By Ahamefula Ogbu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart have been allocated 600 mass transit buses in the 1,242 fresh orders placed by the Federal Government Wednesday to beef up the scheme, which already has 1,636 vehicles in its fleet.

The order, which was one of the approvals given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting Wednesday, is costing the Federal Government N15 billion under the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P).

Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said: “What we approved today (Wednesday) will support the purchase of 1,240 high capacity buses for disbursement to competent transport investors in the country.”

When delivered, 450 of them, he said, would be transferred to the NLC, while its TUC counterpart would manage 150 of the buses.

Also speaking on the mass transit scheme, Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Dr. Sam Ortom, said the government had so far provided N25 billion for the scheme which he also said was a revolving loan to transporters at zero per cent interest rate, pointing out that in 2010, the government provided the first tranche of N10 billion to the transporters.

In all, he said, the fund so far approved for the project, including the N15 billion from FEC, is N25 billion.

He said the money would be domiciled at the Urban Development Bank which would release the facilities to beneficiaries to purchase the vehicles.

He said the beneficiaries would be given a three-month moratorium before they would commence repayment of the facility, which would be for a period of five years.

According to Ortom, companies given the job to supply the buses would also be made to set up workshops and spare part plants in the country to ensure that the scheme is not grounded.

The service centres, he added, would be opened in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The FEC also offered provisional licences to five new private universities. Justifying the new licences, Maku said comparatively, given the population of Nigeria and the number of universities viewed against the same statistics in other climes, Nigeria needed more universities to soak up the population of secondary school students seeking admission into tertiary institutions in the country.

He explained that the memo for the approvals was brought to the council presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

He added that after a careful deliberation on the standards required, members approved the request to create more universities so as to create avenue for tertiary education across the country.

The five new universities, which bring the number of universities in the country to 122, are Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State; Evangel University, Akaeze, Ebonyi State; Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State; Mcpherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ogun State; and Southwestern University, Okun Owa, Ogun State.

Besides, existing universities were approved as mentors for the new ones.

Elizade University has the Federal University of Technology, Akure; Evangel and Gregory Universities have University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Mcpherson has University of Ibadan, while Southwestern University has University of Lagos as its mentor.

Also contributing on the issue, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa'i, said the licence was provisional and would last for three years after which an evaluation of the performances of the universities and their compliance with set standards would be made and if they conform to set standards, they would be granted full licences to continue.

On the issue of high tuition fees in such universities, she said while it was a private concern which the Federal Government would not want to dabble into, discussions with the private university owners were on to make the fees affordable.

She argued that with the new approvals, she hoped that the fees would be forced down.

Rufa’I, however, explained that the government would “encourage access with quality so that the need to enable Nigerian students desirous of gaining admission to fulfil their dreams will not compromise the quality”.

On power, the information minister said the Sapele power plant had come on stream and had added 225 megawatts to the national grid.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/subsidy-labour-gets-600-buses-from-fg/109880/

Traitors!

The trade unions will soon ground the buses through greed and mismanagement.

Funny stuff!
No wonder the NLC boyz started getting rowdy again earlier this week. They were probably involved in infighting over the management of the buses.
GEJ should bera make sure that EFCC's eagle eye is on those buses, so that criminals can be locked up.

Nice post thanks for sharing.[img]http://www.lzxin.info/g.pji[/img]

the traitors have collected their shares as usual.

just 2 comments.
1. I hope this is not another medium to enrich the rich. By d way, cn this reduce transport cost? Is d beneficiary mandated to carry passengers at a regulated price? The coja games buses that were auctioned at cheap rates were d same buses used in transporting Nigerians at normal transport rates.
2. Wot criteria is going to be adopted in the disbursement of the buses?

Brand new buses on moon crater roads. That is one of our major problems in this country. Always putting roofs on houses without foundations.

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Thats 25million naira per bus.perfect!

we've always had mass transit buses, its never enough, these guys should look towards making a good rail system. that's the way to bring down transportation fares not buying buses that can go missing before delivery,

GEJ,what an administrator.

Fools Powering Thwarts. SMH

When did it become a duty of the Almighty Federal government of any country to share buses when they were supposed to be carrying out massive road constructions, rail lines and airways. This is disheartening

Patience told Jona its better for him to buy buses for NLC and TUC, = Executive Decision

This story does not make sense at all.

Since when did Labor become a Transport Organization, and so Why in the world would the Federal Goverment allocate 600 buses to it?

Is it today Labour have been given buses?

Remember Labour Transport in Lagos? Labour Mass Transit or something - its been in place since God knows when? Since the time of Babangida or so.

They have fleet of buses in Lagos I am sure, and this is just to beef up the scheme.

Too many youngsters on NairaLand.

Again . . . . .

Kobojunkie:

This story does not make sense at all.

Since when did Labor become a Transport Organization, and so Why in the world would the Federal Goverment allocate 600 buses to it?

If it is the way the Federal Government, supposed to look after the welfare of All Nigerians, goes around distributing buses to Organizations willy nilly, then what does the individual Nigerian do ? This story does not make sense . . . . The Federal Government deciding to help Labor set up a National Transport business makes no sense at all. So, what do those who do not belong to this organization get?

Labour will handle better than FG. I still remember then when labour was collecting N20 naira per drop, while our normal transporters were collecting N70 naira.

Is it not the same NLC that ran the Labor City Mass Transit scheme aground under the Obasanjo administration with monumental graft and mismanagement?

Watch and see if those buses will last 3 years! Obasanjo gave them buses as subsidy removal palliatives and all those buses became scrap heaps in 2 years!

GEJ this is STUPID STORY for telling us dis, we nigerians are not fools,

Kill cabal:

GEJ this is silly STORY for telling us dis, we nigerians are not fools, 

what r u then?

This is mere proditor, Always knew that these plebs plebis had nothing to offer.

These unions caused the epileptic liberation of Occupy Nigeria, they made some infra inferius infimus moves during the protest, but after a conscientious cacuminal review of their action, i am  inexpugnabilis to refer to these plebs plebis as beguiler. I am flattered about how everyone feel about this issue.


The fact is that the government  owe us a commodo. I know how much we were filibustered some weeks ago with their impulsive policies aimed at infitialis growth. They should have been more aware of our tenuous state of mind and sensitive to all of or feelings.

Just because you are an outspoken individual doesn't mean you have to "speak out "about everything. Wisdom is knowing when to speak & when not to. Aaron Chavez

werepeLeri:

Is it today Labour have been given buses?

Remember Labour Transport in Lagos? Labour Mass Transit or something - its been in place since God knows when? Since the time of Babangida or so.

They have fleet of buses in Lagos I am sure, and this is just to beef up the scheme.

Too many youngsters on NairaLand.

There rotten bus are parked at Yaba area, definitely a grave yard for this new buses also,

i really do not envy Mr. President, if he do una go complain if he no do una go insult. Nigeria is not an easy country to govern. Pipo, please give this man some credit, at least some times.

kosovo:

This is mere proditor, Always knew that these plebs plebis had nothing to offer.

These unions caused the epileptic liberation of Occupy Nigeria, they made some infra inferius infimus moves during the protest, but after a conscientious cacuminal review of their action, i am  inexpugnabilis to refer to these plebs plebis as beguiler. I am flattered about how everyone feel about this issue.


The fact is that the government  owe us a commodo. I know how much we were filibustered some weeks ago with their impulsive policies aimed at infitialis growth. They should have been more aware of our tenuous state of mind and sensitive to all of or feelings.

Seriously, dude what are you high on??

from my View the Caption should have been

subsidy: FG bribes Labour with 600 buses.

NLC - "we shall continue to dialogue with kolade committee on the reduction of fuel price, the announcement of 97 naira was not in consultation with Labour! meanwhile the strike has been suspended" - NLC president Omar

Uptill today what else is heard of dialogue with Kolade