Former Minister of Aviation and prominent PDP figure, Osita Chidoka, has voiced his concerns regarding Nigeria’s ongoing fuel and energy crisis. In a detailed post on his Facebook page, Chidoka highlighted the harsh realities faced by Nigerians due to soaring fuel prices.

“Yesterday, I spent ₦100,000 on fuel, nearly filling the tank of a Lexus 460 Jeep,” he revealed. At a price of ₦1,140 per litre, he noted, this amount exceeds Nigeria’s ₦70,000 minimum wage by ₦30,000. Chidoka emphasized the stark contrast between earnings and the cost of fuel, pointing out that a minimum wage worker, who earns ₦437.5 per hour, would need to work 2.6 hours to afford just one litre of petrol.

He further compared the situation to other countries. In Egypt, where fuel costs ₦443 per litre and the minimum wage is ₦202,400 per month (₦1,265 per hour), it takes only 21 minutes of work to afford a litre of fuel. In South Africa, fuel is more expensive at ₦2,480 per litre, but the minimum wage is significantly higher at ₦395,824 per month (₦2,320 per hour), requiring just over an hour of work for a litre of petrol.

Chidoka concluded by urging a re-evaluation of Nigeria’s economic policies, stating, “Fuel prices in Nigeria may not be high by global standards, but incomes are too low to sustain meaningful consumption. It’s time to rethink our economic growth and production strategies.”

His comments have sparked further debate about the impact of fuel prices on the average Nigerian and the need for urgent economic reforms to address the widening gap between wages and living costs.

Anthony Emeka Nwosu