Although the petrol price has reduced drastically, the cost of transportation remains high in the state capital, Uyo.
Fares have remained high in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, almost two weeks after Governor Umo Eno intervened in the price of petrol which had risen to N2,500 per litre in the state.
The price of petrol had climbed high in the state after the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the state last month directed members to withdraw services over the alleged confiscation of petrol trucks by the Joint Task Force on Security.
Within hours of IPMAN members shutting down filling stations, the price of petrol rose from N1 350 to between N2 200 and N2 500. Because of this development, transport costs tripled in Akwa Ibom, forcing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state to ask government workers to withdraw their services and stay at home.
The NLC chairperson in Akwa Ibom, Sunny James, said the situation had worsened the condition of the already impoverished workers in the state.
In an apparent move to prevent government workers from withdrawing service, Governor Eno intervened in the matter and met with the petroleum marketers, who then resumed sales of petrol to the public.
Although the governor's intervention reduced the price of petrol from N2,500 to between N1,100 and N1,400 in Uyo, the transport cost has remained high.
Fares
Although fares had increased throughout the country after President Bola Tinubu last year declared an end to petrol subsidy, a fiscal policy that has pushed the inflation rate to an unprecedented level, sent food prices tripling and resulted in an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
But fares were not this high in Uyo until IPMAN directed members to shut down filling stations.
For instance, before the marketers' action, commercial buses and tricycle operators charged N100 from Ibom Plaza to Itam Junction, which is within the heart of Uyo city. Commuters now pay N200 for the same distance, indicating a 100 per cent increase.
Also, the fare from Ibom Plaza to Ibiaku U-turn, along Oron Road in Uyo, which used to be N400, is now N600.
Fares for different routes in Uyo and other parts of Akwa Ibom have skyrocketed, forcing many residents to resort to trekking.
Passengers blaming wrong persons - transport operator
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, a commercial bus driver in the state, Monday Akpan, admitted that the price of petrol has reduced after Governor Eno's intervention but said it would be difficult to reduce fares.
Mr Akpan said transport operators were "forced to manage" the former price regime despite their discomfort with it.
"Passengers are blaming the wrong persons. We are charging passengers depending on how we buy petrol.
"Early last year, we bought fuel at N190, but now it is as high as N2,000. The passengers should channel the blame to appropriate quarters and stop blaming commercial drivers.
"They should blame the government," Mr Akpan said.
Another operator, Nsikak Sam, corroborated Mr Akpan's view.
Mr Sam said it has been difficult for commercial drivers to recover the money they spent on fuel, but that he and his colleagues have to "manage" due to obligations to their family.
"Yesterday (Wednesday), I bought petrol N7,000 in the morning but only realised N3,000 by the time the petrol finished," Mr Akpan said, arguing that the price of petrol was still high, the reason he said there were now fewer cars on the road, in the state.
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A tricycle operator in Uyo, Kufre Okon, narrated how he spent over eight hours queuing for petrol at an NNPC retail outlet in the city, only for the petrol to finish at the filing station before it got to his turn.
Mr Okon said transport operators hardly recover the money they use in buying petrol.
In addition to the petrol price, Nigerians are facing hard times as the economy deteriorates daily, with prices of basic commodities skyrocketing beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.
For instance, garri, a staple made from cassava, traditionally the cheapest of raw foods, has become a luxury. The price of other staples, including rice and beans, is also high as Nigerians battle the cost-of-living crisis.
