Yuletide: Gombeline fails to slash fares, residents abandon travel plans
In spite of the much touted and highly celebrated Federal Government’s 50 per cent cut on both rail and road transportation fare to enable Nigerians wishing to travel for the Yuletide have seamless trips, residents of Gombe have lamented the total failure of the gesture in the state.
FCG investigations reveal that following the astronomical increase in fares, many Gombe residents who would have loved to travel say they were constrained to remain in the state to celebrate both the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Speaking in a chat with Arewa PUNCH, Ada Akabueze, an indigene of Imo State, who resides in Gombe State, said she would have loved to travel but for the high fares.
Akabueze noted that she would need over N60,000 to make the trip to and fro, adding that previously, it required less than the amount, being N30,000 for a similar journey.
According to her, “Some years ago, I only needed about N30,000 to travel to Imo State and return, but now, I need N60,000. I don’t have that amount this festive season to travel to the East.”
Also speaking, Elo Agaha, an indigene of Delta State, disclosed that she would have loved to travel so as to celebrate the festive period with her extended family members outside Gombe, adding that but for paucity of funds.
Agaha said ruefully, “I don’t have the type of money the transporters are demanding to enable me travel to Delta State and this is due to the removal of subsidy which has increased the cost of transportation.
“I need more than N45,000 now to get to my state and to return to base if i must make the journey,” she noted.
On his part, Oke Olatunde, an indigene of Ekiti State who also works in Gombe State, like others, stressed that but for the high cost of fare he would have loved to visit his state to celebrate Christmas.
However, Olatunde who had resigned himself to fate, said that he would make the most of the time in Gombe, adding that, “I don’t have enough money to travel to Ekiti State but I will try to use the little money I have to take care of myself and the family because I do not want to borrow money to make the trip at all cost.”
Reacting to the hardship and cost of transportation which is crippling the movements of the residents especially at a time as this, the Managing Director of Gombeline Sabo Sani, told FCG that the state transport company has no plans to reduce its fares.
According to him, “although we hear that there are plans in the pipeline to subsidise fares,” adding that, “Already, the Federal Government has collected statistics and we may soon be getting some relief, but until then, we can’t reduce fare because the cost of fuel remains same.”
