Railway passengers in Lagos and Kaduna have commneded the decision of the Federal Government to introduce free ride on all routes to celebrate the yuletide season.
According to those who spoke at Babatunde Fashola and Rigasa train stations in Agege and Kaduna respectively on Monday, they described the decision as a welcome development, which showed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government as a people-friendly one.
The Federal Government had last week through the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) declared free passenger services nationwide beginning from December 24, 2021 to January 4, 2022.
Those who spoke also lauded the giant strides of President Buhari government in the rail transportation sector in the last six years.
They also commended the efforts of the Ministry of Transportation under the leadership of Mr. Chibuike Amaechi for repositioning the sector from its former moribund situation to a vibrant one.
A visit to the two stations on Monday revealed that many Nigerians were actually taking advantage of the opportunity to explore rail transportation which they described as a viable alternative to land transportation.
Those who spoke lauded the rail transportation as viable platform for exploring the nation’s country side.
“I am very happy and delighted that railway services are being given the right attention by the current government. I enjoyed my trip to and from Abeokuta this morning,” said Tunde Johnson.
He added that the trip which was his first train ride afforded him the opportunity to see the countryside of Yorubaland in its pristine form.
Johnson particularly loved the luxurious comfort he and his family enjoyed during the trip, saying that actually contributed in no small measure to the fun the enjoyed during the trip.
On his part, a passenger in Kaduna, Sunday Hassan, stated that the free trip between Abuja and Kaduna helped him in no small way to reach home on time for Christmas.
“I thank the Federal Government to introducing the free rides to Kaduna. If they hadn’t done that possibly I won’t have been able to celebrate the Christmas with my family because of paucity of funds that I have been having for sometime,” he stated.
