Scenes like this of people lining up at gas stations in Bamenda, have been common for the past few days, jerrycans in hand are becoming common place. Most fuel stations have run out of diesel in recent days and those that have are now rationing it.
"There is no fuel all over the town, not even the illicit fuel (Fingeh). We heard, tradex has fuel, so we drove from Ntarinkon to come get even a little. We can been line up for 4 hours, 5 hours, just to get as little as can run the car for the day. I've been here since 6 am," said ndonwi, a taxi driver.
"There is already no fuel at other stations and where we find a little bit of petrol, we are told we can't fill our tanks," said Moffo Koumeni, a cab driver.
In the wake of scarce supplies of diesel and Super, transporters have increased transpotation fares. Prices of goods too are shooting up. While the fuel shortage situation is becoming unbearable for motorists and other transporters in Bamenda and surrounding towns, denizens believe that the days ahead may be more precarious as per price hikes in petroleum products, should the scarcity continue".
"The lines you find in the gas stations is an impact. It is a psychological moment, it is necessary to prepare the Cameroonian citizen for the worse. For instance, we managed to find petrol here at Tradex up station, but given the scarcity, they are giving us a litre at 1500FCFA and even rationalising because of the number of people who are here to consume", said Mr. Chifor Pius, an urban transporter.
It should be noted that, on the international market, oil prices have soared and the state is finding it hard to continue subsidizing fuel. Fuel subsidies cost the Cameroonian Government over $1.2 billion a year and the state has come under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stop them.
By VictoryMarshal Ayafor
It's really sad
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