…..ony 2 states in South South are included
Emmanuel Abi Couson
The Federal Government has disclosed its two weeks transportation waiver promised to Nigerians this festive season by listing participating companies and routes for the scheme.
The routes shows that of the six South South states only Rivers and Akwa Ibom States are beneficiaries.
Solid Minerals Minister Dele Alake in a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday December 20 said the presidential intervention of a 50 percent slash on road transport is a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian and easing their movement this Yuletide.
Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. Onanuga listed the transportation companies for the scheme and the routes.
According to him, GIG ( God is Good), Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata, and Area Motor are the participating companies.
Onanuga listed the routes as:
Lagos – Kanο
Lagos – Abuja
Lagos – Jos
Lagos – Enugu
Lagos – Onitsha
Lagos – Owerri
Lagos – Aba
Lagos – Abakaliki
Lagos – Nsuka
Lagos – Uyo
Lagos-Kaduna-Zaria
Lagos-PH
Onitsha-Kano
Onisha-Lagos
Onisha-Jos
Onisha-Abuja
Onisha-Sokoto
Onisha-Gombe
Onisha- Zakibiam
Ph-Owerri-Aba-Kano
Aba-Owerri- Abj
Aba-Lagos
Abuja-Sokoto
Abuja-Lagos
Abuja-Onitsha- Owerri – Port Harcourt
Abuja-Enugu/Abakaliki
Abuja-Gombe
Abuja-Kano
In addition there is free rail transportation which will be a 100 percent waiver.
All the intervention will las for two weeks, running from Thursday, December 21 to January 4, 2024
” Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via luxury buses at a 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,” Alake said.
With the cost of transportation more than double owing to the removal of fuel subsidy earlier in the year, the government’s intervention programme is expected to be a huge relief for most Nigerians who rely on road transportation.
It would be recalled that the government made proposals including the introduction of gas-powered buses for public transport as a way to bring down transport costs which went up drastically as a result of fuel subsiding removal .
In addition the government also offered a 35,000 naira ($45) a month pay increase for six months for federal employees ( which has stopped ) , a temporary suspension of VAT on diesel and social security cash transfers to the poorest Nigerians.
