Petrol price hike: Bauchi residents opt to trek for survival

Some residents of Bauchi have resorted to trekking as part of survival strategies to cope with rising cost of living triggered by petrol price hike.

A correspondent of the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who went round the metropolis on Monday, reports that workers, traders and students had resorted to trek for their daily errands as they could not afford exorbitant transport fare.

The situation was further compounded by the scarcity of commercial vehicles plying the roads in the metropolis.

NAN checks showed that servicing stations were dispensing petrol between N1,060 and N1,200 per litre, while the product sold at N1,400 per litre at the black market outlets.

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Mr. Mohammed Saleh, a resident, said the hike in pump price forced cabs, tricycles and motorcycle riders to increase transport fare by about 300 per cent.

He said the surge in transport fare had forced many residents to embrace trekking or adopt to other survival strategies.

Saleh said that he now paid N400 transport fare from his home to the office as against N100 before the petrol price hike.

“A trip that previously costs N100 now goes for N400. We have no choice but to trek to our places of work and businesses.

“The hike in fuel price has made transportation costly. Sadly, our salaries can’t keep up,” he said.

A commercial motorcycle operator, Audu Bakoji said that he was not making good sales now due to low patronage of their services.

“People are not patronizing us, we’re operating at a loss.

“Petrol now costs between N1,060 and N1,200 per liter. Most passengers can’t afford trips, leaving us without customers,” he said.

Corroborating Bakoji, a bus driver, Musa Yakubu, called for urgent measures to address the problem and improve the well being of the people.

“We urge the government to find a lasting solution to the fuel price crisis. We can’t continue like this. Our livelihood depend on it.” He said.

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Hajiya Aisha Mohammed, a petty trader, said that the petrol price hike has not only crippled transportation but also took toll on residents’ health due to long trek.

“Trekking long distances has become a norm, we’re exhausted. And my sales dropped significantly,” she said,

Commenting, Rabiu Baba, Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketing Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), attributed the disparity in petrol pricing to high cost of transportation.

“The price of petroleum commodities is determined by the transportation cost to your destination,” he said.