President Bola Tinubu has approved extending the yuletide free train service to Sunday, January 7, to allow more Nigerians who have yet to return to their stations to take advantage of the privilege.
Senator Said Ahmed Alkali, the minister of transportation, signed a statement on Thursday, January 4.
To alleviate the strain of the high cost of public transportation over the recently finished Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the federal government announced a free train service on all serviced routes and a 50% refund on road transportation from December 21, 2023 to January 4, on certain routes.
The statement read:
“While over 163,000 Nigerians benefited from 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 extra 3 days to allow more Nigerians to take the advantage.
“The public is advised to note that this extension applies to all three routes currently being serviced by the Nigerian Railway Corporation as follows:
“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.”