Yuletide: Lagos residents travel out despite high fares
A trip to the eastern part of Nigeria from the motor parks with a bus cost as much N56,000 on Tuesday
In spite of high transport fares, Lagos residents have continued to travel out of the state for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored activities at some motor parks in Lagos on Tuesday, reports that commuters queued to get tickets for their travels.
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The motor parks visited include the popular Maza Maza and Okota motor parks.
Transport companies visited include Young Shall Grow Motors, Peace Mass Transit, Okeson, Chisco and GUO motors.
A trip to the eastern part of Nigeria from the motor parks with a bus cost as much N56,000 on Tuesday.
NAN also observed that many commuters booked for seats online, making it easy for the buses to get filled up despite the high fares.
Some of the passengers who spoke with NAN said that they needed to travel to their villages.
They also said that it was delightful to visit home during festive periods.
According to a businesswoman, Mrs Bridget Okonkwo, home is interesting.
“Home is sweet. From the beginning of every year, we plan to visit home during Christmas, making contributions toward that; so, no matter the cost, we will go.
“There are so many activities at home. It is also an opportunity to meet people we have not seen for a very long time,” she said.
Another commuter and student, Ms Chinasa Ekwe, told NAN that she was travelling with her siblings to attend a wedding ceremony.
Ekwe, who decried the high cost of transport, said she needed to travel for the ceremony.
“Last week, the fare was around N35,000 and N40,000. This is really not good.
“We moved from one transport company to another sseeking a reduced fare before we settled for this one.
“Three of us paid N165,000,” she said.
A banker, Mr Emmanuel Onyeka, told NAN that he travelled every Christmas season to be with his family members who, he said, were residing in Enugu.
“This period is an opportunity for me to be with my family; so, no matter the cost, I have to be at home in Enugu.
“It is really unfortunate that the situation in our country is like this.
“I can remember the period we paid around N7,500 to travel down east,” he said.
