Date: 2015-03-12

Transport unions in Kwara State have threatened to increase the cost of interstate transportation if the pump price of petrol is not reversed to N87.
It will be recalled that some filling stations o arrest within Ilorin metropolis are selling a litre of petrol N100 following the recently scarcity of the product within the metropolis, the development,  they said is adversely affecting their profit.
They disclosed that if the artificial hike in the pump price of fuel is not reversed, they might be forced to effect fare hike.
Speaking with National Pilot in Ilorin on Wednesday, the Administrative Manager, Young Legacy Transport Company, Alhaji AbdulFatah Olanrewaju, lamented the adverse effect the fuel increase is having on the company’s business.
Though, the allayed the passengers’ fears of imminent fare hike, he, however, declared that should the situation persist, his company might be forced to effect fare hike that will be commensurate with the prevailing market.
“Transporters may be forced to increase fare price if the situation is not resolved soonest, fuel is a major raw-material in transportation business and it determines the price of every other thing in the market including cost of transportation, as  all transporters want to make profit. Sadly, our profit has been affected drastically since this issue started”
Also speaking with this medium, Chairman of the National Union of Road transport workers (NURTW), Maraba Branch, Alhaji Olountoyin Alao, decried the situation, which he described as artificial and called on the state government to arrest the development.
“The fuel price increment is having an adverse effect on our business, we have resigned to faith as it is hard for us to increase fuel hike with the current economic situation in the Nigeria. Increasing transport fare will be a burden too heavy to carry by passengers, more so we are in election period if we increase transport fare APC may accuse us of working for PDP or PDP accuse us of working for APC.
‘’We are waiting for the election to be done with, immediately we are through with the general election, we will take actions accordingly by reaching out to the appropriate quarters and if they fail to yield, we will also increase transport fare” he concluded.
Reacting to the state’s transporters, the Special Adviser on Labour Matters to the state governor, Comrade Bisi Fakayode, promised the state government’s resolve to sure the availability of the petrol product .
To this end, he remarked that a task force to make sure the availability of the petro product within the state had been setup.
He promised that the state government would liaise with the ‘appropriate quarters’ to ensure that neither the commuters nor transporters are surcharged because of the artificial fuel price hike in the state.