Nigerian government slashes transportation tickets by 50% for holidays

The Nigerian government says it has cut the cost of transportation during the festive season by 50 percent in a move to ease the financial challenges associated with holiday travels across the country. Nigeria is always busy in December, recording the highest number of air, road transport, and railway passengers…

In an effort to alleviate the financial hardship associated with holiday trips, the Nigerian government has provided free rail rides and reduced public transport tickets by 50% across the country over the festive season.

Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, at a news conference on Wednesday, said domestic travelers would be able to visit loved ones and hometowns “without stress and the extra burden imposed by the high cost of transportation around this period.”

The top government official, who is also head of the inter-ministerial committee on presidential intervention, noted that the discount on inter-state travel and free train rides will take effect from Thursday to 4 January.

He added that air transportation was not included in the intervention because the target of the president “is the masses”.

Nigeria is always busy in December, recording the highest number of air, road transport, and railway passengers.

Cost of transportation has recently surged in the West African country following the removal of fuel subsidy by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

The country is also wrestling with its worst inflation in several years.

Prices of food, fuel, transportation and telecommunication increased to new record levels as Nigeria’s inflation rate passed 28 percent in November.

This rising inflation has taken a heavy toll on the socio-economic activities of the nation despite the ongoing transformation by the new president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.