The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has announced that various business entities across the country have offered to lower the prices of their services for Nigerians who will be traveling to different parts of the country to cast their votes in the Saturday Presidential election.
The entities, according to the minister, who spoke to news men today, Wednesday shortly after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, are the Independent Petroleum organisation of Nigeria, (IPMAN), with over 50,000 members, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), with about 2 million members, Arik and Aero airlines.
Lai Mohammed said that IPMAN, which controls almost 80 percent of the nation’s distribution network, met a couple days ago to decide on how to cushion the effect of postponement, and at the end of it, announced the reduction of the price of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) from N145 per liter to N140 per liter.
“This discount reflect the alignment of IPMAN with government and the discount is valid between the 21st of February and the 25th, this year to allow those who want to go back home to vote.”
He said that the NURTW, which operates motor parks in all 774 local government areas of the country and an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), with members cutting across drivers, bus boys, motor parks operators etc, offered to provide discounts to travelers using their motor parks for members who are looking to travel to their respective voting points.
“This discount is also to encourage voters who would have normally been disenfranchised as a result of INEC’s postponement. This discount is also valid between the 21st of February and the 25th February.
“Arik and Aero airlines have also thrown in their own incentives. Aero contractors have offered 50 percent discount to all travelers who present their permanent voters card (PVC) at the purchasing point. Arik will be selling their one way ticket at N16,000 to any destination across the country. This is to support Nigerians looking to travel to cast their votes. The discount is valid between the 18th of February and the 11th of March.”
Lai Mohammed said that the federal government, in its part, has decided that to make it easy for those who will want to go back to vote, salary payment will start yesterday (Tuesday) as opposed to the normal 25th of every month.
“This is just to ease the burden of people who want to go back and cast their votes.”
