As the yuletide season approaches, Nigerians in different parts of the country have expressed fear and worry over the possibility of travelling to their ancestral homes in the South-East, South-West, and northern regions due to the rising cost of transport fares and worsening insecurity.
Last year, the Federal Government slashed interstate road transport fares by 50 per cent and approved free rides for commuters on all train services during the Yuletide.
The transportation subsidy, which took effect from December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024, benefitted no fewer than 112,000 passengers, according to the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2023, the average price of fuel stood at N671 per litre—225.85 per cent higher than the N206.19 price in 2022.
By Thursday afternoon, fuel prices had risen to between N1,025 and N1,045 per litre at various filling stations in Lagos.
Consequently, transport fares to the South-East, South-South, and northern states skyrocketed.
A visit to some major motor parks in Lagos and a review of the websites of some interstate transport companies revealed that transport costs from Lagos had nearly doubled compared to last year.
A trip from Lagos to Benin, which cost between N6,000 and N12,000 earlier last December, now costs between N15,000 and N21,000, depending on the transport company and bus quality.
Similarly, a trip from Lagos to Enugu, which cost about N19,000 in 2023, now costs N41,500, according to the God Is Good Motors website.
Transport companies like GIGM, Peace Mass Transit, and Young Shall Grow now charge between N22,000 and N50,500 per person for trips from Lagos to Owerri, Aba, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Abuja.
Last December, these fares ranged from N17,000 to N20,000.
Even within the South-West, fares have risen significantly as a trip from Lagos to Ibadan, Ilorin, or Osogbo, which cost between N1,500 and N4,500 last year, now goes for between N3,000 (Ibadan) to N7,500 (Osogbo and Ilorin), depending on the bus.
Many Nigerians in different states of the federation expressed concern about the hike in transport fares.
They also expressed fear about rising insecurity in the eastern and northern regions—both hotbeds of banditry, kidnappings, and killings.
Just last week, gunmen suspected to be enforcing the illegal sit-at-home order invaded two communities in Anambra State, killing at least four people.
Earlier, about 10 people were murdered in Nibo community, Awka South Local Government Area of the state.
In Benue State, at least 30 people were reportedly killed and several injured when armed gangs attacked farmers and local communities in Katsina-Ala LGA of the state last week Monday.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Chairman of Nsu Development Union, one of the Ndigbo associations in Lagos State, Mr Blessing Nwokejiegbe, said it was customary for all Igbos in the state to travel home during the yuletide, adding that the prevailing hike in fuel price and deepening insecurity had been of serious concern to them.
“It is our tradition. When it comes to this particular period, we always want to converge on our villages and have Christmas fun. But everybody is skeptical about the security concerns and high cost of fares. As I speak to you now, from Lagos to Owerri is about N45,000. Mind you, Owerri is not a village. It will take me another N15,000 to get home from there. But that is not even the real thing.
“The problem is that I have called people in the village and they said there is peace. But how do you travel to get to the village? Is it not by road? We don’t know when these bad boys can stage their ambush. That is why everybody is prayerful now,” he stated.
Speaking further, Nwokejiegbe said, “There are events ahead. You know, many people are dying. And for a lot of them that have died, we are moving them to the East. So, that (yuletide) period is when we bury as many as we can. Many people that died have not been buried.
“For some of them that we hurriedly buried, there is something we call burial rites. It hasn’t been done for them. So, many events are supposed to take place. But people are very careful.”
A trader at the Ile Epo Market, Lagos, Muhammed Isa, said although he had planned to travel during the yuletide to see his wife and children in the north, the hike in transport fares and fear of being attacked might make him change his mind.
“I planned to travel probably next week because I haven’t seen my family since the beginning of this year. But as it stands now, I may likely not go because of the high cost of transportation.
“Last year, it was around N14,000 to N19,000 from Lagos to Kano State by bus. But as we speak, it is between N25,000 and N40,000. Imagine the rise. Mind you, there is also fear because these days, we hear of different attacks and killings in the north. I just want to be careful,” he added.
Also, the Chairman of Umuezeala Nsu Development Union, an association of some Imo State residents in the state, Henry Chukwuyere, admitted that the hike in the cost of transport was key, but said he would still travel.
“It is our tradition; so, we will. Here in Lagos, some people have said they won’t travel, perhaps because of the increase in fares. But once we approach December 21st, I am sure Lagos will be empty.
“How people will get money for this, I don’t know. In fact, I don’t even know how I will get the money for the trip, but it is a must we go because we have some occasions lined up for the end of the year, which we see as a period for our vacation,” he added.
Another member of the Igbo community in the state, Mr Uzoma Korie, said even though he had decided to travel, the high cost of transportation was giving him serious concern about whether to go with his family or not.
Ahead of the yuletide, residents in Abia State said unless the economy improved, they might consider staying put in their places of residence.
