Sanwo-Olu cuts transport fares by 50% to reduce hardship

The Lagos State government has a 50 percent fare reduction on all transportation means owned and run by the government.

The measure is to ameliorate the biting effect of petrol subsidy removal by the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government.

The subsidy removal has triggered an unprecedented increase in the pump price of petrol, from N185 per litre in May this year to N617 in some parts of the country. This has also led to astronomical hikes in transportation fares, forcing millions of Nigerians who can’t afford the high fares to resort to trekking.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the 50 percent slash, on Monday, after a meeting a security council meeting.

He said the fare adjustment would take effect from Wednesday, August 2. Coincidentally, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had also announced a nationwide protest and strike to begin on the same day.

Meanwhile, for private commercial bus operators (danfo) operating in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said a 25 percent reduction has been proposed to them for implementation. He said the government has prepared palliatives that would be distributed across Lagos to assist vulnerable households in the state.

Read also: We have saved over N1 trillion from subsidy removal – Tinubu

He said: “We have had a meeting with all our transport system and the state government will from Wednesday reduce transport fares to 50 percent in all its controlled buses, LAMATA.

“For the informal sector, the yellow buses will be meeting later and they are proposing a 25 percent reduction in all their bus fares by tomorrow or Wednesday.

“We have also concluded discussions with our stakeholders on foodstuffs for the least vulnerable in society through the local government, churches and mosques to cushion the effect of the hardship. This will continue until we see the result of these interventions.”

Sanwo-Olu, however, encouraged Lagosians to be law-abiding and go about their affairs in the state, disclosing that in another 30 days, vehicles and security gadgets would be provided to law enforcement officers, so as to improve security in the state.

Idowu Owohunwa, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, said 260 suspects have been recently arrested on issues relating to cultism and traffic robbery.

The police chief urged citizens to go about their normal business, as policemen have been mobilised to patrol and nip any possible threat to Lagosians in the bud.