Olusegun Ariyo
The Yuletide Season that is being celebrated all over the World Particularly that of Christmas has come with many issues in Nigeria essentially what many termed hardship across the board and that which is taking its toll on many families
The season comes with travelling, cooking special delicacies, buying clothes for children, subscribing to infrastructure such as Christmas trees and other decorations, and buying hampers and special gifts for loved ones, among others.
But this year, not many people are smiling. The staggard inflation in the country indicates that, for many people, this Christmas comes with mixed feelings.
Checks by Urban Express News Online indicate that in the unfriendly transportation, fares are increased by over 50% often discouraging many from travelling, except for more pressing reasons like weddings, burial ceremonies, and family meetings, among others.
The removal of fuel subsidies by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023, and the subsequent increase in the price of petrol led to an increase in transportation fares.
Consequently, some people have opted to send money to loved ones at home instead of travelling to villages for Christmas.
However, many Nigerians in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs defied the harsh socio-economic situation as they trooped into motor parks in large numbers to reunite with families and friends, especially those who can afford exorbitant transport fares.
Expectedly, drivers are using the opportunity to increase their fares to different parts of the country, particularly in southern states.
Findings by Urban Express News Online revealed that commercial 18-seater buses have increased fares by over N10,000 to N15,000 per seat.
Trips to different states in the Southeast and South-south, which initially cost between N20,000 and N25,000, now cost between N30,000 and N35,000, respectively.
A trip from Abuja to Enugu State costs N35,000, Port Harcourt – N40,000, Lagos – N45,000, and Ilorin – N25,000.
Speaking to Our Correspondent at some motor parks in Iyana Ipaja, a lagos suburb as well as in Mile Two and Badagry, both outskirts of Lagos, domiciled in Lagos State, a driver of the commercial buses, Ibrahim Adegoke said the increased number of passengers ignited a hike in fares.
“We are adding money due to demand. This has nothing to do with the cost of fuel. You can see there are more passengers than vehicles.
Another driver, Oladele Kalasuwe, who goes to Ibadan, Oyo State, said that though a journey from Lagos to Ibadan N4,000, has been increased to N9,000, Nigerians are adapting to the situation.
He, however, expressed worries over the decline in the number of passengers this season.
“Going to Ilorin is not as exciting as it used to be. Charging N35,000 from the initial N15,000 is shocking to so many people.
“So, we see more family representatives travelling this year than the entire family. Can you imagine a family of six traveling?
“The cost implications are huge. You find mostly the men travelling, leaving their family behind in Abuja,” he said.
Another passenger travelling to Jos, Alowonle Ibrahim, who described the N35,000 fare as painful, said he would have preferred travelling with his family but for the exorbitant fares, blaming the hike in transportation mainly on the seasonal demand.
“I am going because I have something fundamental to do in the village. I have to resolve a pressing family issue; otherwise, I would have stayed back in Abuja,” he lamented.
Another motorist, Ameh Sunday, travelling to Otukpo, Benue State, said the exorbitant costs are a source of discouragement to would-be travellers.
“Honestly, this is quite discouraging. Do they want us to spend every penny we have made on transport?
“There would be plenty of other expenses when one gets to the village and coming back after the celebration is another thing to contend with. This government is just making things unbearable for ordinary Nigerians,” he lamented.
Another driver, Godwin Peter, shuttling Abuja and Benue State, said the hike in transport fares is a result of the high cost of fuel and a few people coming into the city during the Yuletide.
“There is always a pattern during the Christmas and New Year period. From my experience of over 20 years as a driver, many people travel to the village from the cities, while a few others move in the opposite direction.
“It is always a one-way thing. Therefore, there are usually a few available vehicles available to travellers; so we have to maximise the situation by increasing the transport fares from between 20 and 50 per cent.
“In order words, they return with empty vehicles. The few passengers they pick along the way pay little money for the driver to add to his fuel money.
“Again, it is not our fault that the demand for vehicles to travel is usually not met because so many people want to travel, whereas there are only a few buses available.
“Moreover, bus fares are usually more affordable compared to airfares,” he said.
Another motorist, Okafor Ekene, said the abnormally high transport fares are a result of the removal of fuel subsidies and the rising cost of vehicle spare parts, admitting that people are not travelling this year, unlike the past years.
However, regardless of the price hike and public outcry, some Nigerians said travelling at Yuletide is an annual ritual that must be performed.
“Normally, they charged N12,000. Why hike it to over N30,000 when there was no recent increase in petrol pump price? It is wickedness, but we can do nothing,” he declared.
Aside from the transportation fare, it is not surprising that prices of food items have skyrocketed as many citizens are known to hike prices when it is celebration time, thereby making items unaffordable, especially for the average Nigerians during festive periods.
