An appeal to commercial motorists

Imagine the manner in which transport fares were hiked as a result of the current fuel scarcity. In some cases, commuters had to pay 150% more than the normal price. Granted, commercial transporters are in the business to make money but does that expressly give them a license to exploit their fellow countrymen? It is […]

Imagine the manner in which transport fares were hiked as a result of the current fuel scarcity. In some cases, commuters had to pay 150% more than the normal price. Granted, commercial transporters are in the business to make money but does that expressly give them a license to exploit their fellow countrymen? It is true they must recoup the money invested in procuring fuel at exorbitant rate and still make profit but they should be considerate. Some of these inflated fares they charge are simply too much.

Even when there is no shortage of petroleum products, these motorists seize the slightest opportunity to hike prices. Take for instance the rainy season, when it rains in the evenings and a lot of people are in a hurry to get home; commercial motorists inflate fares seeing how desperate people are. When it is late and an event has ended somewhere, they inflate fares. Is this fair?  Granted demand affects supply but they should be reasonable and considerate. If they don’t have sympathy on their fellow masses, who are we then to complain that our government has none for us.

To compound matters, these commercial motorists have the audacity to insult people who complain about the inflated fares or those who could not afford to pay.

If ever this country will change for the better, then there must be a collective will to change and collective sacrifice. We must put our exploitative tendencies in check for the collective good of our countrymen and women.

Khalifa Adam wrote from Nyanya, Abuja.