Many Nigerians are still groaning over the high cost of transportation despite the recent drop in fuel pump prices and the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Our correspondent spoke with 31 passengers at various motor parks across Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states, and most of them lamented that transport fares remain unaffordable. The passengers blamed this on the activities of transport unions, whom they accused of milking both drivers and commuters.
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office and fuel prices soared to as high as N1,200 per litre, transport fares have reportedly increased by nearly 400%. Even with CNG now available in some areas and the pump price of fuel reducing slightly, the prices of transportation have remained high.
Findings by our correspondent also showed that commercial drivers are being forced to pay several daily fees at parks, including booking, loading, and ticket levies. These fees vary depending on the state and the leadership of each park, but drivers say they are being exploited.
One of the passengers, Ayinla Idris, who was heading to Ondo from Iwo Road in Ibadan, said his small business is barely surviving due to the transportation crisis. He explained that movement of goods has become too expensive, which in turn affects the prices of goods in the market.
“Transport is the lifeline of small businesses like mine,” he said. “We are already struggling, and now the cost of moving goods has gone beyond what we can manage. It’s very sad that the sector is controlled by touts who harass drivers and passengers and make everything difficult.”
He added that President Tinubu’s effort to introduce CNG and ease the burden of fuel should have helped the people, but the unions are frustrating the process. According to him, the daily charges from the unions are silently killing the sector and hurting everyday Nigerians.
Another passenger, Iyinola Aderibigbe, said both state and federal governments have allowed the unions to operate freely without regulation. She also expressed concern over the way passengers are packed into vehicles beyond capacity.
“They overload the vehicles and nobody is doing anything about it. The unions just collect money from the drivers, and if you complain, they will threaten you,” she said.
Drivers are not left out in the complaints. Adediwura Kazeem, a commercial driver, told our correspondent that he no longer makes any profit from driving. He said the current system is designed to keep drivers poor while union officials grow richer.
“After paying for fuel, repairs, and giving union leaders their share, there’s nothing left,” he lamented. “You buy a vehicle hoping to grow your business, but after some months, you abandon it at the mechanic workshop because you can’t fix it again. Then you go back to collect another vehicle on hire purchase from these same union leaders. It’s a big circle of slavery.”
He called on the government to intervene and regulate the sector properly, saying that if something is not done quickly, more drivers will quit, and transport will become even more expensive for the ordinary Nigerian.
Many of the people who spoke called on both the state and federal governments to step in urgently, regulate transport unions, and create a transparent pricing system to protect drivers and commuters alike.
