By Odesola JF., PhD
One of the greatest dangers in government is the temptation to confuse a positive public-relations campaign with evidence of genuine progress.
When leaders are surrounded by people who constantly praise their decisions, they may gradually lose touch with the people those decisions affect. Every policy becomes a success, every criticism is dismissed as political opposition, and every hardship is explained away by circumstances beyond the government’s control.
That is how a government can become disconnected from its citizens without realising it.
Mr President, you do not need people around you who will tell you that everything is working perfectly. You need people who will tell you where things are failing and what must be done to correct them.
If the transport initiative is working on some routes but failing on others, say so. If some states have received buses but have not yet put them into effective service, acknowledge it. If CNG stations are insufficient, admit the gap and explain when it will be addressed.
There is no shame in telling Nigerians that a policy is progressing but has not yet reached everyone. In fact, such honesty may earn the government greater respect than presenting limited achievements as though they represent the experience of the entire nation.
A responsible president should be able to say, “We have made progress, but millions of Nigerians are still struggling, and we must do more.”
That is not weakness. It is leadership.
The managers of presidential communication must understand that their responsibility goes beyond producing attractive messages. They must help the president communicate with credibility. If the president’s online statements repeatedly contradict what citizens experience in their daily lives, the result will be growing public distrust.
Once citizens begin to believe that government announcements do not reflect their reality, even genuine achievements may be received with suspicion.
That is a dangerous situation for any administration.
What About the ₦3.3 Trillion in Tax and Duty Waivers?
The president also referred to more than ₦3.3 trillion in fuel taxes and duties reportedly waived to cushion the impact of rising petrol prices. He mentioned NNPC Retail foregoing its profit margin for 30 days, while the government works towards a ₦1,350-per-litre ceiling on wholesale petrol supply costs.
These are substantial figures and potentially important interventions. But Nigerians deserve clarity about what they mean in practical terms.
How will the reported tax and duty waivers affect the price motorists pay at filling stations? How will the temporary waiver of a retailer’s profit margin translate into savings for commuters? What arrangements will ensure that the benefits reach the intended beneficiaries rather than disappear somewhere along the distribution chain?
A tax waiver worth trillions of naira may sound impressive, but the ordinary Nigerian is primarily concerned with what happens to the price of a litre of petrol, the cost of a bus journey and the amount left in the family purse at the end of the month.
Suppose a transport operator saves ₦20,000 daily through cheaper fuel. If fares remain unchanged, the passenger may see no immediate benefit. The operator might have legitimate reasons for retaining part of the savings, especially if maintenance, vehicle financing and other expenses have increased. Nevertheless, the government must understand that its objective of affordable transportation cannot be achieved merely by reducing the driver’s fuel costs.
There must be a deliberate mechanism to connect lower operating costs with reasonable passenger fares.
This could include agreements with participating operators, transparent fare schedules, route-specific price monitoring and independent assessments of passenger savings. Where public money or government incentives support transportation, the public should be able to see what those investments deliver.
Government should publish the results, not merely the announcements.
The Forgotten Nigerians Outside Major Cities
Another important question concerns geographical coverage.
When the president speaks about affordable transportation, what does that mean for people living in rural communities where commercial buses are scarce and residents depend on motorcycles, tricycles or privately operated vehicles?
What about farmers who must transport produce from villages to market centres? What about students who walk long distances because public transportation is either unavailable or unaffordable? What about communities that are not connected to major transport corridors?
The introduction of 15 buses in Ekiti, 20 in Lagos and 50 buses reportedly ready for service in Akwa Ibom may be a positive development. The reported deployment of CNG hybrid buses and electric tricycles in Katsina, and additional buses in Kano, may also expand transportation options.
Kaduna’s reported achievement of carrying more than three million passengers on its 100 CNG buses is worth examining as well. If those figures are accurate and the services are delivering affordable fares, the experience could provide useful lessons for other states.
But the important question is whether these services are sufficient for the populations they are meant to serve.
A state receiving 20 buses is not the same as a state providing affordable transport to its entire population. The number of buses must be considered alongside the number of routes, service frequency, operating hours, passenger demand and the proportion of residents who can access the service.
Government should also explain how states will maintain the buses after the initial excitement of deployment has passed. Who will pay for repairs, replacement batteries, spare parts and fuel? What happens when a vehicle breaks down? How will the programme remain financially sustainable without making fares unaffordable again?
These are practical questions, not attempts to undermine the policy.
Indeed, asking them is necessary if the programme is to succeed.
Nigerians Need Relief, Not Just Reassurance
Mr President, the Nigerian people are not asking for miracles. They are asking for a government that understands their difficulties and responds with policies that produce visible improvements.
They want to travel to work without spending an unreasonable proportion of their income on transportation. They want their children to attend school without transport costs becoming a daily crisis. They want traders to move goods at reasonable rates and workers to retain enough of their salaries to meet their household needs.
A young Nigerian earning ₦70,000 monthly who spends ₦25,000 getting to work is not likely to be comforted by a national announcement about cheaper transportation if the buses being discussed do not operate on the person’s route.
A mother who must take a sick child to hospital cannot postpone the journey until the government expands its CNG programme to her community.
A pensioner living on a limited income needs practical relief, not simply assurances that the right policies are being developed.
This is why the government must distinguish between relief that is planned, relief that has begun and relief that is demonstrably reaching the majority of citizens.
Those are three different stages, and Nigerians deserve to know which stage the country has reached.
Mr President, Let the People Be Your Feedback Mechanism
There is a straightforward way to determine whether Nigerians are paying less for transportation: ask them systematically, collect reliable data and publish the results.
The government could commission independent surveys across all six geopolitical zones to compare transport fares before and after the introduction of subsidised or alternative-energy services. It could publish average fares on selected routes, passenger numbers, the number of operational buses and the percentage of commuters reporting genuine savings.
It could also establish a public feedback platform where passengers can report whether advertised services are operating, whether fares match published rates and whether the services are accessible to ordinary residents.
Transport unions, state governments, market associations, student groups and civil-society organisations could participate in the monitoring process.
Most importantly, the findings should include both positive and negative experiences.
If a commuter saves ₦1,000 on a journey, celebrate that achievement. If another commuter still pays more than before, investigate the reason. If a state has successfully introduced affordable transport, study its model and replicate it elsewhere. If another state is struggling, identify the obstacles and provide assistance.
That is how a promising initiative becomes a sustainable national programme.
The president should not have to depend on carefully selected social media testimonials to understand whether his policies are working. He should have access to reliable, independent and regularly updated information about the living conditions of Nigerians.
Conclusion: The Truth Is Better Than Flattery
President Tinubu’s stated commitment to affordable transportation is a worthy objective. The government’s investments in CNG vehicles, electric transportation and public transport expansion deserve fair assessment. Where the initiatives are delivering results, those results should be acknowledged.
But the administration must resist the temptation to suggest that a problem has been substantially resolved simply because some citizens have benefited from an intervention.
The experiences of Blessing, Ada, Abigail and Kabir may be encouraging. They should be the beginning of a wider investigation into what is working, what is not working and how the benefits can reach millions more Nigerians.
Mr President, my concern is not that you are sharing good news. It is that you may be receiving an incomplete picture of the country you are governing.
Please ask those around you difficult questions. Insist on independent verification. Demand evidence that reflects the experiences of ordinary Nigerians, including those who have no access to your social media team and no opportunity to tell their stories directly to you.
Do not allow the desire to present your administration positively to overshadow the duty to tell the people the truth.
The real test of affordable transportation is not what appears on a presidential social media handle. It is what a civil servant pays to get to work, what a student spends to reach school, what a trader pays to move goods and what remains in a family’s pocket after meeting its daily needs.
If Nigerians are genuinely paying less, let the evidence speak. If they are not, let the government confront the reality and do what is necessary to change it.
A president deserves honest advisers, and a nation deserves honest leadership. The truth may be uncomfortable, but it is far more useful than flattery.
Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this transportation policy by the beauty of its announcements. They will judge it by the relief they can feel in their pockets and the difference it makes to their everyday lives.
That is the reality the government must confront, and that is the standard by which its promises should be measured.
