Mene ne shirinku na inganta sufurin birni da rage cunkoson ababen hawa a birane kamar Legas?

Q18: Transport fares are becoming unaffordable, while people in cities such as Lagos spend hours in traffic. What will you do to improve public transportation and reduce transport costs? Answer: My plan is to accelerate urban mass transit rail lines, expand Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, develop inland waterway passenger ferries, and lower transport operational costs by subsidizing local fuel refining inputs. Q19: Communities are repeatedly promised roads and other infrastructure, but projects are abandoned or deteriorate shortly after construction. How will you improve project completion, quality and accountability? Answer: A $25 billion private-sector-led Infrastructure Development Fund will be created, enforcing mandatory third-party engineering audits and releasing funds based on verified milestones to stop project abandonment. Q20: How will you ensure that infrastructure investment reaches rural communities and is distributed fairly across Nigeria rather than concentrated in major cities? Answer: I will make sure the budget allocation model will use population and agricultural productivity benchmarks-rather than urban density alone-to guarantee equitable infrastructure funding across every geopolitical zone.

The unfortunate crash of a train and a BRT bus in Lagos this morning is sad news not only to Lagosians but to all of us Nigerians, as is any mishap anywhere. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims and the good people and government of Lagos. The powers of states as federating units in Nigeria in the area of transportation must be reinforced with enabling laws and enhanced by the states themselves with knowledge and the requisite expertise in the same sector. Emergency and medical rescue services must also be enhanced to avoid casualties in accidents such as these. I urge the relevant authorities to swiftly investigate the cause of the accident and take appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and may God grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss. -AA

Atiku has more important people to engage directly: the mother struggling to feed her children; the civil servant whose salary disappears into transportation; the farmer paying more to move produce to market; the student being pushed into debt simply to remain in school; and millions of Nigerians whose daily reality bears no resemblance to the prosperity advertised in your tweets. And that is where the contradiction in your statement becomes impossible to ignore. You condemn Atiku’s proposal to reduce the cost of energy as a return to the past, yet in the same breath promise that, “in the next few weeks,” your government will provide cheaper transportation, increase food production and introduce relief for vulnerable Nigerians. Bola, why now? For more than three years, Nigerians have endured punishing transport fares, soaring food prices, crippling energy costs and wages that buy less every month. Families have skipped meals, postponed medical treatment, withdrawn children from schools and abandoned basic plans simply to survive. Throughout that period, your government repeatedly told Nigerians that their suffering was the unavoidable price of reform. Now, suddenly, cheaper transportation has become urgent.

Meanwhile, local contractors who completed government projects remain unpaid. Many borrowed from banks to do the work and now face demands for repayment on money the government owes them. Some have lost their property; their representatives say some have died under the financial strain. Bola, why do your friends get huge contracts while Nigerian contractors have to protest to be paid for work they have already done? Pay the contractors. Publish what is owed and when it will be paid. Nigerians are entitled to know whose prosperity your government is building. Nigeria’s public debt stood at ₦166.79 trillion at the end of June, and your government is now discussing another $1.5 billion in World Bank loans. Before you borrow another dollar in the people’s name, tell them what the money already borrowed has delivered. Name the projects. Show what they cost, who benefited and who was paid. From my first day in office, I will put affordability and the protection of life at the centre of government. We will begin bringing down the costs of food, fuel and power, improving access to healthcare and education, and restoring security to communities living in fear. I will account for public spending and measure progress by what Nigerians can afford and whether they can live safely.

Think of the families waiting for them that night. Think of the children who will grow up without a mother. What does it say about the condition of our country that the prospect of ₦10,000 can draw a desperate crowd, while its leaders declare an age of prosperity? 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. Before I forget, you promised Nigerians lower transport fares from October 1. Today is October 1. Did your promise miss the bus? In your Independence Day speech, you found time to attack my plan to make life affordable. But you did not tell commuters which additional routes became cheaper today, what the fares were before, what they cost now, or how many people can use them. Lower fares on a few routes are welcome, but they do not solve the transport crisis facing the rest of the country.

Details: ● Introduce subsidized public transport for students and senior citizens nationwide ● Partner with state governments and transport operators to implement targeted fare reductions ● Use digital ID and verification systems to ensure subsidies reach eligible beneficiaries efficiently ● Prioritize high-traffic urban routes and intercity travel corridors used by students and the elderly ● Position transport support as a core part of social protection, linking mobility to opportunity and wellbeing 4. Guarantee pension dignity and restore the value of retirement income. Ensure that a lifetime of work leads to security, not hardship, by protecting retirees from the erosion of their incomes. Details: ● Rebase legacy pensions to reflect today's cost of living, correcting years of erosion ● Introduce a minimum pension guarantee to ensure all retirees receive a living income ● Link pension adjustments to inflation over time to protect purchasing power ● Prioritize timely and consistent pension payments across all levels of government ● Position retirement security as a core pillar of social protection and human dignity