By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A growing number of civil servants in Kaduna State have reportedly stopped going to work, citing an inability to afford the recent spike in transportation costs. This increase has been attributed to the rising price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, following adjustments by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
A situation report compiled on Thursday highlights the sharp rise in transportation fares across Kaduna State and its environs. For example, the cost of traveling from Sabon Tasha to the Central Market (Kasuwa) in Kaduna now stands at N500, while the same fare applies for Gonin Gora to Kasuwa via Bus Town Service (BTS).
Other fare increases include Barnawa, Narayi, and Kakuri areas to Kasuwa, which now cost N400 each, and Kawo to Kasuwa, which has risen to N300. The fare from Maraban Rido to Sabon Tasha has escalated to N400.
In addition, routes such as Rigachikun to Kawo now cost N300, Maraban Jos to Rigachikun N400, and Maraban Jos to Kawo N600. The fare from Zaria to Kawo has risen to N1,600, while Kawo to Zaria is now N2,700. Traveling from Jos to Kaduna has surged to N10,000, and Kaduna to Abuja now costs N8,000.
These fares mark a significant increase from previous prices, which ranged between N200 and N300 for most of these routes.
During a local radio call-in program on Friday in Kaduna, several civil servants expressed their frustration, explaining that they have been forced to stay home as they can no longer afford the transportation costs to their offices.
One resident, lamenting the situation, pleaded, “O God, please have mercy on the masses of this country. Deliver us from these Egyptians masquerading as leaders in Nigeria, who are busy stealing the resources of Nigerians, leaving them in abject poverty in the midst of God’s bountiful blessings of material and mineral resources.”
The hike in transportation costs has drawn criticism from various quarters, with some blaming the NNPCL for the increase in petrol prices, while others harshly criticized the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the government’s economic policies.
