli town sha.

Thanks for reading, sir.

Ughelli no be like before again o. We dey look back waka these😂

The sad thing about the removal is the way both outgoing president and the incoming one played politics instead of making concrete plans to alleviate suffering the removal was guaranteed to bring to the poor. Power generation capacity.should be reading not less than 20,000MW.
There should be lots more of renewable energy hotspot to cover communities with no electrification. There should be prepaid metres in over 90% of homes, but what do we have?

Buhari just dodged the issues on ground for eight years and abruptly handed over a system as good as crashed to Tinubu who has to act fast.

RepoMan007:


Buhari just dodged the issues on ground for eight years and abruptly handed over a system as good as crashed to Tinubu who has to act fast.

It's a sad situation, right now. We don't even know what to expect as each day breaks.

Foodstuffs sellers never even start we don cry tire.

.