By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Senate has expressed great concerns over the recent increase in airfares in the country, stressing that it would make life more difficult for air passengers.
A member of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Mr Gershom Bassey, while rising under Order 41 and 51 at the plenary on Tuesday, stated that local airfares in Nigeria have risen by 63 per cent in response to a spike in the price of aviation fuel and the attendant cost of operation.
According to him, the rise in airfare has pegged the minimum economy class ticket at around N80,000 for travellers buying a one-hour, one-way economy ticket.
He expressed worry that the increase in airfares would increase the pressure on the neglected and dilapidated Nigerian roads and further worsen their state.
To reduce the pressure this development would put on citizens, the Senate is demanding an urgent rehabilitation of federal roads.
The Senate stated that this can be done by the federal government by immediately making good its indebtedness to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
His in argument, Mr Bassey said the agency had a budgetary approval of just 20 per cent of the funds it requires for the rehabilitation of about 35,000km of federal roads in 2022.
The lawmaker observed that the sum of about N850 billion accrued to FERMA by virtue of the 5 per cent user charge on the pump price of petrol, diesel and international vehicle transit charges provided for in Section 14 of FERMA (Amendment) Act No.18 of 2007 is still being owed by the federal government.
“The humongous debt owed FERMA by the federal government has hampered the effective discharge of FERMA’s primary responsibility of road maintenance and rehabilitation,” Mr Bassey submitted.
Aduragbemi Omiyale