President Bola Tinubu has requested the extension of the free ride on the Abuja Metro line to the end of the year.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has offered commuters two months free ride during a pre-inauguration inspection tour of the project.
Tinubu made the request on Wednesday at the inauguration of the commercial operation of the train services within and around the city.
He said that this would be part of his administration’s commitment to putting the welfare of ordinary Nigerians on the front burner of his Renewed Hope Agenda.
He commended the foresight of Wike and his team in actualising the dream of easing the difficult transportation demand of citizens in and around the Capital City.
“During the last Nigerian Bar Association’s meeting, I requested the minister to actualise the operation of the metro line and he accepted the challenge.
“I told him not to give me land in Abuja but to fulfil my dream of riding on the Abuja Metro line. He has fulfil it as part of our slogan of saying it and doing it. I thank you and your team immensely,”he said.
Tinubu said that the reforms in the rail sector was part of the overall master plan of having a robust transportation infrastructure across the country.
He said that the administration recognised the importance of transportation in economic growth, adding that more infrastructure would be provided across the country during his tenure.
The President, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, Ministers, and services chiefs were among dignitaries that took the train ride from the Centenary Centre to the Airport.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the routes of the train is from the Abuja Metro station to Airport, Kukwaba, Kagini, Dei-Dei, Gwagwa, Stadium among others from Monday to Friday each week.
NAN also reports that road infrastructure to the stations as well as parking lots has been constructed along the the train routes.