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Gasoline shortages, bank disruptions, insecurity, and chronic shortages of water and electricity contribute to the plight of many in Nigeria.
Muhammad Baza stood in line for gasoline for four hours in the scorching sun, while Alexander Okwori spent the final two hours waiting at a cash dispenser.
And recently, Awolowo, the main commercial road in Lagos, Nigeria’s megacity of 20 million, has been constantly blocked by traffic jams exacerbated by fuel wait times, adding to the misery for residents.
With a population of approximately 215 million people from north to south, the country faces many crises.
Nigeria is gearing up for presidential and general elections next month, with President Muhammad Buhari stepping down after two constitutional terms.
Baza said he tried to get up at 4:30 a.m. to avoid the petrol line, but it didn’t work. .
“It’s over! No more fuel,” said the station attendant. “My day is wasted,” Baza lamented. “Every day is the same problem, it’s ridiculous”
Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest crude oil producers, but it has little refining capacity and must import fuel from, for example, Europe.
“We are tired,” Baza said before driving off. ‘People are fighting everywhere’
no cash
On the other side of the road, about 50 people are crowding outside the bank, and more continue to join the crowd.
Alexander Okwori, like everyone else, is looking to get new banknotes to replace the old naira announced last October.
However, only a few banks were distributing new banknotes days before the deadline, leaving many Nigerians overwhelmingly poor, unbanked and without access to cash.
Under pressure, the government agreed to postpone the deadline to February 10, but even on Tuesday many banks were unable to distribute the new banknotes.
“ATMs won’t give me money. I went to 10 banks and they didn’t give me any new notes,” Okwori said.
His anger has reached the point where he has no intention of voting on February 25.
“You have to stand in line again to get your PVC (voting card). For what? They (politicians) are all the same,” said the 21-year-old.
The two main candidates vying to replace Buhari are Bora Tinub of the president’s ruling party and Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition group.
The two are old-time politicians and wealthy, but corruption allegations haunt the minds of many voters.
‘worse’
Outside another petrol station in Awolowo, a line completely blocked traffic, leaving Vanessa Ifejitah stranded in her car with her children for three hours.
Dressed in an elegant orange dress, the mother took two steps out of the car and started screaming at an officer standing nearby.
“You’re the cause of our problem!” she yells, pointing to their car parked in the middle of the line, making things even worse for those trying to get through.
“The lines are getting worse by the day. I don’t know what is going on in Nigeria,” she said through tears as she returned to her car. “My children will be two hours late for school.”
The plan to not vote on February 25 has sparked nationwide dissatisfaction.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has again extended the deadline for collecting permanent voter cards.
The main candidates vying to replace Buhari are Bola Tinub of the president’s ruling party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the main opposition group.
With Election Day less than a month away, frustration is mounting across the country.
On Monday (January 30), protests erupted in southern Benin City over fuel shortages, according to local media.
Furious crowds also protested Buhari’s recent visit to Kano, the largest city in the north, setting many bonfires and stoned police in the city, traditionally one of the president’s strongholds. I threw it.
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