Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Commercial mini-bus drivers in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the rising cost of petrol and the alleged mismanagement of daily ticket revenues by transport union leaders, disrupting operations for several hours and forcing many commuters to trek to their destinations.
The protest, which began around 7:00 a.m. and lasted until about 2:00 p.m., was organised by the Association of Korope Drivers. The operators parked their vehicles at the popular Ayetoro Junction, blocking colleagues who declined to join the action from picking up passengers. Several major routes across the city were affected, leaving thousands of residents stranded and disrupting commercial activity in the state capital.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Abdulwasiu Osuolale expressed frustration with the leadership of the transport unions, accusing them of indifference to the plight of drivers. "The fuel price has brought a lot of hardship, and transport union leaders do not care about what we are going through. All they care about is collecting daily ticket money from us," Osuolale said. "The cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance is too high, which is why we staged this peaceful protest." He said the drivers had resolved to increase transport fares across Osogbo and called on the state government to investigate how proceeds from the daily tickets were being utilised. "Some private individuals, rather than remitting it to government coffers, are keeping the proceeds," he alleged.
The drivers cited the soaring prices of petrol, vehicle spare parts and general food items as the main reasons their operations had become unprofitable. One of the protesters, Adewumi Adeleke, said some operators now spend as much as N40,000 daily on petrol, leaving them with negligible income after deducting their operating expenses. "How could you be running this business, spending about N40,000 on fuel a day, and when you get home, all you see is just N5,000 or N3,000? The spare parts and everything are too costly, so we are not comfortable with the situation," Adeleke said. Another driver, Prince Olakunle Ojo, said a driver could spend about N15,000 on fuel and return home after making approximately N13,000, thereby recording no meaningful profit. "By the time you buy fuel of N15,000 in the morning and, at the end of the day, you are able to make N13,000, the fuel money is not there, your food money is not there, and how to take care of the vehicle, you cannot do it," he said.
The drivers also called for the provision of Compressed Natural Gas refuelling stations in the state, arguing that greater access to the alternative fuel would help reduce the cost of running commercial vehicles. Ojo said many drivers were interested in converting their vehicles to CNG but required government assistance to make the conversion affordable. "No single station in Osun State. Many people who have this CNG in their motor, it's just occupying space. Osun State does not have any station that we can point to that this is where you can get your CNG," he said. Another operator, Ariyo Idowu, said the situation had become unsustainable for drivers, particularly as the cost of vehicle parts and household necessities continued to rise, and warned that the drivers might embark on a week-long strike if the government and relevant transport authorities failed to address their grievances.
Under the new fare structure released by the association during the protest, the shortest routes within Osogbo will now attract a flat rate of N300. Routes attracting the N300 fare include Dagbolu 1 and 2 to Kobo, Ota-Efun to Stadium, Ota-Efun to Testing Ground, Testing Ground to Igbona, Oja-Oba to Garage Ilesha, Oja-Oba to Olaiya and Old Garage, Old Garage and Okefia to Dada Estate, Olaiya to Dada Estate, and Ofatedo to Ido-Osun. Passengers travelling from Dagbolu to Ota-Efun, Testing Ground to Old Garage, Testing Ground to Oja-Oba, Biket, Powerline and Jaye to Old Garage, Ayetoro, Igbona and Olorunda to Ota-Efun, Ayetoro to Ogo-Oluwa, Oja-Oba to Owode Garage, Alakija and OSBC to Oja-Oba, Olaiya, Old Garage and Okefia to Bolanle/Dele, and Old Garage, Olaiya and Okefia to Agunbelewo will pay N400. The N500 routes include Ota-Efun to Old Garage, Old Garage, Ola-Iya to Abere, Testing Ground to Ogo-Oluwa, Dagbolu 1 and 2 to Stadium and Testing Ground, Sasa to Okebaale to Oja-Oba, Oja-Oba to Osunjela, Igbona and Ayetoro to Dada Estate, Olaiya, Old Garage and Okefia to Ofatedo, and Old Garage, Olaiya and Okefia to Okinni. Fares for Ayetoro, Igbona to Owode-Ede, Dagbolu 1 and 2 to Okefia and Old Garage, and Old Garage, Olaiya and Okefia to Olobu and Ifon will now cost N700. Stadium to Owode-Ede is N800, while Ota-Efun to Owode-Ede and Owode-Ede to Bolanle/Dele Yes Sir will cost N1,000. Kobo to Owode-Ede, the longest route, will now attract a fare of N1,200.
Reacting to the development, Emmanuel Olowu, Executive Director of the Osun-based civil society group Socio-Economic and Civic Rights Advocacy, commended the drivers for conducting a peaceful demonstration. "What the transporters did today is the best form of protest in a democracy, where everyone has the right to express grievances," Olowu said. He noted that the drivers' complaints highlighted a broader issue with transport ticketing, stating that the current system, where non-government entities collect revenue without oversight, could no longer continue. He stressed that the concerns raised by the transporters went beyond the fare increase and required attention from the appropriate authorities.
The protest adds to growing concerns over the impact of fuel costs on public transportation and household expenses across Nigeria. The removal of petrol subsidy in May 2023 pushed pump prices from below N200 per litre to over N500 in many parts of the country, with further increases in 2026. In Osun State, commercial transport operators have repeatedly protested the rising cost of petrol, the alleged extortion by union leaders and the absence of CNG refuelling infrastructure. The drivers said the adjustment had become necessary because of the increasing cost of petrol and vehicle maintenance, which they claimed had made it increasingly difficult to operate at the previous fares.
For the residents of Osogbo, the fare increase represents another strain on household budgets already stretched by inflation and the rising cost of food and other essentials. For the drivers, the protest was an expression of frustration with an economic environment that has made their trade increasingly unviable. The coming days will determine whether the state government and transport union leaders engage with the drivers to address their grievances, or whether the protest escalates into a prolonged strike that would further disrupt transportation in the state capital. As Osuolale put it, the drivers are not asking for charity but for a fair operating environment that allows them to earn a decent living while serving the public.
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