By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has approved a 50 per cent cut in land transportation fares from December 21 to January 4, 2024 across the country.
The President has also approved zero fares for train transportation in all the states of the federation within the same period.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of Inter-Ministerial Committee on Presidential Intervention, Mr Dele Alake, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Flanked by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Transportation and the Special Adviser on Information, Saidu Alkali, and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that all the logistics on the implementation have been worked out between the Minister of Transportation and the transport unions and luxury buses owners.
The luxury buses have 22 designated routes for inter-state transportation.
Alake said that the 50 per cent rebate was to help the common people to travel during the Christmas festival to see and be with their loved ones.
He said, “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 the cost of inter-state transportation and even for air travel. Traditionally, our people love to travel during Christmas and the 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 the end of the year because of the 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.
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“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 luxury buses at a 50 per cent 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, and 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.
“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, and 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 it to be.
“While we celebrate and enjoy all the social activities that come with the season, let us also remember to celebrate in moderation.”
Speaking on reasons for engaging luxury bus Unions, the Minister of State for Transport, Saedu Alkali, stated that the government partnered with transport companies operating these formats following their well-organised structures across the country.
“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 of how much they charge on a normal day but during festive 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,” Alkali said.
He further explained that the government considered security situations in the country hence it’s consideration for a 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 who did not intend to travel will just go to the park and say I want to travel. But with this 50 per cent, 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.”
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said Nigerians should expect more intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during National Holidays.
He said 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.
Idris added that the 50 per cent reduction was targeted at reducing the cost of transportation this Christmas.
He said, “I just want to add that this is part of the measures that President Bola Ahmed 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 national holidays like this and see what kind of interventions can come subsequently going forward.”
