Eid-el-Kabir: Commuters lament shortage of commercial vehicles in FCT

As Muslims celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, commuters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were left stranded at some bus-stops as shortage of intra city vehicles hit Abuja metropolis.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observed that many commuters were stranded at various bus stops within the territory as there were few commercial vehicles operating.

Some of the bus-stops include: Apo Roundabout, Berger junction, Jabi Motor Park, Dutse Junction.

At Apo-Roundabout, Mr Friday Mungu said that he had waited at the junction for over an hour waiting to board a vehicle to Mararaba area of Nasarawa State.

“ I think there is scarcity of commercial vehicles because most of the commercial drivers at this axis are Muslims.

“They probably travelled home to celebrate sallah,” he said.

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According to another stranded commuter, Kolawole Olaoluwalonje, the major reason for the scarcity was due to rain and sallah celebration.

”It is like commercial drivers had decided not to operate,” he said.

Mrs Halima Hussaini expressed disatisfaction because of the hardship created by the absence of commercial vehicles on the road.

She said that she had waited at Dutse junction for close to 30 minutes just to board a vehicle to visit her Muslim friends at Gwarimpa estate.

She had wondered if all the Commercial drivers were Muslims.

“ I thought we had a combination of Muslims and Christians as Taxi drivers but because today is sallah, there is scarcity of vehicles coupled with the fact that Christians go to church,” she said.

Mr Prosper Kelani, a member of National Union of Road Traffic Workers (NURTW), said that it was expected for commuters to experience shortage of commercial vehicles because sallah was an opportunity for most to rest.

Kelani advised commuters to exercise patience with drivers as the scarcity was only for a short period and would be over once the celebration was over.

(NAN)