EditorIt has become a norm in recent years for transport workers to increase fare during every festive period in Nigeria.
As Muslim faithful continue the Eid el Kabir celebration today, some have travelled to celebrate with their loved ones in other states and cities across the country.
Prime Business Africa reporter went to some parks in Lagos today to find out the situation with transportation and discovered that some who traveled are beginning to return back to their base.
While food, livestock traders and consumers are complaining about how food items are costly in the market during the festive season, travelers are also complaining about the hike in the price of transport fares.
A traveler who identified himself as Mr Adebola Adams complained bitterly about the outrageous increase in bus fare.
He said, “I’ve been in the park for about 25 minutes, I’ve been waiting for my friend to send me some money, so I can go back home.
“A bus to Ijebuode is N1,600 from Oshodi park, now it is N2,700, these people have taken advantage of the celebration to make our lives miserable and they don’t even care, because there are plenty people waiting in line”
A passenger, Amanda Eze, who told Prime Business Africa she came to Lagos for a job interview said, “ I have not been able to go to Abeokuta since Monday because of the insane bus price”
“I want to go back home but the present price is making me sick because the normal price is N2,000, but it is now N3,700, they just want to use this advantage to make money”.
A road transport worker in Oshodi, Mr Bamidele Azeez, also spoke to Prime Business Reporter on the issue.
Azeez said, “we are celebrating Ileya, at least, if you want to travel, you have the aim that you want to travel to spend money, then you should spend money at the park.
“If we tell passengers to give us gifts at the park, they will tag us beggars, so let us take advantage of this festive celebration at least we would know that we made the money from what we worked for”.
A driver who spoke to the reporter at Ojota Bus park, Mr Wasiu Olope, said “The roads are bad, they are robbing on the road, they are kidnapping too, it’s just God’s grace that is helping us”
“Now that there is a reason to get back our losses, the only way is to increase prices to make profit from our losses. On a normal day, you cannot get people who want to travel in numbers like this”.
Another traveler, Mrs Kuti Feyikemi, who spoke to our reporter at Ojota Bus Park disagreed that bad roads and insecurity are the cause of the hike in bus fare.
She said “ I just came back from Ilorin to spend the sallah with my family, the roads are bad but the road has been bad before sallah celebration and it was N4,500 to ilorin, but now, it is N6,000”.
“The drivers and the entire park should not blame it on the roads, they should blame price hike on their own greediness. How can there be a better Nigeria if we keep doing this to ourselves,” Mrs Kuti rhetorically asked.
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