[flash=540,315]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNTvWKjRozQ[/flash]

via CP-Africa

Some quotes:

"The govt understands the feelings of many Nigerians because transport costs have gone up and the govt is trying to make sure the benefits that come out of the removal of this subsidy are put into programmes that directly benefit the people and bring down costs.

"For instance, this afternoon president Goodluck Jonathan launched a programme of mass transit to improve bus and road transportation for the people so that the cost of transport can come down. About 1100 buses were put on the road and the road transport workers association has agreed to bring the costs down because the buses use diesel which has been deregulated for quite some time so there was really no need for costs to go up.

"What we're doing is trying to bring the benefits of the subsidy phase-out to bear, so that prices can come down. For instance, the price of transport is set to come down because the transport worker's association has accepted that there was no need to increase the price of bus transport because buses use diesel, not petrol. And so they are going to bring that down. In addition, we are working with other transporters to try and bring prices of transport down. 

"We are also working to improve other services which affect the population. For instance, part of this money is going g to be put into services for maternal health and child mortality. We have one of the very bad indicators for maternal mortality in the world and it is unconscionable that our women should be dying in childbirth whilst we're using money to subsidize [petrol] which the poor people in the population do not get. so we need to improve these services to the people.

"We are going to be improving roads. Of the $8 that goes into the subsidy, $4 billion will go into improving road transport and rail transport, and the rest will go into supporting the creation of employment for youth, improving maternal mortality, and into mass transit programs. These are all programs in which the poor in the population will benefit much more than they do from the issue of subsidy."

1,100 buses deployed for over 150 million people??

Seriously, is this woman truly an economist

OMG, Woe unto Nigerians, how did Y'all get here?

Al Jazeera is crazy. Anyways the station is pro-North.
I knew there will questions concerning dialogue between the govt and boko haram. mins(05.40)
What the f0rk do boko haram want? Islamic Republic?
F0rk Nuhu Ribadu who suggested dialogue! http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/67070-boko-haram-members-rebels-ribadu.html
F0rk El Rufai and Buhari for real extremist! https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-801369.0.html

They all support the boko haram menace.
GOD OF Thunder will scatter their lives!

Will 1100 buses be enough for 2 states before talking of 36 states? Besides are buses really the problem? Is anyone protesting lack of buses?

I believe the proper question to ask is why the federal government is now into the road transport business. Why?

It makes no absolutely no sense for the federal government to now decide it should inject itself into this when the major reason our road transport industry is not thriving is because the same Federal Government has failed at maintaining our federal roads.

Kobojunkie:

I believe the proper question to ask is why the federal government is now into the road transport business. Why?

It makes no absolutely no sense for the federal government to now decide it should inject itself into this when the major reason our road transport industry is not thriving is because the same Federal Government has failed at maintaining our federal roads.

Good questions!

Come on Kobojunkie, you know this people better than that, ke

You and I both know that what took place at Eagle square today was simply a photo show to pre-empt Monday's strike.

In fact, I can bet my salary that no documents, funds or processes, not to talk of buses, related to the so-called "mass-transit" have been put in place.

They simply gathered those available for a show and cut new ribbons.

They are already denying purchase of buses or getting involved in mass transit - see post on this as a separate topic.

Kobojunkie:

I believe the proper question to ask is why the federal government is now into the road transport business. Why?

It makes no absolutely no sense for the federal government to now decide it should inject itself into this when the major reason our road transport industry is not thriving is because the same Federal Government has failed at maintaining our federal roads.

Subsidy is ~$ 8 B as she mentioned but that entire money has already been shared to the states, LGs, etc. So how can you plan on money that you WILL NOT have? Or, will all the pipe dreams the PDP and Jonagoat government could not do by digging the country into a $30 Billion dollar debt now be done by ~$4 B? Failure president with failure ministers! By the time Goatlock is deleted from Nigeria, all the goodwill of the so called world bank turned minister would be gone in smoke!

Mrs. Minister does not get it.

A few thousand buses cannot solve even the transportation problems that will come from removing the subsidy.  You say government does not have money, yet the waste continues.


The reason petrol is expensive in Nigeria is because it is  IMPORTED. Keep the subsidy until you have done the following:

1. Repair our existing refineries to function at full capacity

2. Encourage investors to build new refineries with the promise that the day they begin production subsidy will be removed.

3. Eliminated the gross waste in government. The presidency cannot propose to spend billions of naira on food and entertainment and expect Nigerians to make this kind of sacrifice. If the executive and legislative arms of government do not collect their allowances (not salaries) for 2012, we would have enough money to subsidize petrol.

^^ Your analysis does not take off the ground because they are not buying any buses - according to their president! The mass transport scheme is without purchase of buses by the government, but they will subsidize it still. Let us wait and see or you can tell us what this government is doing!

I think Jonze-a-thom has finally run mad now. How can you have a palliative (mass transit) that does not exist?

Ngozi lost it a long time ago.

This woman continues to disgrace herself, her family and country with her unintellingent and contradictory utterances. This FG is amazing, association with it appears bound to rob anyone of honesty and integrity. Abati, Akunyili and many more have gone down this route and come out worse off even though they may line their pockets with filthy riches their names are stained forever.

Since when did 25 seater buses become mass transit vehicles? These people know what obtains abroad as mass transit yet they continue to feed us BS as if we're stoopid. Can't trust any agent of this government, first it was 1600 buses, but now its 1100! What happened to the 500?

Tonight about 1am certain people suspected to be policemen attacked occupy nigeria protesters camped at eagle square with clubs while they were sleeping injuring them and stealing laptops and mobile phones, while uniformed police stationed there looked on without intervention. Now people are killed nearly everyday and the attitude of the government is as if those killed do not count - clueless about barefaced terrorism but quick to harass and kill innocent protesters. Tell me why should I listen to the crap Ngozi has to say? I'm no longer interested (haven't for a long time) in listening to the lies of this People Deceiving People.

The finance Minister is a DISGRACE.
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA is a big FOOL.
What can 1100 buses do in a Nation of 160Million people shared into 774 LGs?
Lagos state's BRT has more than 1100 buses and it is still not enough.

I expected a more logical reply from our so called Finance Minister , No fact and figures, no economic indicators, No mathematical analysis, Oh my God, these guys upstairs are just lucky to be there , A good Secondary School student can say all that.

Is she serious?
What about foodstuff prices which have shot up?
What about increased cost of living on static salaries?

It's not about agreement with the union, it's about the price. The agreement can not be respected if the price is not right. Besides, what happens in some local governments where these buses are more or less useless? The cost of transportation will still be high in rural states where these buses can not be optimally deployed.

It does not take much to realize that inter-city transportation will in a way normalize after few weeks. The real burden is intra-city transportation taxi services which is still run on gasoline and which people can not avoid. That's is still real issue. Besides, what happens to SMEs that run on gasoline to generate power?

she should also clarify this: will the proceeds be in consolidated account, which by law, is bound to be shared among tier of government? Or is government creating a special account for the purpose of infrastructural development?  Instead of giving vague generalisation on building of roads, construction of this and that, She should also come out with time bound specifics on the utilization of proceeds and set up a most (must be manifestly seen to be so) transparent body to manage the proceeds if the booty will not be shared among the incompetent governors.

Why do we still have very learned Nigerians that cannot back up their statements with cogent facts and figures?

It is , the Gov't will do this, the Gov't will partner with that etc etc,  Poverty will just go away. No track record of past achievement as proof of their ability to deliver.

It is all a mess. If refineries work in this country we wouldn't need to get as high as 140N/ltr for petrol at all.
They just don't get it in this Gov't.

Who lets commodity prices inflate by more than 100% at a go? No other Gov't will try this elsewhere.

For instance, the price of transport is set to come down because the transport worker's association has accepted that there was no need to increase the price of bus transport because buses use diesel, not petrol.

How many Toyota Hiace for naija dey use diesel??


Hiace is arguably the most popular mass transit vehicle in Nigeria by far.

Abeg, Who are these people working for GEJ?

she is a smart woman, i know about her and her family here in the wash dc area, i dont think she is out to steal money or anything of that sort, i think she has good intentions and only time will tell if she infact the fuel subsidy was a good thing, i do however feel that cost should have been cut in other aspects of the economy, to fund this her road, train, and job program she is talking about, then when all these things had been established, the fuel subsidy should have been cut, would have made an easier transition,

LRNZH:

Why do we still have very learned Nigerians that cannot back up their statements with cogent facts and figures?

It is , the Gov't will do this, the Gov't will partner with that etc etc,  Poverty will just go away. No track record of past achievement as proof of their ability to deliver.

It is all a mess. If refineries work in this country we wouldn't need to get as high as 140N/ltr for petrol at all.
They just don't get it in this Gov't.

Who lets commodity prices inflate by more than 100% at a go? No other Gov't will try this elsewhere.

@Bolded
Precisely! Nowhere in the world are prices jacked up like that in one go. Nigerian government need to wake up. The masses are tired and can no longer bear this suffering.

I just lost all my respect for this bitch WOMAN WTF

she said they have discussed with transport workers because buses use diesel whats of those that run on petrol they should start running it on diesel SEE HOW DAFT OUR FINANCE MINISTER IS what is the evidence they had a meeting with NURTW at least NTA there propaganda voice will show it ''please if taju my favorite danfo driver is buying gas at a doubled price now how can Taju reduce cost of transportation because oooh aunty iweala said so and bro Jonathan it still boils down to em reducing cost of governance as an economist as she claims even tho i am not one but my common sense for that field pass her experience SHE LIVES TOO FAR TO UNDERSTAND HOW AN AVERAGE FAMILY LIVES IN NIGERIA its not her fault
they are talking about BH security measure shes talking about creating jobs in north eastern part of 9ja that by common sense everybody shld know is a long term measure but security is an immediate thing
MAY GOD THAT SAVED US FROM SANI ABACHA SAVE US FROM OKONJO EBELE IWEALA JONATHAN
ALL THOSE BRINGING PAINS TO LIVES OF NIGERIANS TOO MAT THEY NOT KNOW PEACE

1,100 buses deployed for over 150 million people??

Seriously, is this woman truly an economist



Are u trying to say the entire population of Nigeria use the public transport system? Ask a more sensible question pls and stop insulting Ngozi

PDP

They are

Party Deceiving People

Thats all they are

All this fuel stuff is aimed at deceiving the Nigerian populace to create more forum to steal more

Clueless woman.
Lets standup now and occupy all Nigerian Spaces Inch by Inch

Thank God for these few buses, gradually we will get there.

It is obvious that the present govt is around to destroy Nigeria,but I will like to tell Nigerians to stay firm this time,it is better for us to fight now,let us say no to all forms of oppression .let us seize this opportunity to ground and make everything standstill .

dejust:

Thank God for these few buses, gradually we will get there.

Are you re.ta/rd/ed? Do you understand that 99% of businesses cannot survive an instant 200% hike in petrol prices?

Did tthis lady from Al jazeera ask her should there be dialogue with Boka Harem, Hell there are bunch of terrorist, Why are pple biting there there tongue, Call it what it is, A northern govt sponsored organization,

samdigo:

she is a smart woman,  i know about her and her family here in the wash dc area, i dont think she is out to steal money or anything of that sort,  i think she has good intentions and only time will tell if she infact the fuel subsidy was a good thing,  i do however feel that cost should have been cut in other aspects of the economy, to fund this her road, train, and job program she is talking about,  then when all these things had been established, the fuel subsidy should have been cut,  would have made an easier transition,

yeah nobody cares about her honesty they are all thieves OLE but in any policy u do the pple u govern shld be the priority IF SHES HONEST AS U CLAIM HOW CAN SHE SUPPORT ASO ROCK FEEDING AT 1B naira A YEAR $70MILLION FOR VP OFFICE RENOVATION (NOT BUILDING A NEW ONE O) $50MILION FOR FIRST LADYS OFFICE (office thats not recognized by constitution) AND SHES HONEST SHES AN ECONOMICS GURU WORLD BANK MY FLAT BLACK ASS they all THIEVES

most N/Ls comment are so crude. U guys are so permisstic about the whole subsidy removal. The buses were purchased to soften d transportation pains for the main time. Nigeria go better, make we try supprt any policy we go carry us to the promise land.

She seems not to know Nigeria again!
The key union in the Transport Sector is NURTW, and they are heavily involved in the strike. Which union did they dialogue with?
Is inflation in Nigeria tied to only one sector-Transportation?That's myopic! Is it those long-journey diesel buses that do intra-city transport?is it those buses that they use in her village to transport agric products from farms to towns/neighbourhood cities?Did she forget she announced the release of 5000 buses during Obasanjo's time after price hike. Did transport costs come down then? The cost of running our generators for house use and small business use has gone up, how do we make money to be able to cope?by immediately increasing the price of whatever goods we sell or service we are offering. And there goes the multiplier effect in simple economic illustration.