Petrol price rose to as high as ₦1,200 per litre in parts of Anambra State over the weekend, forcing transporters to increase fares and leaving many commuters stranded.
Checks across Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and Awka showed many filling stations were closed or not dispensing fuele, while the few selling offered it between ₦1,100 and ₦1,200 per litre with long queues.
The development triggered sharp increases in transport fares. Intra-city fares rose by over 50 per cent, with routes previously costing ₦200 increasing to ₦300, while ₦500 trips rose to about ₦700.
At Upper Iweka Motor Park in Onitsha, the fare to Awka increased to about ₦2,000 from between ₦1,000 and ₦1,500.
The Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Enugu Zone, Chinedu Anyaso, attributed the increase to a hike in supply cost, saying Dangote, a major supplier, recently added about ₦110 per litre.
