Transport fares increased significantly across the country as motorists scrambled to get petrol amid scarcity.
Commercial drivers on Tuesday hiked their fares on various routes across Nigerian cities as long queues resurfaced in fuel stations amidst concerns over petroleum subsidy removal.
PREMIUM TIMES correspondents who monitored the situation found that the fares for both intrastate and interstate commuting increased significantly in most parts of the country.
In many of the places visited by our reporters, transport fares jumped by over 100 per cent, depending on the routes.
Fuel queues returned to Nigerian cities Monday as many motorists scrambled to get petroleum products hours after President Bola Tinubu announced that the government will put an end to the fuel subsidy regime.
Mr Tinubu on Monday in his inaugural address at Eagle Square, Abuja, declared that there would no longer be a petroleum subsidy regime as it was not sustainable.
"We commend the decision of the outgoing administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime which has increasingly favoured the rich more than the poor. Subsidy can no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources.
"We shall, instead, re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions," Mr Tinubu said.
In Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria commercial nerve centre, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the uncertainty created panic buying as motorists increased transport fares due to petrol scarcity.
A civil servant in Abuja, who does not want his name in print, lamented the hardship faced by residents since the scarcity began.
"Transport fare is now very high in many parts of the city now and it's like a war getting cabs," he said.
In Lagos, a resident told this newspaper Wednesday morning that transport fare from the inner parts of Ojodu area to Grammar School axis shot up by 100 per cent from N150 to N300 Wednesday morning.
"Many of our children couldn't go to school because the fare is too high and there are even fewer vehicles on the road," says a resident who identified herself simply as Juliana.
Findings by PREMIUM TIMES' reporters showed that the situation is the same in many other parts of the country.
Ekiti
In Ekiti, it was observed that vehicles conveying passengers from Ido Ekiti to Ado Ekiti charged N700 against the normal N500 while bus fares from Ido Ekiti to Ifaki increased from N300 to N500.
Similarly, a trip from Ifaki Ekiti to Ado Ekiti which used to cost N300 has been increased to N400 while passengers from Otun Ekiti to Ido Ekiti had to pay N600 instead of N400.
Also, the bus fare from Ikoro Ekiti to Ijero Ekiti went up from N200 to N400 while passengers from Ikoro Ekiti to Ido Ekiti had to pay N700 from the previous N500.
In Ido Ekiti motorcycle operators, popularly called Okada, now charge between N150 and N200 for a drop as against N100.
Oladele Temitope, an Okada operator, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that the new price was because of the hike in fuel pump prices.
"The prices will still go up if care is not taken because a litre of fuel that we used to buy N230 is now N350 here but my colleague that went to Oye Ekiti this morning said he bought it for N500.
"Black Market now is N800 per litre," Mr Temitope said.
A commercial driver, Fagbamila Bolu, said he had to increase his fare for transportation because of the difficulties of getting petroleum products.
"To get fuel now is so hard. Most filling stations are not selling even when you see the ones that are selling, you will see a very long queue at the station.
"I'm lucky that I was able to get some fuel in the early hours of yesterday before Tinubu said he had removed the subsidy. When I drove out today I noticed that the transport prices had changed and I also changed mine too," he said.
A civil servant, Adegoke Bright, said It is very surprising to see transport fare increase in less than 24 hours.
"Nigeria is gradually turning to what I don't know, I was surprised to see transport fares increase in less than 24 hours of Mr President's announcement.
" I came out to go to work today and the driver told me I have to pay N700 for a place I used to go for N500 before. This is so terrible," he said.
A businessman, Obi Daniel, said: "I pray this does not continue for long. I want to deliver some goods to a consumer and the driver is charging high as against what he used to charge before."
Uyo
The pump price of petrol doubled in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, hours after the president, Bola Tinubu pronounced an end to the petroleum subsidy.
Some motorists in the state said petroleum marketers were hoarding the product, a development they said caused more pain to the people.
When PREMIUM TIMES visited some filling stations along major roads in the state on Tuesday, some were closed while those opened were dispensing the product at exorbitant prices.
Before Mr Tinubu's pronouncement, the average price of PMS in Uyo was N230 but the price skyrocketed to N600 at the time of the visit.
At other filling stations visited along Oron Road and Airport Road, the price of PMS was sold between N500 and N600.
The hike in PMS has also triggered an increase in the cost of transportation in the city, a development that residents expressed mixed feelings about.
For instance, a distance from Ibom Plaza to Ibiaku Issiet along the airport road that cost N200 before the pronouncement by President Tinubu now cost N300, an increase of 50 per cent.
Also, the price of boarding a minibus from Plaza to the NNPC mega station located along Ikot Ekpene which was N100 is now N150.
A commercial bus operator, Friday Effiong, told PREMIUM TIMES the price would further increase as the price of petrol keeps rising.
Mr Effiong said many of the filling stations in the city are hoarding the products, making the situation more difficult for residents.
"Don't blame us," he said, referring to commercial bus operators. "Blame the petrol marketers. "Imagine, marketers, are selling fuel at N600 less than 24 hours after Mr Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy. Tomorrow, they (petroleum marketer) may increase it to N1000," he said.
Katsina
In Katsina State, a PREMIUM TIMES reporter gathered that transport fares rose significantly especially in the metropolis.
A resident of Katsina, who works in a local radio, Aminatu Kabir, lamented that the situation is already affecting her.
"From Unguwar Alkali to Mani Road where the radio station is located, I used to pay N150 for tricycle but today, I paid N300. When I asked the driver why the increase, he lamented that petrol stations have increased fares so he had no option but to increase his," she said.
Umar Ashura, a staff of the Federal University Dutsin Ma said the commercial vehicle he boarded from Katsina City to Dutsin Ma didn't increase its fare from N500 but there were few vehicles on the road.
"I went to work very late because there were no available vehicles in the park. It took me more than two hours to even get an available vehicle. The driver that took us said he took us to Dutsin Ma because he had no option since he would be following the route," Mr Ashura said.
Bashir Ibrahim, a resident of Katsina, said he traveled to Kano from Katsina and was surprised to learn about the sharp increment.
"It used to be N1,200 in NARTO park but this morning I paid N1,600 to Kano. I was told that even the other parks within Katsina have increased their fares," Mr Ibrahim, a car wash attendant, said.
A school teacher, Rukayya Shehu said the tricycle operator she took from Shinkafi roundabout to Barhim Estate increased N100 from the normal N150 fare.
A PREMIUM TIMES reporter gathered that all the filling stations in the metropolis have increased their pump price to at least N350 while several others were shut.
Kano
Tricycles operators within the Kano metropolis ascribed the hike in transportation fares to the fuel scarcity in the state.
Following the announcement of the subsidy removal, PREMIUM TIMES observed in Kano and neighbouring Jigawa State that many filling stations were shut.
Some of the tricyclists in a separate interaction with our reporter said explained why transport fares that cost N50 increased to N100.
However, an official of the National Road Transport Worker (NURTW) Isah Ibrahim, at Kano Line Motor Park, said officials of the park have concluded a plan to increase the transport fare late Tuesday
"As of now, passengers are paying N3,000 from Kano to Bauchi, but with the development, an increment of N500 is expected by tomorrow depending on the availability of fuel in the town.
"The filling stations are yet to increase the price but many of them have closed and this is a deliberate attempt to cause scarcity and subsequent increment, " Mr Ibrahim said.
Also, a government official who supervises the operations of government-owned buses at the Kano Line confirmed that there is a plan to increase the transport fare latest by this week.
A driver plying Kano to Yola highway, Suleiman Alhassan, said passengers paid N5,000, but with fuel subsidy removal, they might be asked to pay up to N7000 to travel to the northeast state.
South-east
Like in other regions of the country, the hike in the price of PMS after Mr Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy, pushed up transport fares across Nigeria's south-east.
In Enugu, a commercial minibus driver, Innocent Ohaga, told PREMIUM TIMES that the price of fares in the state doubled due to the increase in fuel price.
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Mr Ohaga said commercial drivers charge N300 for a trip from Abakpa-Nike, a community in Enugu East Council Area of the state to Obiagu Area in Enugu North Council Area.
"We used to charge N150 before now for the trip. It could increase by tomorrow (Wednesday) because you know today is sit-at-home for the Biafra Day celebration," he said.
Kingsley Umezoke, another minibus driver in the state, said many fuel stations were shut immediately after reports of fuel subsidy removal went public.
"So, a few stations that opened today increased their prices. Some were selling at N550 per litre," Mr Umezoke stated.
The situation was the same in Imo State. Ben Okolo, a resident of the state, said the price of fuel had skyrocketed since subsidy removal was announced by Mr Tinubu, resulting in an increase in transport fares.
Before now, Mr Okolo would spend N100 to transport himself from the World Bank Area of Owerri to Imo State University Junction otherwise known as IMSU Junction.
But he spent N200 to travel to the area on Tuesday, he explained.
"That's the lowest charge for anywhere you going no matter how close it is.
"Yesterday I bought fuel at N250 per litre after the president's speech, but today it has gone up to N500," he said.
Ernest Enyi, a commuter and resident of Afikpo Town in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State said he was shocked when he learnt that the fares had increased suddenly.
"Transport fares are very high now. The normal price usually charged for a trip from Afikpo Town to Unwana, that's Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana, was N250 for Keke-Napep and N200 for bus.
"Today (Tuesday) the prices are now N500 for Keke, N400 for bus," he said.
Commercial motorcyclists otherwise known as Okada riders also increased their charges by 100 per cent, he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, PMS was sold at the price of N700 per litre in the state, but dropped to N500 in the evening, residents said.
The Biafra Day celebration declared by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) grounded activities and movements in Anambra State on Tuesday.
Residents said the price of petrol on the day hovered between N650 and N700 per litre in the state.
Additional reporting by Saviour Imukudo, Mohammed Babangida, Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, and Chinagorom Ugwu
