Several philanthropists in Borno State, have come to the aid of commercial tricycle riders (Keke NAPEP) and taxi drivers by offering them petrol at a reduced price of N430 per litre.

This gesture is intended to help cushion the impact of the recent fuel subsidy removal which has posed challenges for commercial tricycle riders, who have been struggling to sustain their businesses due to the competition from the government-provided buses.

To alleviate this situation, some philanthropists in the state have collaborated with filling stations in the capital city to make petrol available at the reduced price of N430 per litre, in contrast to the official price of N637 in Borno State.

Ibrahim Jibrin Mohammed, who operates several filling stations in the state, expressed his inspiration for this initiative.

He stated, “What you are seeing here is just a flag-off of the petrol palliative to cushion the effect of subsidy removal, and we will replicate the same in six states of the country’s geopolitical zones.”

“We will also replicate a whole day sale in Kano for the North-West, Abuja for the North-Central, Lagos for the South-West, Port Harcourt for the South-South, and Enugu for the South-East,” he added.

The implementation of this petrol palliative drew an unprecedented number of motorists and tricycle operators to the participating filling stations.

Abba Kaka Hassan, the representative of one of the philanthropists, emphasized that their intervention aimed to complement the government’s efforts in alleviating the suffering of the masses.

He stated, “The government of President Tinubu had distributed palliatives to states, while the state government intervened in many ways, which is why he insisted on supporting the transporters to keep them in business and ease the cost for commuters.”

Yakub Bukar, a Keke NAPEP operator who benefited from the fuel palliative, expressed his gratitude, saying that this support was timely as citizens were grappling with the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

He also called on other well-to-do individuals to emulate the philanthropists’ gesture for the betterment of society.

Another beneficiary, Ashaya Aklahyel, noted that the intervention had provided much-needed relief.

He explained that they often incurred losses due to the lack of passengers and rising fuel costs, which made it difficult to provide for their families.

Isyaka Ado, the State Secretary of Keke NAPEP Participants/Riders Development Association, commended the philanthropists for their petroleum palliative.

He believed that it would significantly alleviate the hardships faced by tricycle riders in the state. Ado also urged affluent individuals to follow suit and help sustain their members’ means of livelihood, benefiting both the transporters and commuters.