Atiku Tinubu transport fare row deepens as the ADC candidate questions the October 1 reduction target announced by the President
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the promised reduction in transportation costs from October 1, describing the pledge as a “Yahoo Yahoo promise” and demanding details of the routes and commuters benefiting.
Also read: Hamzat Vows to End Road Extortion by ‘Agbero’ in Lagos
Atiku made the remarks in his Independence Day address on Thursday, October 1, responding to Tinubu’s national broadcast in which the President said Nigeria had moved from economic reform towards what he described as an “age of prosperity”.
Atiku argued that the declaration did not reflect the experience of families and businesses still dealing with high living costs.
“Bola, you have put the weight of Nigeria’s economic wellbeing on a skateboard. Families are struggling to keep their balance, businesses are falling, and you stand in Aso Rock declaring that the journey to prosperity is going smoothly,” Atiku said.
The former Vice-President then turned to Tinubu’s earlier pledge that Nigerians would begin to see measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
“Before I forget, you promised Nigerians lower transport fares from October 1. Today is October 1. Did your promise miss the bus?” Atiku asked.
Atiku also questioned the extent to which the promised reduction had reached commuters, asking the Federal Government to identify the routes where fares had fallen, provide the previous and current prices and state how many people were benefiting.
“Bola, publish the routes, the fares and the number of people benefiting. Show Nigerians the cheaper journey you promised,” he said.
The transport-fare pledge, however, was not presented by the Federal Government as a promise of an immediate nationwide reduction across every route.
Tinubu said in a September 19 update that the Federal Government and the 36 state governors had agreed that “more Nigerians” should begin to experience measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
The President said a committee was working with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and other stakeholders to identify priority transport corridors and determine the interventions required.
Tinubu also pointed to existing reductions on selected routes as evidence of what cheaper CNG-powered transport could achieve.
According to the President, CNG-powered and electric public transport in Borno was carrying passengers for between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charged between ₦300 and ₦600.
The Federal Government also cited examples in Abuja, including a reported reduction on the Area 1 to Gwagwalada route from ₦1,500 to ₦900, while the Nyanya route was reported to have fallen from ₦700 to ₦420 and Wuse from ₦400 to ₦240.
The government has linked the proposed reductions to its wider CNG transport programme, arguing that lower fuel costs should eventually translate into cheaper fares for commuters.
Ismaeel Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, said on September 30 that transport-fare reductions had already begun in some locations, while the government continued to expand CNG infrastructure.
Atiku nevertheless argued that reductions on selected routes would not resolve the wider transportation difficulties faced by Nigerians.
“Lower fares on a few routes are welcome, but they do not solve the transport crisis facing the rest of the country,” he said.
He then used the phrase “Yahoo Yahoo promise” to question whether the October 1 target had been sufficiently backed by measurable implementation.
“Bola, was this a Yahoo Yahoo promise or a hurried reply to my production subsidy proposal?” Atiku asked.
The exchange forms part of a broader political dispute over the impact of Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the resulting pressure on household expenses.
Tinubu has argued that the subsidy regime was financially unsustainable and that the government’s current strategy is aimed at reducing the cost of production and transportation through cheaper energy, infrastructure investment and expanded domestic production.
In his Independence Day address, Tinubu said prosperity should not be measured simply by headline economic figures but by whether Nigerians could farm safely, businesses could operate with reliable power, young people could find productive work and families could afford food and transportation.
“When I speak of prosperity, I do not speak merely of a larger economy, abstract numbers or better statistics,” Tinubu said.
Atiku’s response was more critical, arguing that Nigerians needed relief in their daily lives rather than promises of future benefits.
“My dear Bola, you said the people ‘cannot wait for tomorrow.’ On that, I agree with you. Yet almost every answer in your address was about tomorrow. But Nigerians are hungry today. They pay transport fares today. They need jobs and safety today,” Atiku said.
The ADC candidate’s intervention also forms part of his wider economic campaign ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku has proposed a production subsidy tied to verified petrol refined in Nigeria as part of his plan to reduce living costs.
The dispute over transport fares therefore reflects a wider disagreement between the Federal Government’s emphasis on structural economic reforms and the opposition’s demand for faster, more visible relief for households.
For commuters, the immediate issue remains whether the CNG and other transport interventions will translate into sustained fare reductions across a wider range of routes.
Also read: Hamzat Vows to End Road Extortion by ‘Agbero’ in Lagos
The Federal Government has said the process is being expanded, while Atiku is demanding clearer evidence of where the reductions have taken effect and how many Nigerians are benefiting.
