The effects of the removal of subsidy on petrol has continued to bite harder across Nigeria as some people who visited home for the Christmas and New Year celebrations and are now stranded in their villages have resorted to selling their belongings to raise transport fare back to their various stations.
Many people who had the celebration in their rural communities in Abia State were surprised at the high cost of transportation when they came to Umuahia to board vehicles back to their places of abode.
At least three men were seen at one of the luxurious bus parks in Umuahia trying to trade off their Black Berry phones at give away prices to enable them raise money to transport themselves back to city.
“It is better I sell the phone and get back to resume my work than stay here and lose my job. When things settle down, I can buy another Black Berry. I will manage my small phones. This is life,” one of the passengers returning to Abuja said.
It was learnt that many people who are still stranded on account of the hike in transport fares have sold personal items, ranging from wrist watches to telephones and even clothes to enable them return to their bases in good time.
In Enugu State the situation is worse:
Transport fare from Enugu to Nsukka which was N250 jumped to N900. A journey by luxury bus to Lagos jumped to N7, 000 from N3,000.
In the intra city fares, a drop by bus which usually attracts N30 is now N100. Taxi drops are as high as N1,000 and N3,000 while Okada charges cut-throat fares.
Enugu to Onitsha by bus which normally costs N350 now costs between N1,200 and N1,500. In the same vein, mass transit buses from Enugu to Abuja which costs N2,800 before the subsidy removal, now costs N7,000.
I guess this wasn't what Nigerians bargained for when they voted in April, 2011
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