According to Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in 2023, most park transporters are unaware of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 50% reduction in interstate transport fares during the holiday season.
The former governor of Anambra State, who hailed the offer as a positive move, cautioned against using it as a means of taking advantage of the government’s weaknesses to promote opaque policy execution in a message that was published on X, (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
Obi wrote: “I read the reports of the President’s approval of a 50 per cent slash in the price of interstate transport fare for Nigerians travelling during this Yuletide from Thursday 21, 2023 to January 4, 2024. The news reports added that the President also approved free rides for commuters on all train services within the period.
“If fully implemented, as reported, I consider this first-time intervention of the government, intended to help the masses, a step in the right direction.
Obi, however, expressed concern over the aftermath of the “seasonal palliative”.
“The high cost of transportation and associated hardships are all well known. The question this seasonal palliative raises is that of what happens after the festive season. Is there a sustainable policy measure to cushion the masses from the current high transportation costs? Even the current effort comes with operational challenges. Millions of people have already travelled bearing the brunt and huge costs of such travel. How will such people get their refunds or be compensated?”, he asked.
He further stated that he took time to inquire into the implementation mechanics across different cities which left him disappointed.
“Today, I sent out contacts who consulted widely with the transporters in major parks across the country: in Abuja, they carried out on-the-spot investigation in Jabi/Utako areas; in Lagos, they visited major parks like Jibowu, Festac, Mile 12, Ajah, and Mazamaza and none of the transporters in these parks was aware of this 50% discount. At Upper Iweka, Onitsha, which is the main traffic hub in Anambra, and in other parts of the country like; Kano, Aba, Kaduna, Owerri, and Gombe, the story is the same.
“The government has again announced the few transport companies chosen to participate in the intervention for which 28 Routes have been designated. There are no announced forms of checks and balances to ensure that the transporters follow the terms of the contract.
“There are obvious questions on the integrity of this intervention effort. One expects that such a policy that strives to appeal to the broad masses, especially the downtrodden, deliberate and concrete arrangements should be made, with transport companies”, he wrote.
