Many workers in Nigeria have expressed concern over the continuous increase in transportation fares, even as their salaries remain the same.
They said the sudden surge in fuel prices has driven transport fares to triple their usual rates, and their earnings can barely cover the cost of commuting to work.
Investors King reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, by 67 percent, from N568/litre to N950/litre at its outlets.
As fuel prices hit the roof, commercial transporters have no choice but to raise their fares.
Consequently, workers have lamented that the situation has been to their detriment.
Many of them, venting their frustration on social media, are considering resigning from their jobs because “they have nothing left after getting their monthly salaries.”
One affected worker, who identified himself as Chude, wrote on his X handle that the current fuel situation in Nigeria has become traumatic.
He said many young Nigerians may stop going to work this October because they can no longer cope with the increase in transportation fares and petrol prices without a corresponding increase in their salaries.
Chude disclosed that people are spending as much as N40,000 a week just to commute to work, wondering how someone who earns between N100,000 and N200,000 could cope in such conditions.
It was gathered that most workers, unable to withstand the pressure of skyrocketing transport fares, have opted to walk to work.
Checks by Investors King also revealed that top civil servants and corporate workers are no longer driving to their offices due to the high cost of petrol.
A Nigerian with the handle @Iamjudith17 tweeted, “I now trek halfway before entering any vehicle.”
Experts have warned that if more workers resign from their jobs, many employed Nigerians might add to the already rising number of unemployed in the country.
They called for real solutions from the government and relevant stakeholders to address the soaring transport fares.
Some workers who have had to leave their jobs shared their experiences.
A man simply identified as Oluwafemi, who resides on the mainland in Lagos, said he had to resign from his job when he realized that a huge chunk of his salary was spent on transport.
“I resigned last year when fuel prices went from N128/litre to N625/litre. I can’t cope with going to the Island from the mainland three times a week on a salary of less than N150,000,” Oluwafemi, with the X handle @Teekay4lyf1, tweeted.
Similarly, Maria Harlod said she had to resign in July 2024 when she could no longer cope with the hike in transport fares. “I resigned in July. I couldn’t deal,” she tweeted.
