Several federal and state civil servants in Ibadan, Oyo State, say the hardship they are facing as a result of the daily increasing cost of transportation is becoming unbearable.
In separate interviews in Ibadan on Tuesday, a cross-section of the civil servants said they were becoming unable to cope with the situation.
A federal civil servant, Bobola Adegbite, said the situation had become critical for him “as I do spend N2,500 daily on transportation now. Government needs to act fast to save civil servants from this increasing hardship because the N70,000 minimum wage is not corresponding with the increasing transportation fares.’’
Another federal worker, Adejoke Alamu, implored the government to review its policy on petroleum products for their prices to reduce.
Mrs Alamu, who lamented that she spent an average of N3,000 on transportation daily, said she could no longer use her car.
She said, “This is because I will spend between N8,000 and N10,000 on fuel daily if I should bring my car to the office.”
Stephen Alade, who works with the state government, decried the hike in transport fares.
He said this has reduced his family standard of living, as he could no longer save money for family upkeep.
“What I used to spend on transport fares weekly before is what I spend daily now. I urge governments at all levels to come up with some measures that will ease the hardship of workers and lessen their worries,” Mr Alade said.
Another employee with the Oyo State Government, Abigael Mojoyin, noted that what Nigerians, particularly civil servants, were facing presently was not encouraging.
“Even though those of us working with the state government have the advantage of free buses doing shuttles, provided by the state government, the operation of the buses is not regular. I live at Moniya in the Akinyele Local Government Area and I do spend an average of N1,400 daily, excluding the motorcycle fare that takes me from my street to the main road.
“I’m in Grade Level 6, earning about N60,000 monthly. But, with this, how much of the salary will remain at the end of the month?” Mrs Mojoyin stated.
She pleaded with the state government to do more in prioritising workers’ welfare, by ensuring that the commuter buses provided for workers operate optimally.
(NAN)
