Fuel price hike hinders civil servants from driving personal vehicles to work

Many civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), say they can no longer afford to drive their personal vehicles to work daily.

They said this was due to the rising fuel prices and subsequent increase in cost of living which had continued to strain their finances, making life more difficult and unbearable.

Some of the workers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja that they had resorted to using staff buses, while others now depended on carpooling arrangements to reduce transportation costs.

Mrs Anita Ocheme, a civil servant in a federal ministry, said she had parked her car due to the high cost of fuel.

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“There was a time I drove to work every day, but now it is no longer sustainable. Driving to work is now a luxury.

“I have never liked public transportation, but because I must go to work, I either join the staff bus or contribute money for fuel when I ride with colleagues,” she said.

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Similarly, Mr David Onah, a senior civil servant, said his car had been parked in his compound for over five months because he could not afford to fuel it.

Onah said: ” since the fuel crises started, which led to a subsequent increase in the price of fuel, it has not been easy fueling my car to work.

“Initially, I used to drive to church and family outings during the weekends, but for the past five months, the car has just been parked in my compound.

” I am happy that the Federal Government has remembered us by increasing our allowances.

” We are hoping that the government in its good conscience will implement the increment in allowances it promised civil servants, so we can get some relief.”

Meanwhile, Mr Chikamso Obidike, who still drove to work daily, said he had devised a way to manage fuel costs by picking passengers along his route.

“I carry colleagues, who contribute to fuel my car and other times I pick other commuters along my axis who also pay certain fee.

“This has helped a lot to cusion the amount of money i would have spent from my limited income if I were to drive alone to and from work everyday,” he said.

Obidike acknowledged the crises in the Middle East, which had worsened the fuel situation in the country.

He appealed to the government to look into the situation and provide some form of relief for citizens, especially civil servants.

NAN findings show that transportation has become one of the most significant daily expenses for many workers, forcing them to adopt survival strategies.

The civil servants appealed to the government to introduce measures to ease their burden, including transport support, cost-of-living adjustments and flexible work arrangements.

Akintola Abdullahi, another civil servant, said informal arrangements had emerged within some offices to help workers cope.

“From what I gathered, this mechanism is being deployed in many offices already.

“In my department, we now also operate a kind of roster. Not everyone comes to the office every day, except Mondays when we have meetings and full attendance is required.

“We adopted this approach as a unit to enable us save some funds, which we would have spent on transport to work every day and channel it to other necessities.

“The economy is tough as it is. families are really struggling. So, while we wait for government intervention, we are trying to help ourselves in every way possible,” he said.

Abdullahi reiterated that the arrangement, though unofficial, was helping workers reduce transport expenses.

An economist, Dr Gideon Maigida, said the trend reflected the broader economic realities facing many Nigerians.

“When transport costs rise sharply without a corresponding increase in income, workers are forced to adjust their behaviour.

“What we are seeing is a coping mechanism, which has become the reality in the country,” she said.

Maigida added that institutionalising flexible work arrangements and investing in efficient public transport systems could help address the challenge.

Also, a public policy analyst, Mrs Adenike Adeusi, said the situation could have implications for productivity if not properly managed.

“If workers are worried about how to get to work or are reducing physical presence, it may affect efficiency.

“Government needs to respond speedily with practical support measures to address this,” she said.

For many civil servants, however, the immediate concern remains coping with daily expenses. As they struggle to survive, the greater struggle is securing their jobs.

NAN reports that the U. S.-Iran conflict has disrupted supply chains and significantly pushed crude oil prices higher.

The latest petrol price report for March released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that the average retail price of a litre of petrol increased from N1051.47 in February 2026 to N1288.54 in March.

The NBS said that the March price represented a 22.55 per cent increase over the price recorded in February.

NAN reports that the pump price of petrol was increased again on Wednesday as most filling stations are presently selling between ₦1, 370 and ₦1,400 per litre.

The development followed the escation of the U. S.-Iran conflict.

(NAN)