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In the spirit of the 2023 Yuletide season, the President Bola Tinubu administration on Wednesday rolled out programmes aimed at reducing the effect of rising inter-state transportation fares across the country.
To this end, the government at the centre announced rebate for commercial road and rail transportation across 28 luxury bus routes and three railway corridors nationwide.
Briefing newsmen at the State House, Abuja, Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee on presidential intervention and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has approved a 50 percent rebate in inter-state land transportation fare across 28 luxurious bus routes nationwide from December 21, 2023 to January 4, 2024.
According to him, the President Tinubu also approved zero fare for train commuters along Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and Warri-Itakpe corridors within the same period.
According to him, “In the spirit of Christmas and the end of year festivities, President Bola Tinubu, in another demonstration of his love for Nigerians, has approved that the Federal Government should intervene to bring down the cost of public transportation to allow our compatriots who want to travel to visit their loved ones and hometowns to do so without stress and the extra burden imposed by the high cost of transport around this period.
“The President is well aware of the recent increase in cost of inter-state transportation and even for air travel. Traditionally, our people love to travel during Christmas and end of year to be with families and friends and this has been the practice for ages.
“We also know that globally, intra-country travels and movement of people, goods and services always peak around Christmas and end of the year because of socio-gravitational pull of the period which transporters always cash on to increase fares astronomically.
“In recognition of the economic situation of the country which he is working very hard to turn around, President Tinubu wants Nigerians to be able to travel within Nigeria to wherever they want to go to meet their loved ones without the extra-burden of paying exorbitantly for inter-state public transportation.
“It is in this wise that the Federal Government is announcing, beginning from tomorrow, a special discounted holiday season fare on road transport and zero-fare by rail across Nigeria.
“What this means is that from tomorrow, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via minibuses, luxury buses at 50% discount of current cost and all our train services on the routes the trains currently serve at zero cost to and fro on their travels this holiday season.
“This special presidential intervention will commence tomorrow Thursday, December 21. It will end on January 4, 2024.
“The Federal Government through the Ministry of Transportation will be working with transporters, road transport unions, Nigerian Railway Corporation to seamlessly deliver on this special presidential initiative.
“From tomorrow, Nigerians wishing to embark on inter-state travel to any part of the country from Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Ibadan, Akure, Maiduguri, Sokoto and other major inter-state transportation hubs will be able to do so at half the cost.
“The Federal Government under the leadership of President Tinubu is working very hard to make sure Nigerians have a memorable and happy holiday season”.
Alake further announced that necessary necessary security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the transportation arrangement work according to schedule.
His words: “The President has already directed the Police, Department of State Services, the Military and other security agencies to work collaboratively to ensure the holiday period is safe without any security breach in any part of the country.
“While we wish all Nigerians a great holiday season, we implore everyone to be law abiding, be security conscious, be our brother’s keepers, extend every goodwill to our families, friends and neighbours. We should continue to work within our sphere of influence to make our country the very best we all desire her to be”.
Justifying government’s involvement of luxurious Bus Unions in executing the programme, Minister for Transportation, Saedu Alkali, told reporters that the government partnered with transport companies operating these formats following their well organised structures across the country.
According to him: “Why we decided to use luxury buses union is because they are more organised and more structured. So we held a meeting with the president of the union and they gave us an idea on how much they charge on a normal day but during festive period when the buses travel, they return empty and it is on that account that they have to increase the fair during festivities. That has been taken into account. We held several meetings with Mr President”.
He further explained that government considered prevailing security situation in the country hence it’s consideration for 50 percent reduction in road transport.
“And why we decided to have 50 percent for the land transport, you see when you have this kind of initiative or programme to implement, you have to be mindful of the security situation. If you say it’s for free, even those that did not intend to travel will just go to the park and say I want to travel. But with this 50%, they have the ticketing system.
“So for those who intend to travel, the federal government will provide 50 percent for them. They do one trip daily, we are going to maintain that”, Alkali further said.
Also speaking, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said Nigerians should expect more of such interventions from President Tinubu during national holidays.
According to him, the 50 per cent reduction in the cost of road transportation during this year’s Yuletide season would not be a one-off intervention by the President.
Said he: “I just want to add that this is part of the measures that President Bola Tinubu intends to be doing, this is not a one-off thing and even though this is targeted at Christmas, the President will continue to review situations especially during national holidays like this and see what kind of interventions can come subsequently going forward”.
THE 28 ROAD TRANSPORT ROUTES
The 28 luxury bus daily routes effective December 21, 2023 include Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Kaduna-Zaria, Lagos-Jos, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Onitsha, Lagos-Owerri, Lagos-Aba, Lagos-Abakaliki, Lagos-Nsukka, Lagos-Uyo, Lagos-Port Harcourt, Onitsha-Kano and Onitsha-Lagos.
Others include Onitsha-Jos, Onitsha-Abuja,Onitsha-Sokoto, Onitsha-Gombe, Onitsha-Zakibiam, Port Harcourt-Owerri-Aba-Kano, Aba-Owerri-Abuja, Aba-Lagos, Abuja-Sokoto,
Abuja-Lagos, Abuja-Onitsha-Owerri-Port Harcourt, Abuja-Enugu/Abakaliki, Abuja-Gombe and Abuja-Kano.
CHOSEN BUS COMPANIES
Participating companies in the FG’s plan to reduce the transport burden of travelling Nigerians include:
1.GIG ( God is Good)
2. Chisco Transport
3. Young Shall Grow
4. God Bless Ezenwata
5. Area Motor