Some restaurant owners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urged the federal government to address the high cost of fuel, which they say is negatively impacting their businesses.

In separate interviews in Abuja on Sunday, they said the increase in the pump price of fuel has led to a rise in transportation fares, which has also led to high food prices.

Likita Faith, another restaurant owner, said she had to increase her food prices by 10 to 15 per cent to enable her to make some profit and pay her staff.

According to her, some people now buy food without meat or reduce the quantity of food so they can at least have a meal in a day.

“The government should settle this issue of fuel increase to make things easier for Nigerians who are already finding it difficult to make ends meet,” she said.

Judith Akor, a restaurant owner, said the increase in fuel prices had negatively impacted her business and income.

“Two months ago, I used to sell a plate of food for N500, but now I sell a plate for between N800 and N900 depending on the type of food.

“Patronage has also dropped, and this has affected my income as I do not make much profit. I know it may be difficult for the price of things to come down, but the government should at least address the issue of fuel increase because many businesses are affected directly or indirectly,” she said.

Similarly, Deborah John, who described local restaurants as the heartbeat of many communities, said they were struggling to cope with the increase in fuel and food prices.

“The fuel hike has increased our operational costs significantly, we are paying more for transportation, food items, cooking gas and charcoal. So, I am not getting as much income as expected because of low patronage from customers.

“The government needs to address the increase in fuel price. They need to increase and upgrade storage facilities and repair our refineries,” she said.

Ngozi Eze, another restaurant owner, complained that the high cost of fuel had negatively impacted her business because the prices of food items had increased.

Ms Eze said patronage had reduced because many people could not afford to buy food from her restaurant because of the price increase.

“As of three months ago, before the increase in fuel, I sold a plate of rice for N500, but I now sell it at N1,000. If I don’t sell at this price, I cannot pay my workers or even provide for my family.

“ I plead with the government to do the right thing and stop punishing the poor masses. We are suffering,” Ms Eze said.

The latest statistics on food prices for August 2024, as revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed a significant increase in food prices such as beans, yam, garri, onions, rice, eggs and other food items.

(NAN)