- Kwara Govt. Deploys Free Buses To Ease Residents’ Movement
SEVERAL commercial transport operators in Ilorin on Thursday stormed some major streets in the metropolis to protest the new hike in petrol pump price.
During the protest, they expressed their displeasure with the sudden price hike, with the action leading to untold hardship for thousands of commuters.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protests which commenced on Thursday morning significantly disrupted the movement of commercial vehicles across the city.
This forced passengers to resolve to trekking to their destinations.
NAN also reports that the protest was spearheaded by some operators of commercial tricycles and commercial motorcycle riders who blocked several major roads in the city.
The road blocks occurred at Taiwo Isale, Coca-Cola road Junction, Maraba, Gambari Road and Offa Garage, bringing traffic to a standstill for several hours.
Consequently, commuters faced severe delays as the protesters restricted vehicular movements, demanding immediate action to address the situation.
Jimoh Abubakar, a commercial tricycle operator who spoke with NAN at Maraba, revealed that the protest was because of the sudden hike in fuel pump price.
Abubakar said the increase was unfair, adding that transporters hardly made profit due to money spent on fuel.
“In fact, when we were charging N50 per drop, it was more profitable than now. The hardship is too much, the government should help us,” he said.
Another tricycle rider, Yusuf Issa, also called on government to reduce fuel pump price, saying tricycle riders now spend all their income on fuel.
“They (government) should reduce it totally. It is becoming very difficult to make any profit, not to talk of taking care of the family from what we do for a living,” he said.
NAN reports that the focal points of the protest, such as Maraba and Murtala Mohammed Way Junction, witnessed aggrieved transporters chanting “(We say) ‘No’ to consistent price hike”.
Security operatives, including personnel of the Nigerian Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were deployed to key areas in the metropolis to ease the tension and ensure orderliness.
The presence of security agents helped to prevent any escalation into violence and ensured that the protest remained largely peaceful in spite of the significant disruptions to daily activities.
NAN also reports that the protest caused widespread disruption as residents who relied on public transport as they were stranded and could not go for their daily activities.
Many of them later resolved to trekking to their various destinations.
NAN also reports that most independent petroleum marketers in Kwara now sell at different prices ranging from N950 to N1200 per litre.
Meanwhile, the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Thursday in Ilorin directed the immediate deployment of buses to different parts of the metropolis to ease the movement of commuters.
AbdulRazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement that the buses were meant to ease the burden of the recent fuel price hike on the city’s residents.
“The buses are to take people to the most central destinations free of charge.
“We hope that persons attending the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) job placement interviews will find this helpful, particularly in the metropolis,” Ajakaye said.
He quoted the governor as appealing to transporters and members of the public to exercise patience over the new fuel price hike.
“Different government stakeholders are reviewing the situation with public good as a top priority.
“The inconveniences are regretted, and we are confident that things will ease as soon as possible,” the statement quoted the governor as saying.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that transporters within Ilorin had on Thursday embarked on a strike to protest the increase in fuel price, thereby leaving residents stranded. (NAN)
