Unknown to many Nigerian drivers and vehicle owners, they have been losing their hard earned money to roadside petrol hawkers on a daily basis. Apart from selling adulterated fuel which most times damage motor engines, these hawkers have devised a very easy way of extorting vehicle owners and drivers without them knowing that they have been swindled of, at least, 30 per cent of the cost of the petrol they buy from them.
The fuel hawkers’ method in the execution of this act is a white plastic gallon that has a design on the body ostensibly indicating what the buyer presumes to be five litres. But the truth is that the ‘5’ inscribed on the gallon is simply a design.
These hawkers usually use this gallon to measure five litres of fuel for unsuspecting buyers when in actual fact, it is less than four litres (about three and a half litres).
This means that for every presumed five litres of fuel you buy, you are really getting three and a half litres of fuel. If the hawker measures two of such gallons for a driver, it means that the driver will be getting seven litres of fuel instead of the presumed 10.
Vanguard Motoring investigation revealed how these hawkers carry out this act every day without being caught. While most of them pretend not to know that the ‘5’ inscription on the gallon was just a mere sign, others who know about it said that it was a cool way of making money.
Vanguard Motoring took an empty gallon to one of the hawkers along Old Ojo Road, Lagos to confirm the tricks of these heartless hawkers. The gallon which was graduated in litres exposed the fuel hawkers as the full gallon of their presumed five litre could only cover three and a half litres in the graduated gallon. When the graduated gallon was also taken to a petrol station, the reporter bought five litres which came up to the mark of five litres and the petrol hawker was dumbfounded.
A fuel hawker at Mile Two bridge who spoke to Vanguard Motoring under condition of anonymity said: “I have been using the gallon to make a living, especially during fuel scarcity because the customer would not doubt the measurement when they see ‘5’ written on the gallon.”
This is not only applicable to motorists; most people who buy fuel on the street for use in their home have equally been falling victims to these hawkers who buy in big Jerry cans and retail in this kind of dubious gallon, making a big profit in the process.
This may be the reason why most of them are finding it very difficult to leave the business. Some of the hawkers have even introduced members of their families into the business, not minding the dangers associated with it.
Indeed, many people have taken to petrol hawking as a means of survival. This easily explains why petrol hawking stands where people buy fuel every night to power their generators have become common sights in many streets in Lagos. This is especially so following the frequent collapse of the national grid.
Buying petrol from hawkers is very dangerous for car owners as, most times, these hawkers sell adulterated petrol that can damage an engine without notice.
A motorist, Mr Adrain recalled how he lost his Volvo Sport Utility vehicle engine to fuel bought from street hawkers. “ It was a sad experience and I am yet to recover from it,” he said.
Vanguard News
