Subsidy Removal: Lagos commercial bus drivers defy Gov Sanwo-Olu’s directive on 25% fare cut
Commercial bus drivers have defied the Lagos State Government directive that all yellow transport buses should slash their fares by 25 per cent.
This is even as port operations have continued unhindered despite the ongoing strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), reports Nigerian Tribune.
Recall that Governor Sanwo-Olu, while speaking to journalists during a media briefing on Monday, had said that a 50 percent slash in transport fare on all Lagos State-controlled transport mediums (BRT Blue Line) and a 25 per cent slash in transport fare on all yellow buses will commence on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023.
However, checks by this paper today morning revealed that while all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses complied with the directive to slash fares by 50 per cent, yellow buses didn’t slash transport fares by 25 per cent.
Transport fares from Agege to Ikeja still stood between N300 and N400 while Ijora to Oshodi still went for N500. Apapa to Ijora was still N200 and Apapa to Contain was still being carried at N300.
Speaking with our correspondent why yellow bus drivers have not complied with the State government directive, a bus driver Salau Liadi explained that there was no incentive from any of their leadership that could have warranted a slash in transportation fares.
“Mr. Governor said he has an agreement with our leadership, but we have not heard anything from anybody.
“I am on the road because I have to put food on the table for my family. The cost of petrol has not gone down, neither have we been given fuel by anybody to slash transportation fares.
“So I don’t really understand this Lagos State Government directive that yellow buses should slash fares by 25 per cent.
“The BRTs can do that because the state government must have provided incentives for them. But for us yellow buses, we can’t slash fares because we still buy fuel at N585 per litre,” Liadi said.
The Lagos State governor had said on Monday that it was working on rolling out these palliatives to lessen the pain that the removal of subsidy had brought on the citizens.
“We’ve had extensive conversations with all of the stakeholders in our transport system, both formal and informal modes of transportation, and we have come to a conclusion, which the state government will be supporting.
“Immediately from Wednesday, all public transportations that are being controlled by LAMATA, all of the high capacity buses, will be plying all the routes of Lagos at 50 per cent discount, and all commuters that will be plying these routes will start enjoying a 50 per cent rebate on the transport fares that are currently being charged on all of these routes.
“For the informal buses, they are also going to make a pronouncement, and I can say to you that we have agreed with them that they will be doing about 25 per cent reduction on their buses – all of the yellow buses that we have on the streets,” Governor Sanwo-Olu had told newsmen on Monday.
Meanwhile, port operations have continued unhindered despite the ongoing strike action by the NLC.
Checks revealed that while the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) joined the NLC in the ongoing strike demonstration on the streets, the workers were told to continue working inside the ports.
General Secretary of MWUN, Comrade Oniha Odigie explained that it’s not a total strike but just a protest.
“It’s not a strike action to shut the economy. It’s a protest to submit a letter to the federal government about our misgivings about the state of things in the country.
“We just submitted the letter and we are still on the protest ground I’m in full collaboration with the NLC as an affiliate.
“The port is working. The strike is not about shutting down the economy, it’s about expressing our misgivings on the way the economy is currently going,” the MWUN National General Secretary said.
