Some residents of Osun State, especially those traveling to another states for Christmas and New Year celebration have complained bitterly for missing out on the 50 per cent slash in price of interstate transport fare by the Federal Government.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had on Wednesday approved a 50 per cent reduction in price of interstate transport fare for Nigerians traveling during the yuletide from Thursday, December 21, 2023 to January 4, 2024.
The President also approved free rides for commuters on all train services within the period.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced this to State House Correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday.
Alake had said that, “beginning from December 21, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via mini buses, luxury buses at 50 per cent discount of current cost and all our train services on the route the trains currently serve at zero cost on their travels this holiday season.
“The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Transportation, will be working with transporters, road transport unions, the Nigerian Railway Corporation to seamlessly deliver on this special presidential initiative.”
Alake added that, “I can tell you that all the relevant stakeholders in that industry have been discussed with or been engaged and all the parameters laid out and the Minister of Transportation has the full details and it’s on top of the game.
“In fact, the Presidents of the various transport unions have been met…and everything is in top shape in terms of execution.”
But, checks by The Point across major motor parks operating inter-state movements in Osogbo, Ile-Ife and Ilesa, revealed that transporters did not comply with the direction of the Federal Government.
While some of them retained their usual prices for fare, others observed by The Point hiked them by five per cent because of the rush by travelers, mostly students who were returning home for the annual celebration.
Some transporters who are members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, in their separate interviews with The Point, said they were not listed among transport companies or groups for the fare cut programme by the Federal Government.
A bus driver at Lagos Park at Aregbe area of Osogbo, simply identified as Sikiru said, “I heard of the transport fare reduction on the news but we that are NURTW members operating in this park are not carried along in that programme.
“We can only reduce transport fare when the Federal Government bring down the price of petrol.”
Another bus driver at Lagos-Ibadan park at Old Garage area of Osogbo who did not want his name mentioned, pointed out that none of them at the park received any information either directly from the Federal Ministry of Transportation nor from the leadership of the NURTW.
Meanwhile, residents of the state seen at the parks traveling to other states expressed displeasure that Osun is not benefiting from the fare slash.
A traveler, simply identified as Deborah, at Lagos Park at Aregbe area of Osogbo, who was boarding a bus moving to Lagos, said, “I thought I would be paying half of my usual fare to Lagos but I was surprised when I got to this park and they said nothing of such. In fact, they slightly increased the fare from N5,000 to N5,500. I was here last week and I boarded for N5,000, now, they added N500 maybe because of the rush.
“It is not too late for President Bola Tinubu to do something about Osun and other states that are missing out on this slash. We still have some days to Christmas and New Year, I want the Federal Government to make the merry go round,” another traveler, Ibukun Ajeigbe appealed.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga had disclosed on his X handle the list of companies participating in the Federal Government’s programme and their routes.
Onanuga named five transportation companies as those that will be executing the scheme.
According to him, the 51 seater buses belong to GIG (God is Good), Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata, and Area Motor.
However, The Point reports that none of these transport companies operate in Osun.
With a list of routes attached, Onanuga wrote, “Participating companies in the FG’s plan to reduce the transport burden of traveling five million Nigerians.”
The routes according to him include, Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Abuja-Zaria, Lagos-Jos, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Onitsha, Lagos-Owerri, Lagos-Aba, Lagos-Abakali, Lagos- Nsukka, Lagos-Uyo, Lagos -Port Harcourt, Onitsha-Kano, Onitsha-Lagos,Onitsha-Jos, Onitsha-Abuja, Onitsha-Sokoto, Onitsha-Gombe, Onitsha-Zakibiam, Port Harcourt -Owerri-Aba-Kano, Aba-Owerri-Abuja, Aba-Lagos, Abuja-Sokoto, Abuja-Lagos, Abuja-Onitsha-Owerri-Port Harcourt, Abuja-Enugu/Abakaliki, Abuja-Gombe, and Abuja-Kano.
