The transportation cost in Nigeria right now is eating deep into the small salary of workers.
In the past few weeks, more persons have found that walking some distance would reduce their transportation cost. So, they trek.
The removal of subsidy on petrol, which the government said was a scam, triggered this new cost of transportation.
Basically, everyone is trying to adjust to the new reality. But the government says it is doing its best to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.
Indeed, people wonder why the government did not make provision to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal before the announcement.
On Monday, President Bola Tinubu addressed Nigerians in a national broadcast.
According to him, his administration is not ignorant of the sufferings of the people.
Most impotently, he reeled out what he was doing to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
After he made the infamous “Subsidy Is Gone” statement on his inauguration, he wrote to the National Assembly.
In that document, he sought approval for a 500 billion palliative fund.
Cost Of Transportation
From that money, the government hopes to do a lot.
So far, he said, the government has been able to save over a trillion Naira from subsidy money.
“In a little over two months, we have saved over a trillion Naira that could have been squandered on the unproductive fuel subsidy which only benefited smugglers and fraudsters.
“That money will now be used more directly and more beneficiary for you and your families,” he highlighted.
According to the president, his government had an arrangement ongoing that would provide some vehicles to lower the cost of transportation.
“About 100 billion Naira will go into acquiring a minimum of 3,000 unites of 20-seater mass transit bus.
“The buses will be shared to major transportation companies in the state using the intensity of travel-per-capital,” he explained.
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Unfortunately, how soon Nigerians will get this transportation cost relief, depends on how soon the government or its partners procures and releases these buses.
Indeed, Nigerians will only hope that the corruption in the system will not stampede this policy.
If that happens, it will leave Nigerians trekking.
Also, if you spend few minutes to watch the video below, you will understand what analyst say about names in Tinubu’s ministerial list.
2023 Ministerial List: A Reward For Loyalty Or Competence?