PERSISTENT FUEL CRISIS IN YAOUNDÉ
The Yaoundé Junta unable to subsidize fuel price; A possible “La vie chère" in Lrc
2023 may not be a favourable one for colonial LRC, as a failed and bankrupt state, the Yaounde junta can no longer subsidise fuel prices and in every economy when fuel goes up every other commodity goes up bringing what is called here in the enemy language “La vie chere” as denizens cannot make ends meet. Taxi drivers, bike riders and other motorists have already increased fares and traffic jam has reduced as many who cannot afford fuel have parked their cars The shortage of fuel in major filling stations across the colonial nation’s political capital Yaounde since January 9th has resulted in some inhabitants being stranded on major roads unable to get taxis to their destinations.
Others complain some taxi drivers and motorists have used the opportunity to increase the price per drop in some areas around town. In major road junctions and streets, there are endless queues of persons waiting to get into taxis and mini-buses that connect the centre of the city to the suburbs, but they are rare to come by as many have parked down. Some others say motorists and taxi drivers use the opportunity to increase prices and when you don’t propose a good price higher than the normal price you get to stand on the road for a very long time. In an effort to purchase fuel, long queues of vehicles, crowds of motorbike taxis, and other individuals holding cans in hand can be seen lining up at gas stations. Many need Super but it is reported that most filling stations do not have it as it is low in supply.
Faced with the new fuel shortage affecting the city of Yaounde, the colonial LRC’s ministry of trade has provided a provisional measure to ration the sale at 5,000 FCFA per person. Undaunted gathered that no one served fuel over FCFA 5000 in this rationing scheme. On the other hand, Undaunted learns, the colonial LRC Minister of water and energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba has blamed the shortage on the end-of-year holidays that have impacted operations at the international level. He says the ships have not yet been authorized to unload on the due date because of these holidays. He also noted that the colonial capital Yaounde was supplied with over 1700 tonnes of gasoil on January 10th and hopes the situation regularizes in the days ahead.
This current shortage occurs barely six months after the country experienced severe shortage. Back then, colonial LRC the minister of water and energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, explained that the disruptions recorded in the fuel supply were “mainly due to the large envelope of the pump price subsidy that must be mobilized in real time to ensure imports of petroleum products”. It is the third time in less than six months that the failed LRC has experienced a fuel shortage. In October, authorities took measures to supply the local market and over 4,000 metric tonnes of gas arrived by a 118m long tanker at the Port of Douala-Bonaberi on October 19th 2022. According to reports, in 2022, nearly FCFA 700 billion was spent by the Treasury as fuel subsidies to ensure the regular supply of domestic market petroleum products.
Undaunted has learnt from very reliable sources in the colonial LRC ministry of finance that due to the economic crunch, the colonial government may not be able to subsidise fuel again which means that the fuel prices are going to experience a jump in the days ahead up to FCFA 950 per litre of super, which shall not be within reach for many who just live from hand to mouth in LRC today.
