Port Harcourt Residents Applaud Lulu-Briggs Over Free Bus

Residents of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, who ply Mile One Park to Eleme Junction route on the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, have applauded Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Governorship Candidate of Accord political party, for providing a free bus to convey commuters on that route.
The residents, who spoke to National Point, said the humanitarian gesture would cushion the hardship of commuters who have been paying huge transportation costs to ply that route following the sudden hike in the price of fuel in the country. The fuel price increase has also impacted on the prices of other essential goods and services in the state.
A litre of fuel sells for between N240 and N250 in Rivers State, and transporters have taken advantage of the increased price to hike transportation fares by between 50 and 100 percent in the state.
The Accord candidate had said that apart from providing the free bus, an Accord government would guarantee good life generally for the people and residents of Rivers State if voted into office in next year’s election.
Views from passengers that were on the free bus were salutary about the party and the candidate. They rained praises on them for the kind initiative at this time, when the cost of transportation had become very high and people were forced to trek long distances to their respective destinations.
A female commuter, who did not want her names to be mentioned said, “Since I noticed this bus, it has been saving me from many problems. Every day I come from my house to Mile-One just to wait for this bus to go to Oil Mill market where I do my business. Sometimes, I might not have enough money to pay back, but with this vehicle, there is hope for me without begging drivers or someone to help me, when I don’t have enough money to go back,” she said.
Another passenger, who lamented the suffering of people in the state said, “This is my first time of entering this bus. I appreciate Dumo and I will vote him, even if this is what he can do alone for Rivers people at this point, he has tried.”
Apart from appreciating the provision of a free bus by Lulu-Briggs, residents applauded the smooth and friendly campaign styles of ACCORD. They lauded the party’s nonaggressive response to the repressive policies of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state that have tended to make it difficult for opposition parties to campaign freely in the state.
Citizens had been lamenting the hardship occasioned on them by high fares. But they said with Lulu-Briggs’ free bus scheme, the increase in transportation fares would reduce the impact of the consequent inflationary trend on the people. The fare increases had also led to price hikes of basic goods and services like food items and domestic goods.
The high cost of living has also impacted household budgets and plans and it is already affecting plans households for the coming Christmas. Transporters and passengers have also been lamenting on the situation.