Transport Fares Soar In Abuja, Bauchi, P’Harcourt

Commuters in Abuja,  Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Bauchi have complained of a hike in transport fares due to fuel scarcity in the states.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that they paid higher fares to get to their destinations.

A civil servant in Kaduna, Mr. Sunday Elijah, said that he paid N100 from the Central Market to Sabo area of the town against the normal fare of N60.

Elijah said that the development had brought hardship to the masses.

Mrs. Laraba Husseini, a teacher, said that she paid N80 from Kano Road to Narayi against the usual fare of N50.

She said that government should come to the aid of the masses, especially women and children, who were mostly affected.

Malam Halidu Mohammad, a commuter bus driver, said that the situation was caused by the petroleum marketers, who sold fuel above N65 per litre.

Mohammad said that commuter bus drivers were forced to increase the charges because the marketers were selling a litre of petrol for between N75 and N95.

Malam Abdulganiyu Olusola, the Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Mando Park, said that the union had warned its members not to hike transport fares.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, most petrol stations have closed down due to non availability of petrol. This has resulted in an increase in transport fares in the state.

Commutter bus drivers now charge N50 on routes that usually cost N30. The drivers also complained of artificial scarcity of petrol and the time wasted at the few stations dispensing the product.

Investigations by P.M.NEWS showed that most marketers who are anticipating the removal of subsidy on petroleum products have started hoarding the products, while others who are anticipating an increase in the demand for the products during the Yuletide have resorted to hoarding the products to make huge profits.

When contacted, Comrade Godwin Arube, Zonal Chairman of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, said: “There is no scarcity of petroleum products as tanker drivers and NUPENG members are distributing products but marketers are hoarding the products with the hope that President Goodluck Jonathan would remove subsidy of petroleum products in next year’s budget.”

He called on relevant authorities to sanction marketers who have products but refused to sell or sell above pump price of N65 per litre.

Commuters in Bauchi are also groaning over the high fares charged by motorists and have appealed to the government to do something quickly.

Motorists blamed the high fares on  acute scarcity of petrol as many filling stations in the town have closed shop.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that only few filling stations in the metropolis were opened on Wednesday and were selling the product as high as N75 per litre.

Some motorists and commercial motorcyclists told NAN that it was difficult for them to get fuel.

A motorist, Alhaji Ali Aminu, said that he had visited all the filling stations along Jos Road in search of the product, adding that only two were opened.

He said that one of the stations was selling the product at N75 per litre while the other one was selling at the controlled price of N65

“Only two stations were opened; a mega station and an a private one. The private one was selling at N75 per litre while the mega station, selling at the controlled price of N65, has long queues of vehicles.

“We call on the government to do something about it, especially at this time of the year when our friends are about to celebrate the Christmas and the New Year,” he said.

A commercial motorcyclist, Mr. Andy Abu, said he visited filling stations on Kano and Maiduguri Roads to see if he could buy the fuel at the normal rate, but said that few stations that opened were selling at the rate of N75 per litre.

“By purchasing fuel at N75 per litre, we will have to increase our charges too and that will not be good for our customers,” he said.

A station attendant, who pleaded for anonymity, told NAN that the dispensing meters had since been adjusted from N65 to N75 per litre because of the scarcity of the product..

The attendant also said they had old stock and that speculation was largely responsible for the scarcity of the product.

“It is the trend now since many stations in the town are selling at the same price.

“It is only the mega stations that are selling at the controlled price and not many of them are opened,” he said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Wednesday directed its Committee on Petroleum Resources ( downstream ) to investigate the resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja and other parts of the country.

The resolution was sequel to a motion by Rep. Bashir Baballe ( PDP – Kano ) and unanimously adopted without debate by the House when put to vote by the Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

The Committee is expected to report back to the House within one week.

Moving the motion, Baballe said the resurfacing of queues at filling stations and the rising transport fares in Abuja called for concern.

He added that it was not wise for the queues to continue as Christmas approached.

Baballe expressed worry that the long queues recently witnessed at filling stations was coming at a time when demand for fuel was high.

He called on the relevant committee to investigate the matter to bring succour to Nigerians.