No more Danfo
FG is 40% closer to finding a solution to Nigeria’s transportation problem
Good morning, Big Brains. Should I say happy pre-Independence Day or happy pre-public holiday. I’m not going to enjoy either of both options so happy whatever works for you.
- Margaret
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Reading time ~3 mins
This Week’s Big Question - “How are/did you celebrate the National Independence Day?”
Share your responses with us and if we think it’s fun enough, we’ll feature it in the newsletter :) so be on the lookout.
Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:
Tinubu wants to end your Danfo era with cheaper CNG buses
Nigerians are choosing protests over Independence Day celebrations
The Big Deal
Tinubu wants to end your Danfo era with cheaper CNG buses
One of the biggest causes of every Nigerian’s headache is the price of fuel. Commuting daily is slowly becoming luxury but the federal government has a plan to keep things moving.
In August, President Tinubu commissioned the first set of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses as part of his Renewed Hope Agenda. Since then, these buses have been spotted in different parts of Nigeria, including Lagos and Abuja.
On Friday, FG decided to make the CNG project even bigger by setting an ambitious goal of reducing transportation cost for Nigerians by 40%.
According to Michael Oluwagbemi, Programme Director of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, FG is on a mission to make sure our wallets don’t cry every time we fill up the tank or order a private ride. He said “We are working hard to bring transportation prices down, especially during these challenging times. Mr President has introduced a great alternative to the petrol problem—compressed natural gas,”
He also announced that Mr.President said “Silver and gold, I have not. But cheaper transportation? That I have.” Not in those exact words but you get the gist. The CNG project is a cheaper alternative to rising petrol prices. Under the new plan, fares for eight-passenger vehicles are dropping from ₦12,000 to ₦7,000 while trips from Itakpe Station to Warri will now cost just N5,000,. And for those four-passenger rides, it’s a sweet drop from ₦13,000 to ₦8,000 for trips from Abuja to Ajaokuta train station.
Why is this a big deal?
You typically won’t catch us saying this but the president’s CNG project is one of his best and fastest ones yet. To make sure Nigerians have access to these buses as soon as possible, he has given the green light for 10 CNG fuel conversion centres, now up and running between Abuja, Itakpe, and Ajaokuta. Plus, he’s set to roll out 17 more refuelling stations before the year wraps up.
Not only will it help Nigerians save money, the use of compressed gas will also make our air cleaner and probably increase your life expectancy if you live in Lagos (IYKYK).
But judging by the number of debit alerts the average Nigerian gets daily, we’ll assume you want to hear more about when you can finally start using these buses. Oluwagbemi promised that by the end of October, there’ll be more CNG buses with discounted prices across the country. If or when you enter any of these buses and your driver tries to charge you the full fee, just tell them that you’ll report them to Oluwagbemi because there’s a serious penalty for any driver who tries to pull a fast one on the agreed fares.
So is this the end of your Danfo era? We’ll see.
Nigerians are choosing protests over Independence Day celebrations
Colour us surprised because Nigerians have decided to protest against hunger and bad governance for the second time this year, just a few months after the #EndBadGovernance protests ended in violence and questionable arrests.
Some Nigerians are preparing for a protest they’re calling “Fearless in October” on October 1 which is a subtle way of telling the government that there’s no independence to celebrate under President Tinubu’s leadership. The organisers say they’re protesting because of the crazy cost of living, insecurity, and a bunch of other issues that have come up since President Bola Tinubu took office.
But the federal government doesn’t seem to be taking the news well. While protesters are throwing subtle jabs, FG is throwing subtle threats by running the narrative that the protests will be hijacked by criminals and turned into riots.
Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, announced that security agencies are keeping a watchful eye on protest organisers—because nothing says “how dare you challenge T-pain’s authority?” like a little monitoring.
He also hinted that protest organisers were being a little bit dramatic because Tinubu has already acknowledged the tough times Nigerians are going through and his reforms are already paying off. That’s completely debatable because the average Nigerian is struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a flicker at best.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” but no one said anything about judging it by its first page so that’s exactly what we’re going to do. During the #EndBadGovernance protests, Nigerians started doubting whether Tinubu understands the concept of democracy or not. Amnesty International reported that Nigerian security forces reportedly killed 21 protesters. Over 1,000 protesters were illegally arrested. So even though Bayo Onanuga claims that Tinubu respects the rights of Nigerians to protest, we’re not sold on that.
The Big Picks
Troops Foil Boko Haram Attack In Borno: Troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have stopped a Boko Haram attack in Borno State, located in North-Eastern Nigeria. This success shows their ongoing efforts to fight against insurgents and keep the area safe. The troops acted quickly to protect local people and maintain security in the region.
Yobe Records New Polio Cases, Flags-Off Vaccination: Three years after Yobe State was declared free from poliomyelitis, the state has reported four new cases in the local government areas of Bursari, Machina, and Yusufari.
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