Awka Residents Groan As Scarcity Of Petrol, Currency Bites Harder

The scarcity of petrol and currency is biting hard on residents of Awka on daily basis.

ABS News crew visited some filling stations and banks in Awka Metropolis and observed that some of the filling stations remain closed for lack of petrol, while some that have the product are dispensing at different pump prices.

Most of the banks, it was observed that customers besieged the facility for either to deposit old money, open new accounts, with most of them thronging the Automated Teller Machines to withdraw cash.

Some of the customers who spoke to the ABS, including Mrs Fidelia Eze from Umuawulu, and Mrs Ifeoma Eze from Nteje, said that they have been coming to the banks for some days now to withdraw money without success because of the crowd.

Mrs Eze lamented that she had no cash with her again and her children could no longer go to school for lack of transport money and appealed to the government to intervene.

At Ukwu Oji, in Awka, where commercial buses that ply Awka Onitsha route load and discharge passengers, many of the buses were seen inactive, with no passengers in sight, while most of the drivers went in search of petrol.

For some of the commercial bus drivers who spoke to the ABS, including Mr Chimezie Ejike and Prince Michael Chukwuadikaobi, explained that because of the scarcity of currency very few people now patronize them, adding that sometimes when they have passengers , the petrol to drive their buses becomes a challenge.

The Drivers who said they have been at their park since morning, told ABS that some of them who bought petrol at three hundred and seventy, four hundred, fifty kobo and five hundred naira per liter respectively find it difficult to make profit and recommended ways the government could alleviate the situation.

Street beggars were also not left out in the negative effects of the petrol and naira scarcity.

Speaking with some of them at Aroma, Awka, Mrs Charity Ogudo and Mrs Nnenna Oku, said it is only when people have enough for themselves that they can afford to give to beggars.