…as awareness rises
Many more passengers took advantage of President Bola Tinubu’s 50 per cent cost reduction in public transportation on Tuesday, 26 December, as awareness has risen on the programme meant to cushion the effect of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.
A statement signed by Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Transport, Olujimi Oyetomi, said that at Jabi Motor Park in Abuja, three 16-passenger Borno Express buses loaded and got 54 all passengers on their manifest refunded half of the fare they paid to Maiduguri from Abuja, “so much so that passengers who left with buses that left earlier than the three just before the monitoring team got involved to create the awareness in Borno Express Park, Jabi who were related with on phone, rued missing out on the presidential largess”.
The Manager of Borno Express at Jabi Park, Muhammad Ali, pleaded that his state of Borno, being the home state of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, should be included in the Federal Government largesse.
At Kano Line Park, also in Jabi, passengers that boarded three of the transport company’s vehicles leaving for Kano from the park, after the monitoring team ensured that they benefited from 50 per cent discount, stated that this direct dividend of democracy from their leader was what they would be looking forward to at another festive period, especially Sallah.
“Times are hard. I wouldn’t have been able to travel, but when I heard about this programme, I did a quick addition and subtraction and see that with less than N3,000, I can get to Kano. I made my decision and I have been paid,” one of the Kano-bound passengers who spoke in Hausa stated on record.
Monitors observed that there’s now a high-level awareness among Nigerians so much so that every passenger, irrespective of the route or bus company operator they patronize, demanded the Jagaban palliative as of right.
Gombe Line at Jabi Motor Park operated an 18-seater bus to Damaturu with all the 18 passengers refunded 50 per cent of their fare.
Yobe Line operated one bus with 14-passenger capacity and all the 14 passengers were refunded 50 per cent of the fare paid.
Kwara Express in Jabi operated a seven-seater Sienna bus and all passengers got a 50 per cent refund.
The statement noted that Federal Government Officials who are at the apex of managing the 50 per cent discount on fare during the yuletide will continue to review the strategy for implementation as intel comes to them from different parts of the country, with the sole objective of being fair in its implementation.
“There were therefore more routes application and redistribution of target numbers of passengers for the programme with repeated strategy/review meetings and brainstorming,” the statement said.
“In summary for the Boxing Day, 26th December, 2023, 48 passengers to Borno; 54 to Kano; 14 to Damaturu; 7 to Ilorin; 12 to Ikotun as well as another 8 to Lagos and the FG Monitoring Team was able to observe these Nigerians paid a 50%discount of the transport fares to their different destinations on Boxing Day especially with the working agreement between luxury bus owners’ association and different transport company operators in Abuja,” it said.
