Residents across the Federal Capital Territory have expressed concern over rising petrol prices, saying the latest increases are driving up transport fares and adding to the cost of food and other household necessities.
The residents spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Dei-Dei, Kubwa and Dutse as the latest petrol price increase continued to affect commuters and businesses.
Checks by NAN indicated that petrol was selling for between N1,450 and N1,500 per litre at many filling stations in Abuja, compared with about N1,200 to N1,280 before the latest increases.
A commercial driver in Dei-Dei, Sunny Peter, said rising fuel costs had forced operators to increase fares as petrol became a larger part of their operating expenses.
He said the fare from Dei-Dei to Berger, previously between N900 and N1,000, had risen to about N1,200 to N1,500, depending on traffic and demand.
Peter also said passengers travelling from Kubwa to Wuse now paid between N1,000 and N1,200, compared with N700 to N800 previously.
“We understand the challenges passengers face, but we also have to survive,” he said.
A civil servant in Kubwa, Adaeze Okoli, said rising transport fares had made commuting to work increasingly difficult.
She said a significant portion of her salary was now spent on transportation, leaving less money for food, rent and other necessities.
Another resident, Abdullahi Sani, said his salary had remained unchanged while transport expenses continued to rise.
“My salary has remained the same, but transport costs continue to rise,” he said.
He added that many families were now spending a larger share of their income on transportation and household expenses.
In Dutse, Esther Okeke, a mother of six, said the increase in fuel prices had affected virtually every aspect of family life.
“Food prices, school, transportation and electricity costs have all increased,” she said.
Okeke called for measures that would cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on transport operators and commuters.
Other residents urged the government to expand affordable mass transit services on major routes across the FCT.
The calls come as the Federal Government continues its mass-transit intervention for civil servants.
In August, the government commissioned the first 37 buses under a 100-electric-bus Renewed Hope Mass Transit programme designed to provide safer and more affordable transportation for federal civil servants.
A nine-member implementation committee was subsequently inaugurated on September 9 to oversee the pilot phase and wider deployment of the scheme.
Meanwhile, commercial transport fares have also risen on several Abuja routes following the latest petrol price increase.
NAN checks found higher tricycle fares in areas including Gudu, Lokogoma, Kabusa, Apo, Dutse, Nyanya, Kubwa and Lugbe.
With petrol prices continuing to affect transport operators, residents say any sustained increase could further stretch household budgets and increase the cost of moving people and goods across the FCT.
