Yuletide: Reps Warn Transporters Against Fare Hike

AFNews understands that the House of Representatives on Monday, December 21, ordered the Ministry of Transportation to regulate commercial car operators increase of fare during the yuletide season.

According to the Nigerian lawmakers in an adopted resolution, the hike in fares during the yuletide would not be tolerated considering the hardship Nigerians are going through at this time.

The lower chamber of the assembly in the motion sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Martin Emeka (PDP), representing Ahiazu/Ezinitte Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, noted that erring transporter would be sanctioned by the Transport Ministry.

The Reps insisted that the yearly custom of hike in fares during yuletide which looks as if there is no regulatory agency would be addressed this season.

The motion reads in full: "The Reps urge the Ministry of Transport, to as a matter of urgent national importance, put modalities in place to monitor the activities of Transport operators across the country, especially during the yuletide, to curtail the obnoxious hike in fares, which must go with stipulated sanctions on erring operators, as a deterrent to others;

"Mandate the House Committee on Transport to interface with relevant agencies in ensuring that such seasonal arbitrariness comes to an end

"Note that the recent arbitrary hike in Transport Fare across the country, is becoming a tradition, with the most recent, where the obnoxious increment is painfully hitting the Land Transportation, thereby, compounding the hardship situation across the board, as the Yuletide draws near;

"Further notes that the development is becoming a national pandemic, where Commuters are decrying that the arbitrary hike in fares in some cases had reached almost 100 per cent, barely a week to the Christmas and more as the days go by, a situation that is also viewed to be worsening the economic situation in the Country;

"Aware that the Yuletide is associated with lots of travelling, as the longest holiday season, which triggers a proportionate movement of people from one destination to the other, hence the understanding of the economic implications that snowballs to a marginal increase in fares due to forces of demand on the existing supply chain.

"Also be aware that such obnoxiously arbitrary increase, sometimes had nothing to do with the economic indices or the reality on the ground, but a by-product of the greedy discretion of the Park managers who decide the prices depending on turnout of the day which is nothing short of gross insensitivity, occasioning economic sabotage."

AFNews understands that the Speaker of the House of Reps, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila upheld the prayers after contributions from a few members in favour of the motion.

Meanwhile, at least 38 inmates have reportedly escaped from police custody in Enugu State.

AFNews learnt that the inmates who were earlier remanded in the custody of the State Police Command over a series of criminal offences escaped on Sunday night, December 20.