Fuel Hike:Commuters Resort To Trekking

From left: Director-General Oganiru Enugu State Investment Summit, Mr Ike Chioke, Chairman United Bank for Africa, Mr Tony Elumelu, Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, during the 2016 Oganiru Enugu State Investment Summit in Enugu last Tuesday.

Commuters in the
Anambra capital, Awka and its environs have resorted to trekking to their destinations as the pump price of petrol hit N220 per litre in the state.
Our correspondent reports that many filling stations in the capital  that had the product sold at N220, though some sold at N200.
As at the time of filing this report commercial vehicles had cashed in on the situation to charge high fares, citing the cost petrol.
A civil servant, Mr Joseph Nwankwo, said that the development had made him to wake up as early as 6 a.m. daily to trek about four kilometres which used to cost N70 by public transport.
The civil servant added that the fare for the distance had increased to N150.
“Since our government is not planning to up our salaries for now, I can’t afford to pay the new fares.
“My current salary cannot sustain me till the end of the month if I should be spending over N300 every day.
“I have family needs to take care of not to talk of the children’s school fees which is not far from now,’’ he said.
Mrs Amaka Onyejekwu, a trader in Eke Awka market, said that she had resorted to trekking from Nibo Town where she lives to Awka due to the 100 per cent increase in transport fares.
“I used to pay N100 to Awka but now it is N200.
“This has made me and many others to try practical means of getting to the market by trekking through bush paths that connect the two neighbouring towns.
“As we go, we don’t mind the hills and valleys that we go through,’’ she said.
Mr Chike Anizoba, a civil servant, called on the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Ibe Kachikwu, to keep to his promise of restoring normalcy to petrol supply.
“With the current trend of events in the country, salaries don’t last over two weeks anymore.
“You can imagine that I have been trekking to my office which is about three kilometres since the past two weeks and my shoes are paying the price,’’ he said.