Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has challenged state governors to urgently comply with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reduce transportation costs, urging them to use available resources and alternative-energy initiatives to make public transport more affordable for Nigerians.
Key Highlights
- Udengs Eradiri urged governors to implement Tinubu’s directive on cheaper transportation.
- Tinubu directed states to accelerate the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.
- Eradiri said only a few states were taking visible steps to reduce transport fares.
- He cited Katsina’s CNG buses and electric taxis as an example.
- Tinubu said CNG buses had already reduced transport fares in some states.
- Eradiri urged governors to invest more in mass transit and fare-reduction programmes.
Eradiri Urges Governors to Act on Tinubu’s Directive
Eradiri said governors should take the Federal Government’s transportation initiative seriously and deploy increased resources available to their states to cushion the impact of high transport costs on residents.
Reacting to Tinubu’s directive, he said the President’s call for states to use savings from cheaper energy and available resources to reduce transport fares was aimed at easing the hardship faced by Nigerians.
“We are appealing to the President to double down on it. Most of these governors have not responded to the President’s directives. Only a few governors are making efforts to bring down transportation costs in their states,” Eradiri said.
Tinubu Pushes Affordable CNG Transport Programme
Tinubu had directed state governments to accelerate implementation of the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, with the goal of achieving measurable reductions in transportation costs across the country.
The President said the 36 state governors had agreed on the target following their August 27 meeting.
Tinubu has also said several states were already recording reductions in transport fares through CNG-powered and electric public transportation initiatives.
According to the President, CNG buses deployed in Oyo State reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200 during the initial deployment.
He also cited Enugu State, where the Enugu-Nsukka fare reportedly fell from ₦2,500 to ₦1,500 following the deployment of CNG buses.
Eradiri Cites Katsina as Example
Eradiri cited Katsina State as an example of a state taking steps to reduce transportation costs.
He noted the state government’s deployment of CNG buses, electric taxis and other alternative-energy vehicles as measures aimed at easing the transportation burden on residents.
“What are other governors doing?” he asked, arguing that state governments should not wait for presidential directives before introducing policies capable of reducing transportation costs.
The former Bayelsa State governorship candidate said governors who genuinely wanted to improve the welfare of their people should embrace the programme with urgency.
Cheaper Transport Could Reduce Cost of Living
Eradiri argued that reducing transportation costs could have a wider impact on the Nigerian economy because transport is a major component of the cost of moving people and goods.
“The President knows that once you bring down the cost of transport, every other cost will come down and the people will begin to have direct impact of subsidy removal,” he said.
He expressed concern that more states had not visibly embraced programmes aimed at reducing transport fares.
“We expected to see states come alive with the programme to reduce transport cost. But we can’t see it and it is worrisome,” he said.
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Eradiri Questions Use of Increased State Revenue
Eradiri also questioned how state governments were deploying the additional funds available to them if they were unable to deliberately finance programmes aimed at reducing transportation costs.
“What are they really doing with these excess funds coming into their states if they cannot diligently and deliberately fund programmes and policies to reduce the cost of transport?” he queried.
He urged governors to complement the Federal Government’s CNG and alternative-energy initiatives by investing more aggressively in mass transit systems and fare-reduction programmes.
“The governors have received a lot of money and the least they can do is seek ways to reduce the cost of living, especially by heeding the directive of the President to bring down the cost of transport,” Eradiri added.
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