Over 163,000 travellers, according to Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, profited from federally funded interstate travel during the year-end celebrations.
This was revealed in a status report that was made public on Monday by Alake, the chairman of the committee overseeing the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s end-of-year transport subsidy programme.
He claims that beneficiaries’ savings from their journeys to Abuja and Onisha were N21,500 and N15,000, respectively.
In December 2023, the FG declared that during the Yuletide season, 22 interstate routes would have 50% lower transportation expenses.
Alake said that the programme offered free transportation on Nigerian Railway Corporation routes and a 50% subsidy on transport fares for passengers travelling on 30 routes serviced by bus operators affiliated with the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria in a statement released on Monday by his Special Adviser, Kehinde Bamigbetan.
According to him:
“Between December 21 and December 31, 2023, figures available show that the NRC conveyed 71,000 passengers, while buses operating under the auspices of ALBON carried 77,122 passengers, and 652 bus trips originating travels from Oshodi Interchange in Lagos carried 15,766. This means no fewer than 163,878 passengers benefitted from the Presidential Yuletide Transportation Subsidy in the first 10 days of the programme.
“Secondly, while train-bound passengers enjoyed total free service, road travellers paid only 50 per cent of the fares. The subsidies depended on the fares ranging from a saving of N21,500 on a Lagos-Abuja road trip fare of N43,000 and N15,000 on a Lagos–Onisha bus fare of N30,000.”
cc: Punch Ng
