Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, has approved and mobilised free round-trip transportation for nearly 1,000 indigent Abians identified without any means but interested in returning home to celebrate the 2024 Yuletide season with their families.
The initiative covers what the government described as ‘selected popular routes’.
The selected pick-up locations/routes, number of passengers, inbound and outbound dates are as follows:
1. Kaduna – Umuahia | Departure – December 22, 2024 | Return – January 5, 2025.
2. Jos – Umuahia | Departure – December 20, 2024 | Return – January 6, 2025.
3. Kano – Umuahia | Departure – December 24, 2024 | Return – January 6, 2025.
4. Niger – Umuahia | Departure – December 23, 2024 | Return – January 4, 2025.
5. Maiduguri – Umuahia | Departure – December 22, 2024 | Return – January 10, 2025.
6. Abuja – Umuahia | Departure – December 21, 2024 | Return – January 4, 2025.
7. Lagos – Umuahia | Departure – December 21& 22, 2024 and further with 29 buses on rolling bases.
Abia State Government entered into partnerships with various credible and safety-conscious transport companies to undertake mass transit of Abians to Umuahia
The expression of interest and arrangement were collated, reviewed, and processed by Abia State Liaison offices in Lagos and Abia State, in collaboration with the various Abia-based associations, working with the governor’s office in Umuahia.