Yuletide: Tinubu Announces Free Train Trips And A 50% Bus Fare Cut

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 

A fifty percent discount has been authorized by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigerians who wish to travel throughout the states in luxury and minibuses during the holiday season

President Tinubu declares WAIVERS on Nigerians' holiday travel expenses. Nigerians can travel for FREE on trains and BUSES at 50% DISCOUNT starting TOMORROW, December 21, and ending on January 4.

A fifty percent discount has been authorized by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigerians who wish to travel by luxury and minibuses throughout different states during.

This was revealed yesterday in Abuja to reporters from State House by Solid Minerals Minister Dele Alake.

Along with three other members of the Interministerial Committee on Presidential Intervention, Alake delivered the briefing. He serves as the committee's chair. Its members include Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation; Saidu Alkali, the minister of transportation; and Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

According to him, the fare reduction for Nigerians traveling on this holiday would begin today, December 21, and run through January 4, 2024.

Alake said that the president also gave the go-ahead for commuters on all train services to receive 100% free rail travel during that time on the Kaduna-Abuja, Lagos-Ibadan, and Warri-Itakpe routes.

However, he revealed during the Q&A period that air travel was not included in the initiative because it only aims to benefit the general public, saying, “The initiative is for the masses. Air transport is a luxury. The masses don't use air transport. So they are our main target.”

According to Alake, the purpose of the special presidential intervention was to lower the cost of public transportation given the state of the nation's economy.

In order to smoothly implement this unique presidential relief initiative, he said, the government, through the Ministry of Transportation, would be collaborating with transporters, road transport unions, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

He said that in order to ensure that Nigerians had a joyous and unforgettable holiday season, the government was working extremely hard.

He said that Tinubu had ordered the military, police, Department of State Services, and other security agencies to cooperate in order to guarantee that the holiday season was safe and free from any security lapses nationwide.

In advance, on behalf of President Tinubu, the minister wished all Nigerians a joyous holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year. He also urged everyone to “be law-abiding, be security conscious, be our brother's keepers, and extend every goodwill to our families, friends, and neighbors.”

“The president is well aware of the recent increase in the cost of inter-state transportation and even air travel. Traditionally, our people love to travel during Christmas and the end of the year to be with families and friends, and this has been the practice for ages.

“We also know that globally, intra-country travel 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.

“It is in this wise that the federal government is announcing, beginning 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 via minibuses, luxury buses at 50% discount of the 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.”

According to Saidu Alkali, the Minister of Transportation, the government collaborates with transport firms that run these formats, adopting their efficient nationwide organizational frameworks.

“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 times, when the buses travel, they return empty, and it is on that account that they have to increase the fare during festivities. That has been taken into account.

“And why have we decided to have 50 per cent for 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 they want to travel. But with this 50%, they have the ticketing system.

Nigerians should anticipate additional speeches by President Tinubu on national holidays, according to Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris.

According to him, the president would not be making this one-time exception for the 50% price cut on road transportation during the holiday season.

The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), which represents the owners of luxury buses, announced that they would start implementing the plan today.

According to information obtained by our correspondent, the federal government intends to compensate the operators according to the quantity of passengers they will transport during the period, thus offsetting the 50% waiver.

Nneji said, “We have been speaking with the minister under the umbrella of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), and we are putting logistics in place to ensure smooth implementation.

“The government has given us assurance to offset the 50 per cent.”

According to him, depending on capacity, some operators would begin implementing it today.

“But the challenge is that many people have booked in advance. So, we will do what we can as from tomorrow to be able to accommodate everybody. We would even stretch it to the New Year.

“In Abuja, our executives are reaching out to the various major operators to work out the modality.”

According to him, depending on capacity, some operators would begin implementing it today.

“This is one of the best ways to alleviate the suffering of the masses. You know we are very passionate about visiting home at the end of the year, and for any person to whom you give a discounted ticket to go home, it is very memorable.

“So, it is appreciated because, given the cost of operation to us, it is difficult for us not to raise fares. But with the government intervening, that is a welcome development.”

Another union official stated that it won't be hard to prevent process abuse by transporters or those in charge of carrying out the intervention.

“You know, we are fully structured; there is a manifest for each bus that has the names, addresses, and other details of prospective customers.

“You, the pressmen, can help by asking questions, by scrutinising the manifest and calling some of the passengers for them to confirm whether they enjoyed the discount or not,” he said.

According to our correspondent, who visited several parks in Lagos yesterday, transportation costs have increased in advance of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The majority of the cars heading for the South East until the weekend were fully booked at Iyana-Ipaja Park, one of the well-known interstate parks in Lagos, but the drivers claimed that many people were still not traveling this year due to the high cost of living.

Starting on Thursday, all passenger services offered by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) will be free of charge.

The NRC stated in a statement issued yesterday: “Passengers are advised to obtain their free tickets via the online e-ticketing platforms only.

“Tickets will not be issued at any of the corporation's train stations. Please note that no commuter will be allowed to board the train without a ticket.

“We enjoin commuters to be orderly and obey security personnel and the laid-down boarding instructions of the NRC and those of its officials while at the station and on-board the trains. We wish all our and on-board the trains. We wish all our esteemed customers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance.”

All passenger services run by the NRC, including the train services between Warri and Itakpe, Abuja and Kaduna, and Lagos and Ibadan, were reportedly covered by the free services.

Alhaji Issa Ore, the National Union of Road Transport Workers' (NURTW) Acting National President, stated that the directive only applies to interstate operators.