Enugu Residents Decry High Transport Fares

Residents of Enugu, the capital of Enugu State, have expressed worry over transporters’ refusal to reduce fares despite the crash in fuel prices.

Our investigations revealed that a litre of fuel is now being sold between N890 and N920 per litre, as opposed to between N1,200 and N1,300 before.

Some of the residents who spoke to our correspondent in an exclusive interview accused the transporters of deliberately causing hardship.

They attributed the high cost of essential commodities, especially food items, to the high cost of transportation.

A resident of Obiagu in Ogui New Layout, Mr Ignatius Okonkwo, blamed transporters for the high cost of food items, especially vegetables.

“It pains me that the prices of food items, especially vegetables, are still very high despite the fact that   Enugu is a food basket state.

“When you go to the villages, the prices of all the items like garri, rice, and vegetables are very low, but by the time they transport these items to the town, the prices will be exorbitant; it is quite unfortunate “, he stated.

Another resident, Lilian Ugoeze, attributed the high cost of commodities to the high transport fares collected by transporters in the state.

“When transporters charge much money as fare, traders will pass the burden to innocent customers because they want to make gains too.

“Transporters should encourage the government by reducing their fares, especially when the processes of petroleum products crash; when they do this, the prices of other products will crash also,” he stated.