Some FCT residents on Sunday appealed to the federal government to provide buses and rail transportation in Abuja to ease the high cost of transportation for workers.

In separate interviews, the residents said the fuel subsidy removal increased the prices of goods and services.

They said the development had brought untold hardship to Nigerians.

Sunday Amos, a civil servant, said he found it difficult to go to work since the fuel increased from N537 to N617.

Mr Amos said it now costs him N35,000 to fuel his car, a N25,000 increase from the N10,000 it cost him before the subsidy removal.

“Before the removal of fuel subsidy, I used to fill my tank confidently with 10,000. When fuel was increased from N190 to N537, it cost me N35,000 to fill my tank.

“A lot of public car users have dropped their cars because the passengers they carry cannot make them break even with the current market price,” he said.

A civil servant and businesswoman, Ngozi Eze, said she had resorted to trekking to cut down the high transport fare.

”I trek even under the sun and rain to reduce transport fare because if I remove the transport fare from my salary, I will be left with nothing,” she said.

Joy Imuzeze, a resident of Dutse, said it was now difficult for her to go to work because of the increase in transport fares without a commensurate increase in salary.

“Many workers are voluntarily resigning from their job because if they remove the transport fare from their salaries, they will have nothing to hold on to,” Ms Imuzeze said.

Emmanuel Odey, a public servant, said there had been a behavioural adjustment in the company where he works ” because the situation is telling on everybody, including the employers.

” If the government provides buses that can convey a lot of people from various areas of Abuja into the city centres, I think the situation will be better.” 

(NAN)