Fare Hike: Drivers Vow To Resist Students’ Intimidation

Director, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Ladi Katagum (left), with Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State (right), at the Nigerian-Czech Business Forum in Abuja, recently.

The attempt by some
suspected students of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, to resist the increase in transport fare by taxi drivers that ply the Mile One – Iloabuochi  route has been described as unreasonable.
According to The Tide investigation, shortly after the Federal Government announced the removal of fuel subsidy and correspondent increase of fuel pump price to N145.00, the taxi drivers immediately raised fares from N50.00 to N100.00.
The development, The Tide learnt did not go down well with the students. One of the drivers, Linus Biko, who spoke to The Tide described the students’ action as unreasonable and capable of causing bad blood between the drivers and members of the public.
According to him, the students who are supposed to be leaders of tomorrow should be  reasonable enough to know that the development should not be blamed on the drivers but the federal government..
Another transporter, Mr Jude Uche, who spoke to The Tide, described the students’ action as “chasing shadows instead of substance”.
However, some of the students who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity said the students may have acted on the spur of the moment.
They added that the suspected students should be seen as acting on their own even as they said the students community of the institution is not aware of such a development.