Tide News
9 January 2012
President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the
Eagle Square , Abuja
formally launched 1,100 buses under the Mass Transit scheme, he promised in his nationwide broadcast at the weekend.
The president who described the event as very important and unique, said the Federal Government did not buy a single bus, but only subsidized the mass transit programme, adding that there was need to entrench a mass transit culture with a view to ensuring its sustainability.
The president denied insinuations that he had led a large delegation to South Africa on official visit, saying he didn’t travel out of Abuja yesterday, much less out of Nigeria.
He said the three tiers of government were collaborating with the Central Bank and transporters to bring down fares, which went up astronomically in response to the removal of petrol subsidy.
Jonathan explained that none of the governors was present at the event because the governors were expected to stay back at home to ensure maintenance of law and order as the chief security officers of their respective states.
“Today, we are not commissioning new buses, we are launching mass transit programme for Nigerians. The Federal Government is involved, the state governments are involved, the local governments are involved, the Central Bank is involved, some commercial banks are involved and of course, the transport unions are also involved, including those who manufacture and import mass transit buses,” he declared.
President Jonathan also assured that the Ministry of Transport will come up with mass transit programme for the waterways.
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