The Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced a 50 per cent cut in transport fares charges by commercial buses on inter-state routes during the Yuletide.
Solid Minerals Minister, Dele Alake who announced the development on Wednesday, also noted that all the train routes are free beginning from Thursday December 21st 2023 to 4th January 2024.
He also explained that air transportation was exempted as it was for privileged individuals, stressing that the initiative was a presidential intervention on public transportation targeted at the masses.
The minister said the gesture was in the spirit of Christmas and the end of year festivities. According to him, “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 year because of socio-gravitational pull of the period which transporters always cash on to increase fares astronomically.
“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, other major inter-state transportation hubs will be able to do so at half the cost”, he said.