Commercial minibus operators in Osogbo, Osun State, popularly known as Korope, on Wednesday, staged a protest over the rising cost of petrol and an escalating operating expenses.
Politics Nigeria reports that the drivers temporarily withdrew their vehicles from the roads and converged at Ayetoro, Osogbo, where they demanded urgent government intervention, particularly the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations across the state.
The protesters said the sharp increase in petrol prices, coupled with the rising cost of spare parts, vehicle maintenance and household expenses, had severely affected their earnings.
One of the drivers, Adewumi Adeleke, said some operators now spend as much as N40,000 on petrol daily, leaving them with little income after meeting other expenses.
“How could you be running this business, spending about N40,000 on fuel a day, and when you get home, all you see is just N5,000 or N3,000? Spare parts and everything are too costly, so we are not comfortable with the situation,” Adeleke said.
He appealed to the Federal Government and the Osun State Government to accelerate the deployment of CNG infrastructure in Osogbo, arguing that access to the alternative fuel would reduce the cost of operating commercial vehicles.
Adeleke said many drivers were willing to convert their vehicles to CNG but could not afford the conversion without government support.
He warned that continued inaction could force operators to withdraw their services for a prolonged period.
Another driver, Prince Olakunle Ojo, said the rising cost of petrol had made it increasingly difficult for drivers to make meaningful income after paying for fuel.
Ojo said a driver could spend about N15,000 on petrol and end the day with only about N13,000 in earnings.
“By the time you buy fuel worth N15,000 in the morning and, at the end of the day, you are able to make N13,000, the fuel money is not there, your food money is not there, and you cannot take care of the vehicle,” he said.
He also criticised the lack of CNG refuelling infrastructure in Osun, saying operators who had already converted their vehicles were struggling to access the fuel.
“There is no single station in Osun State. Many people who have CNG in their vehicles are just keeping it there because Osun State does not have any station we can point to and say this is where you can get CNG,” Ojo said.
The operators further demanded a review of transport fares to reflect the prevailing cost of fuel, vehicle maintenance and spare parts.
A driver, Ariyo Idowu, said the worsening operating environment was making it difficult for drivers to meet their family responsibilities and maintain their vehicles.
Idowu also called for the provision and improvement of designated bus stops across Osogbo, saying better transport infrastructure would help organise commercial operations and improve passenger movement.
The drivers warned that they could embark on a week-long strike if their demands were not addressed and urged the government and transport unions to engage them in dialogue.
The protest came a day after the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, defended Nigeria’s petrol price, saying it remained lower than that of the United States and several other countries.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Lokpobiri said the pump price could not simply be reduced to N1,000, N800 or N700 per litre because crude oil and refined petroleum products are traded in the global market.
“We are already benefiting. That’s why our price is lower than that of the US,” the minister said.
Lokpobiri maintained that producing crude oil locally did not automatically translate into cheaper petrol, arguing that crude oil is globally traded and prices are influenced by international market benchmarks.
He also said local refiners, including the Dangote Refinery, would have to source crude at internationally determined prices.
“Crude oil and refined product is a global business. Nigeria doesn’t exist in isolation,” he said.
The minister further maintained that the downstream petroleum sector had been deregulated, limiting the Federal Government’s ability to directly dictate pump prices.
