Over 160,000 Nigerians Benefitted From Transport Subsidy – Alake

By Georgina Humphrey 

Over 160,000 passengers have benefitted from the End of year Transportation Subsidy Programme of the Federal Government.

Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Oladele Alake, who is also the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, made this known while presenting progress report on the Scheme in Abuja.

The Minister who described the programme as a huge success added the it was a demonstration of the president’s empathy and love for the Nigerian people, who are culturally and emotionally committed to travelling to their home towns at the end of the year.

According to him, between December 21 and December 31, 2023, the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, conveyed 71,000 passengers, while buses operating under the auspices of ALBON carried 77,122 passengers.

The Minister in the report also revealed that 652 bus trips from Oshodi Interchange in Lagos carried 15,766 passengers.

“While train bound passengers enjoyed total free service, road travelers paid only 50 percent of the fares. The subsidies depended on the fares ranging from a savings of N21,500 on a Lagos-Abuja road trip fare of N43,000 and N15,000 on a Lagos –Onitsha bus fare of N30,000,” Alake added.

According to him, the programme was also aimed at reducing the financial burden of the citizens who are facing some economic challenges due to the global pandemic and other internal factors.

Dr. Alake further explained that the committee took some remedial measures to address some identified gaps in the execution of the programme.

He stressed that two more routes were added and other bus-owning stakeholders also engaged.

Others engaged were the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, the State-owned Transport Companies, and the Private Transport Operators Association, PTONA, as well as collaborating and sensitising Nigerians through the press and other media platforms.

He appealed for co-operation from the passengers and bus companies to manage the return of passengers from their respective locations back to their bases till Thursday, January 4, 2024, as the programme is still ongoing.

Alake also urged passengers to initiate their return journey as early as possible to secure seats on the coaches and buses, and appealed to all bus companies involved to demonstrate faith, integrity and patriotism by applying the 50 percent subsidy and making enough vehicles available.

The minister added that the committee would continue to monitor compliance and intervene whenever necessary.

Edited By Grace Namiji