January 04, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the yuletide free train service till Sunday, January 7, 2024, to allow more Nigerians, who are yet to return to their stations, to enjoy the benefit.
The extension was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, and signed by the Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali.
The Federal Government announced a free train service on all serviced routes and a 50% rebate on road transportation from December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024, on specific routes to reduce the burden of the high cost of public transportation during the just concluded Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Minister said while over 163,000 Nigerians benefited from the successful first leg of the yuletide initiative, President Tinubu, in further demonstration of his care for the welfare of Nigerians, directed that the free train service should be made available for an extra 3 days to allow more Nigerians benefit.
He advised the public to note that “this extension applies to all three routes currently being serviced by the Nigerian Railway Corporation as follows: Lagos – Ibadan, Warri – Itakpe and Abuja – Kaduna.
Alkali said it is hoped that Nigerians, who are interested in travelling by rail, will take full advantage of this unique opportunity aimed at enhancing people’s welfare.
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
