Fuel hikes: Drivers apologise to Mahama for voting NPP in 2016

With some 11 months for Ghanaians to go to the polls to elect a president, some driver unions have pledged their support for former president John Mahama, explaining that he is the one they believe in.

The disappointed drivers, who are arranging to meet the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2020 flagbearer, told Power News their sales keep dwindling under president Akufo-Addo’s governance due to the incessant fuel hikes.

There was a nine pesewa-per-litre increase in fuel prices across the country last Friday [17th January,2020]. The increment, according to analysts, was as a result of some 2% increment in prices of crude oil, 0.95% and 1.01% marginal increment in the prices of Gasoil and Gasoline respectively on the International market.

Before the fuel hikes, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) had suggested to the government to take immediate steps to hedge the purchase of crude oil from the international market to avoid paying more for the product.

“The government should be able to hedge the prices on oil imports for at least the next six months…It should be engaging the crude oil importers now on the issue because paying more for the commodity could worsen the economic conditions of the people,” Executive Secretary of the chamber, Mr Duncan Amoah, told Graphic last week.

Anger Amongst Drivers

The recent fuel increment has infuriated commercial drivers, who have vowed to campaign and vote against Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2020 general elections.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of True Drivers Union, Yaw Barima, who shared his frustrations with Power News, indicated that the driver unions were deceived into believing that then candidate Akufo-Addo would implement policies to reduce fuel prices especially as the country had oil in commercial quantities.

Mr Barima, who has become vociferous in recent times fighting for the welfare of drivers who are suffering the effects of rampant fuel hikes, disclosed that his collegaues in other driver unions had already passed vote of no confidence president Akufo-Addo and his government.

“I want to take this opportunity to apologise to former president John Dramani Mahama for campaigning against him in the run to the 2016 elections. If he finds a place in his heart to forgive us and we don’t even make it to Heaven, we won’t bother,” Yaw Barima told Oheneba Boamah Bennie on Power 97.9 FM.

He continued,” when we were drinking Kalyppo with Nana Akufo-Addo and canvassing for votes for him, he said drivers were suffering because a gallon of petrol was sold at GHS14.00 but today under their auspices we are buying same product for GHS25.00; an increment of GHS 10.00 in three years…This is very sad because we have oil in commercial quantities in this country but citizens have to buy fuel at exorbitant prices. Where did we go wrong?”

He bemoaned the policies of the NPP government, saying commercial drivers in the Greater Accra region and elsewhere in the country have had their livelihoods badly affected following the frequent increment of fuel prices in the country, which is stemmed from the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar and other major trading currencies.

“We were told that this government will implement pro-poor policies to help all of us but the cedi keeps declining under the NPP than under the NDC they [the NPP] called devil,” Yaw Barima added as he pledged to campaign against the NPP ahead of the 2020 elections.

Last month, many commercial drivers lamented a one percent increment of fuel indicating that their daily sales had began dwindling ushering them into untold hardship.

Speaking to Dwaboase co-host Kaakyire Kwesi Appea-Apraku during Power FM‘s outbroadcast at Ashaiman lorry park, some disappointed drivers criticised the Akufo-Addo government for their woes.

One of them said “when he [Akufo-Addo] was campaigning in 2016, drivers were there for him because he told us that a gallon of fuel (petrol and diesel) which was sold for GHS 14.00 was too expensive but three years after he took over government we buy same quantity of petroleum products for GHS 27.00. We are disappointed in president Akufo-Addo.”

Another commercial driver, who gave her name as Ali described the situation as terrible, observed that they (drivers) campaigned against then president John Mahama because they felt the cost of fuel was too expensive. He added that the lofty promises rained on them have turned out to be lies under the Akufo-Addo administration.

“Akufo-Addo told us that as a country that has oil in commercial quantities, petrol should have been sold at GHS 8.00….Today we can’t buy fuel and it has affected our responsibilities…we have no choice than to vote against Akufo-Addo and his “overbloated” government,” he fumed.

Other driver groups including Concern Drivers Association have also criticised the government over the fuel hikes.

Source: Henryson Okrah|Myxyzonline.com