By Merit Ibe [email protected]
Nigeria’s lingering fuel scarcity is taking a toll on small businesses as most of them are already groaning over their rising cost of production.
Lagos Chairman, National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Gertrude Akhimien, for instance lamented the difficulty experienced by businesses in the course of supplying goods to clients as cost of transportation has continued to increase, thus adding to the production cost amid an al- ready harsh environment.
“Many SMEs have issues supplying products to their off takers. Before now, my clients came to the factory to pick their goods, but since the fuel crisis, they now want the company to supply or deliver products to them, which is an added cost.
For one or two others who come to the factory, we have to give them extra products to cover the cost of trans- port”. She said
While warning that the scarcity was already affect- ing the economy, Akhimien called on the government to do its best to bridge the gap between suppliers and consumers of products.
“This scarcity is affecting the economy seriously. Government should try to bridge the gap between suppliers of the products. Since they are having a shortfall, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should quickly take charge of the situation and ensure the stations have fuel to reduce the burden on consumers.
But if nothing is done on their part, that means the problem will persist.” Akhi- men said.
Also commenting on the development, Mr Eke Ubiji, Executive Secretary, National Association of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (NASME), lamented the harsh situation, and urged government to reconsider
and pay attention to SMEs. Decrying the high cost of commodities and transportation, Ubiji noted that the blame game over the importation of bad fuel would not help matters, but rather that government should fish out defaulters and make them face the law to serve as deterrence to others.
“The situation has been harsh on SMEs. Government should pay attention to SMEs matter. It’s a pity that government is blaming the NNPC for the bad fuel and NNPC is blaming importers. Why the blame game? Action should be taken on those who imported such fuel. “ He said
Similarly, the Chairman, SMEs Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Daniel Dickson-Okezie, lamented the long queues at filling stations, say- ing that businesses are being tied down, in the number of man-hour wasted in traffic.
He said the situation is hard on small businesses as they don’t really have the capacity to resist the hazards of business like the big ones.
“The scarcity is affecting all forms of businesses. Cost of living is increasing by the day and the cost of running business now is high.
“You know SMEs don’t re- ally have the capacity to resist the hazards of business.
“In terms of transportation, the cost has gone up and this has affected cost of commodities. There is a chain reaction. Movement is so difficult, causing lose of man-hour on the road.
“The scarcity has affected all forms of businesses. It’s like solution does not seem to be in sight. The government is saying they have lifted some million tonnes of fuel which we have not seen. It seems we are back to the days of fuel scarcity. “Employees are groaning daily, they are looking at employers as if they are operating from the moon and the cause of the harsh operating environment.