Nigerian Government Introduces Free Train Rides, Discounted Bus Fares

In the spirit of Christmas, the Nigerian government has implemented temporary yet accommodative changes to the country’s public transport system.

On Wednesday, 20 December, per a directive delivered by Dele Alake, the minister of Solid Minerals, at the presidential villa in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu approved plans to cut down on public transport costs during the festive season.

From Thursday, 21 December, to 4 January 2024, “Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via mini-buses [and] luxury buses at 50% discount of current cost, and all our train services on the routes the trains currently serve at zero cost to and fro on their travels this holiday season.”

These financial reprieves, said Alake, are to “allow our compatriots who want to travel to visit their loved ones and hometowns to do so without stress and the extra burden imposed by the high cost of transport around this period.”

However, he added, air transportation is exempt from this temporary arrangement, as Tinubu wanted to focus on the “masses” who relied primarily on basic forms of transportation.