Work Resumes Today After Sallah Holidays …Transporters Decry Low Patronage

Rev. Stephen Akinola (left) on exhibition during skills acquisition programme organised by Divine Daughters of Destiny in Port Harcourt recently. With him are a staff of RSNC, Mrs F. West (right) and others. Photo: Nwiueh Donatus Ken

Normal work resumes today following the end of the two-day Eid-el-Kabir Festival.
The Federal Government had declared Monday and Tuesday public holidays to enable Muslims fully participate in the celebration.
Meanwhile, drivers at the various motor parks across the city of Port Harcourt have complained of low volume of business during the holidays.
A cross-section of the drivers, who spoke to The Tide both at the Abali and Mile 111 Parks said that transportation activities during the holidays were low compared to previous holidays.
Mr Cletus Obi, who plies the Port Harcourt-Aba route said that business was low during the holidays, stressing that most people who travelled to Aba during the holidays went on account of business activities and not because of the Festival.
Obi also complained of high increase in the price of fuel, stressing that this also made it difficult for drivers.
According to him, during the holidays, the price of fuel rose from N97 to N110 per litre.
Also speaking, one Mr. Stanley Princewill, who was on his way to Buguma, said that the holidays did not affect him as he was still working during the period.
In his view, a driver, who plies the Buguma-Port Harcourt route, Mr. John Whyte, said that the holidays did not affect his business, and attributed it to the low volume of economic activities in the state.
Whyte also said that as a transporter, he was not aware that many people travelled to the country sides in respect of the holidays, because according to him, there was no money.
At the various jetties visited, The Tide also noticed very low business activities as the volume of passengers remained the same.
However, The Tide learnt that the fuel scarcity occasioned by the ongoing strike by oil and gas workers\also affected the operations of boat drivers as the few who managed to get fuel at slightly higher rate had to increase their fares.
When The Tide visited the ever busy Mile 3 Park, there was a doldrum in commercial transportation as most of the drivers that ply various routes recounted a lull in business activities.
According to a commercial motorist, Mr. Akanimo Udosen, who plies Port Harcourt – Omoku, “business is very low, compared to other Sallah holidays, or Christmas, when people return in their numbers and there is always a boom”.
Another motorist, who plies Port Harcourt – Owerri route and simply identified hemself as Paul, said there was no business as people did not travel much because of money.
He said the few travelers returning from their journeys were mostly civil servants with a schedule to beat early morning traffic and resume to work.
A civil servant returning from Ahoada, who spoke with our correspondent on the Sallah holiday, said the situation was grim as there was no money to spend as salary has not been paid.
Investigations within the Mile 3 Park also revealed that vehicles loading passengers travelling outside Port Harcourt stayed for a longer period before they got their vehicles fully loaded.
A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, told The Tide that the park would be busier Monday morning as more people would return from their journeys.
Meanwhile, Moslem faithful within the city were fully in the mood of celebration as they shared the spirit of Sallah passionately with their neighbours and people within the environment.