By John Ikani
A train conveying passengers from Nigeria’s commercial hub – Lagos to Ibadan, the neighbouring capital city of Oyo State came to a halt in the forest due to a lack of sufficient fuel.
Video circulating on Twitter user, captured some of the stranded passengers stepping out of the train without an idea of what to do.
While some of the passengers sat on the rail tracks, others stood in pairs discussing.
Reporting the unexpected halt, a twitter user King Isaiah Obadare said passengers and crew were “stuck in the forest” before a drum of diesel arrived and the train was refueled.
https://mobile.twitter.com/isaiahobadare/status/1501923401887363075
An official of the Nigerian Rail Corporation (NRC) confirmed this development, noting that it occurred during the return trip of the Lagos-Ibadan train.
He said, “What happened was that the fuel got exhausted and we are re-fuelling it at the moment for the return trip.”
The current fuel scarcity in the country has worsened despite repeated assurances from the government that the problem would soon be addressed.
The hardship being experienced by Nigerians as a result of the scarcity has been compounded by the increment in the price of diesel to nearly N650 per litre and hike in aviation fuel to about N607 per litre.
