The industrial action embarked upon by the independent oil marketers spread swiftly nationwide leaving filling stations dry of products and grinding many sectors to a halt or running at half capacity.

In the academic environment, students are the most affected by the daily worsening scarcity of fuel, Daily Trust has observed.

The hardship caused by the tug-of-war between the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan administration and petroleum marketers unions over backlog of payment of the controversial petroleum subsidy has increased the problems of Nigerian students especially those in tertiary institutions. Academic activities at various institutions in many states have been affected negatively by the strike.

The rate of attendance of both students and lecturers has reduced in most institutions due to non-availability of fuel. In cases where they made it to school, they mostly arrived late time due to shortage of commercial buses or the exorbitant charges by the few available motorists on the route, Daily Trust also gathered.

It was also learnt that where the commercial motorists are able to operate, transport fares are being increased by 100 and 200 per cent depending on how much the drivers bought a litre of petrol.

Students could be seen stranded at various motor parks waiting for commercial buses to convey them to schools or take them back to their respective campuses or homes from school.

In some institutions, our reporters gathered that even the buses designated for shuttling within the campuses are off the roads because of the biting fuel scarcity.

Until the commodity is made available within the shortest time, many students and indeed the lecturers cannot afford to continue going to school, some students told Daily Trust in Abuja.

"Such exorbitant fares being charged by motorists since the commencement of the strike are causing serious hardship to us. The charges are outrageous and ridiculous. I don't think we can afford to continue the way things are going," a student of University of Abuja, Debora John, said.

"I am appealing to the government and independent marketers to, in the interest of justice and fairness, sheath their swords and end the strike so that we can have fuel in the country," the student said.

In Kano State, students have resorted to trekking or riding bicycles to attend school following the hike in transport fares occasioned by the scarcity of petrol being witnessed in the country.

Across the state's metropolis, students were seen riding bicycles at the end of school hours around 1:00pm on their way home.

A student of Government Secondary School Tarauni, Hashidu Salisu said the transport fare from his home in Hotoro to his school has been jerked by 50 percent.

"To beat time in the morning, I board tricycle but after closing I trek back home. This is how I have been going to school since two weeks ago,"he said.

Another student, Aisha Garba of Seat of Wisdom said her father has increased her allowance in view of the hike in transport fare. But a tricycle operator, Khalil Ibrahim, said they have special transport fare for students, saying they charge them less than other passengers. In Kwara State, the effect of the fuel scarcity crisis has forced the University of Ilorin to shift its second semester examinations. Daily Trust learnt that the examinations which were scheduled to commence last Monday were shifted to today as a result of the lingering fuel scarcity. The scarcity of petrol has made it difficult for most students of the university who live outside the campus to get cabs or buses to school, a situation that prompted the university management to consider postponing the examinations.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the student union of the university, Comrade Kamil Sodiq DanFulani, explained that the reason for the postponement was to reduce the stress associated with the prevailing situation ahead of the semester exams.

Daily Trust learnt that transportation fares were increased by over 100 per cent by commercial buses and cabs shuttling the university campus route even though few of them were seen operating.

"In regard to this, the university management, in conjunction with the student union and the Student Affairs Unit, has decided to ease the pressure by postponing exams slated for Monday and Tuesday 25 and 26 of May, 2015 in respective order," the university said.

Also, almost all private schools in the state have instructed their students to stay at home for three days, starting from yesterday due to the lingering fuel scarcity.

Also, few students of Kwara State Polytechnic reported on campus as cost of transportation from Post-Office, which is a major park for the poly students has been increased from N70 to N150.

In Imo State, students of the Federal University of Technology (FUTO) and the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, especially those shuttling from Owerri, have been subjected to exorbitant transport fares to and from their institutions.

A student of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Obinna Eze said that every student has pay N80 as transport fare from Owerri to Nekede as against N50 which they used to pay.

Also, a 200 level student of Federal University of Technology Owerri, Chima Ada, said the current transport fare of N100 paid by each student from Owerri to school is indeed hard on them.

Similarly, students in Asaba, Delta State, have resorted to trekking to school due to the increase in transport fare, which has gone beyond their reach.

One of the students, Miss Uche Morka, said a litre of petrol at most filling stations in the state capital now sells for between N200 and N250. Miss Mercy Ebinum, a student of a computer school, said transport fare to and fro from her school is now N200 as against the usual N100.

In Nasarawa State, students of tertiary institutions seem to be the worst hit by persistent fuel crisis, as they are compelled to either cough out close to 50 percent addition of the transport fare, or trek long distances to classes.

"The hardship is unbearable. We are either compelled to pay almost double the fare we used to pay, or we trek a distant to school, from the university gate, and even from our homes," Miss Agnes Okwori, a student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), said.

Daily Trust findings show school shuttle buses now charge between N30 and N40 from the school approved N20, while the tricycle operators now take N30 from the initial N20 from their passengers.

The registered motorcycle operators for the school charge passengers between N40 and N50 from the university gate, to the faculties as against the school approved charge of N30 per passenger.

Students of Osun State University, Osogbo have lamented over the hardship they experienced due to fuel scarcity.

Qudus Odutuyo Adeyinka said, "The commercial motorcycle operators that usually take us to and from campus increased the fare. In fact, at a stage, we could not get bike at all."

Another student, Mosunmola Akano said she could not return to the campus on the resumption date after the semester break due to the fuel scarcity.

"I faced serious difficulties when I was returning to school after the semester break and I had to go back home because of transportation problem as a result of the fuel scarcity," Akano said.