Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, has urged state governors to take urgent action to reduce transportation costs and ease the financial burden on Nigerians.
Eradiri called on governors to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive on lowering transport fares, insisting that citizens should begin to experience the benefits of government interventions.
In a statement, he expressed concern that many state governments had yet to take meaningful steps towards reducing fares despite increased financial resources available to them.
He noted that only a few states appeared to be making efforts to address the problem, urging governors to treat the initiative as a priority rather than waiting for further directives from the Federal Government.
Eradiri cited Katsina State as an example, pointing to its introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered buses, electric taxis and other vehicles aimed at making transportation more affordable.
According to him, governors committed to improving the welfare of their citizens should have introduced similar measures before the President’s intervention.
He also stressed that reducing transport fares would have a wider economic impact, given the role transportation plays in the movement of people and goods.
The former Bayelsa State governorship candidate called on state governments to invest more in mass transit systems and alternative-energy vehicles, including CNG-powered transport, to bring down fares.
President Tinubu had directed the 36 state governors to accelerate the implementation of the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, with the aim of achieving measurable reductions in transportation costs.
Eradiri maintained that governors must demonstrate greater commitment to easing the cost of living by ensuring that available public funds translate into tangible relief for ordinary Nigerians.
