President Bola Tinubu has approved a 50% rebate for inter-state travels and 100% for train travels for Nigerians wishing to embark on travels to other parts of the country for the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who disclosed this while briefing journalists at the State House on Wednesday, December 20, explained that the gesture was part of President Tinubu’s efforts at easing life for Nigerians, especially during the festive season.
Alake, who is chairman, briefed in the company of three other members of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Presidential Intervention, including Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali; and Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to him, this was especially for the masses who wanted to travel to join their loved ones for the festive season, adding that the approved rebate would last between Thursday, December 21 and January 4, 2024.
Alake further explained that since the intervention was aimed at the masses, the intervention would not be extended to air travel, which is considered beyond the masses.
He said: “In the spirit of Christmas and demonstration of his love for Nigerians as proof, he feels the federal government should intervene to bring down the costs of public transportation to allow persons who want to travel to visit their loved ones.
“The President is well aware of the recent increase in the cost of inter-state transportation.
“It is in this wise that the Federal Government is announcing, beginning from 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 minibusses, 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.
“This special presidential intervention will commence tomorrow Thursday, December 21. It will end on January 4, 2024.
“The Federal Government through the Ministry of Transportation will be working with transporters, road transport unions, and Nigerian Railway Corporation to seamlessly deliver on this special presidential initiative.
“From tomorrow, Nigerians wishing to embark on inter-state travel to any part of the country from Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Ibadan, Akure, Maiduguri, Sokoto and other major inter-state transportation hubs will be able to do so at half the cost.”
