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Some commuters in Ilorin, the Kwara capital, have deplored the increase in transportation fares within the city, owing to the current fuel scarcity.
Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, said they now pay double the fare that had hitherto been increased since the removal of fuel subsidy.
NAN reports that transportation fares have increased in the Ilorin metropolis since Saturday due to fuel scarcity and its unavailability.
Olunlade to Offa Garage, which used to be N100, is now N200; Offa Garage to Mandate Market, which was N200, is now between N350 and N400, depending on the bargaining power.
Also, Olunlade to Post Office now costs N400, while commercial motorcyclists operating within areas to junctions now charge between N250 and N300 against N150 and N200.
Mrs Grace Philip, who went to shop at Mandate Market, said the cost of transportation has reduced what she was able to buy in the market.
”Already, the money I had with me could not buy all we needed in the house, but I just had to come and manage, on getting to the road, the transportation fare now doubled.
”This means the limited money I have will be affected again, which boils down to the fact that what we are going through is unbearable.
”There were rumours that the price of fuel would reduce for some weeks now, but instead, it has become more expensive and even unavailable because people are struggling to buy it,” she said.
On her part, Mrs Aisha Mohammed said she will have to trek from the junction where she will be dropped off to her house because the money meant for motorbike has been spent on plying the main road.
She begged that the situation be put under control soon because it won’t be easy for people to get to where they earn their living.
Mr Umar Haroon expressed sympathy with students because they would spend most of their time scrambling for transportation due to the limited number of vehicles on the road.
He said they would be tired by the time they get to school and may not be useful to themselves for the rest of the day.
NAN reports that only a few filling stations were selling fuel, with attendant long queues of vehicles.
Some sellers dispensed a litre of fuel for N750; others sold it for between N850 and N900, while black marketers sold for as high as N1,000 or N1,500 per litre.
