Towards the end of April, the nation witnessed fuel scarcity. This fuel scarcity hit Ile-Ife and affected transportation prices. Bus fares from the gate to the bus stop increased from ₦100 to ₦150, while bike fares from the gate to the bus stop increased to ₦200, to mention just a couple. These prices were agreed upon after the Transport Management Commission (TMC) had a meeting with the bus drivers and bike riders in response to the hike in fuel prices. Despite the recent drop in prices and its availability, no action has been taken to adjust transportation costs.
READ ALSO: NLC Strike: ASUU OAU Joins Strike
ACJ correspondent visited four fuel stations to gather their pump prices. OAU Poplat is selling 1 litre for ₦700, PB & MC LTD for ₦690, Energy Filling Station for ₦700, and Matrix for ₦660.
Students Lament
Mercy, a student from the Department of Linguistics, said, ‘It is not fair’. She explained that if the price of fuel is returning to normal, the transport fare should also return to normal.
Akindiya Rachael, a Broadcast Journalism student, said, ‘All I have to say is that it is a means of extortion to me’. She explained that transport fare alone takes up her monthly allowance. She further stated, ‘The TMC chairman said it is gradually happening because there is a change in price for those on Road 7 and THC axis. The TMC chairman is trying his best’.
SPONSORED POST: Luxury Kitchen at OAU: A Taste of Home-Cooked Delights for Students
Ayomide, an English student, said, :I knew it was a possible scenario where the bus drivers would just keep the bus fares unchanged’. He further stated that the Students’ Union has to address this issue with the bus drivers.
Another student, who chooses to remain anonymous, said, ‘The transport fare increase is outrageous’. She explained that if one does not have a change, one will be left stranded. She said, ‘Sometimes they (the drivers) will just fling your money on the floor; they will start cursing unnecessarily’. She further stated that if the price could be reduced to ₦100, it would be better. She said, ‘The way bikes just quote outrageous amounts of money is bad’. She explained that there was a day she took a bike from the bus stop to Ajose for ₦200.
Agnes, a student from the Department of Art and Social Sciences Education, explained that she sees exploitation taking place. She said, ‘Before this fuel issue, I would board a bike from Oduduwa Estate to campus for at most ₦400, including the ETF Lecture Theatre or even Chemical Engineering LT. But now, I pay ₦700 just from Oduduwa to FBLT.’
READ ALSO: TES-TAC Summit: Students Charged to Demand Transparency and Accountability in Government
Another student said she is used to experiencing a regular occurrence like this in Nigeria. She stated, ‘Nigerians tend to raise prices easily but struggle to lower them when needed. There are days when I have to skip classes because I don’t have ₦500 to spare’. She stated that it is becoming tiring and frustrating.
ACJ correspondent reached out to the Chairman of the TMC, Oshodi Abdulsamad, on Saturday, 1st of June via WhatsApp to know what the TMC is doing about the issue but he did not respond. Oshodi was also reached out to on Sunday but to no avail. The correspondent decided to place a call through, but Oshodi stated that he was in a meeting and the correspondent should chat him up. As of press time, Oshodi has not responded to the messages.
Nonetheless, the general secretary of the TMC, Ogunlade Prosper, was reached out to via WhatsApp on Tuesday. His response was: ‘Okay, I’m busy, but trust me I will get back when I’m done’. Prosper was also reached out to on Wednesday, but there was no reply. As of press time, no response has been received from him either.