President Bola Ahmed has approved a 50 percent slash in the price of interstate transport fare for Nigerians traveling during the yuletide from Thursday, December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, announced this to State House Correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday.
Alake said a committee, which he chairs, had already met with all relevant transportation bodies across Nigeria and reached an agreement that the government will bear 50 per cent cost of transportation based on the prices at the time the meeting held.
The minister said air transportation is not part of the arrangement because the target of the president “is the masses.”
Alake said, “It is in this wise that the President is announcing through us that beginning from tomorrow, December 21, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via mini buses, luxury buses at 50 per cent discount of current cost and all our train services on the route the trains currently serve at zero cost on their travels this holiday season.
“This special presidential intervention will commence tomorrow, Thursday, December 21 and it will end on January 4, 2024.
“The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Transportation, will be working with transporters, road transport unions, the Nigerian Railway Corporation to seamlessly deliver on this special presidential initiative.”
Alake added that, “I can tell you that all the relevant stakeholders in that industry have been discussed with or been engaged and all the parameters laid out and the Minister of Transportation has the full details and it’s on top of the game.
“In fact, the Presidents of the various transport unions have been met…and everything is in top shape in terms of execution.”
However, Alake said air travel was excluded from the initiative because the initiative is targeted at the masses.
“The initiative is for the masses. Air is luxury. The masses don’t use air transport. So they are our main target,” he explained.
