The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has announced that his administration would make available 100 brand new 18-seater Compressed Natural Gas buses for the use of transporters in the state as part of measures to cousin the effects of the current socioeconomic challenges.
Abiodun disclosed this in Abeokuta, the state capital during a meeting with transport unions on how best to tackle the rising transport fares in the state, which has raised the prices of essential commodities beyond the reach of the masses.
He, however, warned transporters against taking undue advantage of the current situation, to exploit and place avoidable burdens through high transport fares on the people.
According to him, the meeting was called because of events over the last week, including fuel scarcity, which is already abating, and the associated increase in the pump price of the product.
The governor noted that there has always been an astronomical rise in transport fares anytime there is a slight adjustment in the pump prices of fuel.
Governor Abiodun, while disclosing that the Federal Government is gradually leaving the business of sales and distribution of petroleum products to the private sector, noted that there was no need for transporters to increase transport fares by over 1000 per cent when the price of PMS was just increased by 30 per cent.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Gbenga Dairo, while reminding transporters that fuel is just a component of their transportation cost, urged them to do all within their power to ensure that the people of the state are not overstretched.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alamutu, on his part, disclosed that the increase in PMS was not much that should warrant the remarkable increase in the cost of transportation and called on transporters in the state to look at the possibility of having a more friendly transport fare regime.
Speaking on behalf of the transport heads, the National President of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN), Prince Samsudeen Apelogun, commended Governor Abiodun for revolutionizing the transport sector with the establishment of the Ministry of Transportation and the introduction of the E-mobility program.
He promised to call the stakeholders together and come up with a more friendly transport fare that is within their control.
