By Mayen Etim
A ride along the busy Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna Central Business District, yesterday,  revealed a sea commuters and shoppers  as prices of  goods and services made  remarkable increases days to Christmas.

At the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Junction, where used clothes are sold, there was a  beehive of activities as shoppers  who could not afford new clothes went for fairly used ones.
One of the shoppers, Mrs. Goddya Gambo, a house wife, said “ I am here in Kasuwan Barchi to buy fairly used clothing and shoes for my four children.

“What ordinarily would have gone for N600 was given to me for N2,500.”
Mr. Joseph Auta, a civil servant, complaining about the traffic occasioned by the last-minute shopping for Christmas, said,  “I parked my car at home and joined a commuter because of  traffic problem. I paid N250 for a ride from Sabo to Stadium. Ordinarily, the ride  is N40 on  government SURE-P bus, while the smaller ones goes for N50 – N70.”

Investigation also  revealed that fares for long distances  shot up astronomically as Kaduna – Lagos by luxury bus cost N6,500 as  against N5,050. Fare on the same route by Sienna  bus  three weeks ago cost N7,000 but, at the weekend, was for N8,500.