Hold onto your wigs, Nigerians! President Bola Tinubu’s gone and slashed inter-state transport fares by 50% for the holidays! That’s right, folks, it’s a fare bonanza, a price party, a ticket to ride the savings express! No more breaking the bank for bus rides longer than your grandma’s family history. Just buckle up and prepare to pay half, even if the buses still move at the leisurely pace of a stoned sloth.
Speaking of slow, it seems the discount only applies to certain companies. Like, five transport specific companies, announced bythe Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
This was after President Tinubu, on Wednesday, approved the reduction as well as free train rides for Nigerians starting Thursday, December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024.
In a post on X on Thurday, Onanuga named, GIG (God is Good), Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata, and Area Motor.
He wrote, “Participating companies in the FG’s plan to reduce the transport burden of travelling five million Nigerians:
1. GIG ( God is Good)
2. Chisco Transport
3. Young Shall Grow
4. God Bless Ezenwata
5. Area Motor.”
Participating companies in the FG’s plan to reduce the transport burden of travelling 5 million Nigerians:
1.GIG ( God is Good)
2. Chisco Transport
3. Young Shall Grow
4. God Bless Ezenwata
5. Area MotorThe available routes: pic.twitter.com/Zpk8M7cB5z
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) December 20, 2023
The Presidency also posted a document showing 28 routes the buses will run. They include Lagos- Kano, Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Kaduna-Zaria, Lagos-Jos, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Onitsha, Lagos-Owerri, Lagos-Aba, Lagos-Abakaliki, Lagos-Nsukka, Lagos-Uyo, Lagos-Port-Harcourt, Onitsha- Kano, Onitsha-Lagos.
Others are, Onitsha-Jos, Onitsha-Abuja, Onitsha-Sokoto, Onitsha-Gombe, Onitsha-Zakibam, PH-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.
So, don’t expect every rickety jalopy on the road to join the bargain bash. Think of it as a discount relay race, where only the chosen few get to pass along the savings baton (although let’s be honest, it’s more like a limp handoff at this point).
But hey, free train rides too? Now that’s a plot twist worthy of Nollywood! Just picture it: sardine-packed compartments, windows stuck shut, questionable smells wafting through the air… but hey, it’s FREE! Imagine the stories you’ll have to tell your grandkids, huddled around the fireplace during the next fuel scarcity.
So, grab your market bags, dust off your dancing shoes (you’ll need them to jostle for your seat), and get ready to experience the holiday discounts, Nigerian style! Just remember, it’s not quite a magic carpet ride, but it’s definitely cheaper than hiring a camel.