Diesel Hike: NRC Reduces Lagos-Ibadan Trips By 67%

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has reduced the number of trips on the Lagos-Ibadan train service due to the hike in diesel price.

Naija News learnt that the train service on that route was reduced by 66.67 per cent.

A further report revealed that NRC has recommended an adjustment in the transport fare to the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

The Managing Director, NRC, Fidet Okhiria, while speaking with Punch said the trips had been reduced due to the persistent hike in diesel price.

The price of Diesel has increased by over 300 per cent in the past few months forcing affected persons to threaten strike before the Federal Government intervened.

Okhiria while speaking on the high price of diesel said, “The Lagos-Ibadan train service is running but we have reduced the number of trips on that route because of the diesel problem. We reduced the number of trips we are running because of the hike in diesel price.”

The NRC boss when asked if the cooperation would raise its transport fare, he said it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to make such a decision.

He, however, stated that the NRC had made recommendations for adjustments.

Okhiria said, “We just can’t increase it by ourselves. The government has to do that. We have made some recommendations. But even the recommendations we made, the new price of diesel has overshot our workings as contained in the recommendations.

“However, we don’t want to price ourselves out of the market too, because the price of petrol is not increasing as such, rather the increase is little when compared to diesel price. And you know we are competing with transporters on roads.”

Asked the number of trips currently being done on the route, the NRC boss replied, “We are now doing two return trips as against six, which by now should have gone to 10. So we run just two trips now due to diesel problem.”