The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Youth Province 1, said that it has spent N40million on its free bus-to-work initiative, which offered morning and evening transportation to commuters across Lagos between November 24 and December 5.
The province disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noting that the programme, now in its second year, was organised in collaboration with Youth Provinces 2, 7, 14, 18, and 20.
According to the statement, the morning routes included RCCG Jesus Palace (Festac) to CMS; Oworonshoki to CMS; Redemption City to 7UP; Redemption City to Sagamu; Redemption City to Trinity Towers (VI); Redemption City to Agege; and Ikorodu to Maryland. The buses also provided free return trips in the evenings.
The church said the initiative was introduced to cushion the impact of rising living costs and transportation challenges faced by Nigerians.
“Rising living costs without a commensurate increase in income have become the daily reality for many Nigerians. Transportation is a significant burden, and this is one of the ways we are helping,” the statement read.
About 10 long yellow buses were deployed for this year’s edition, conveying hundreds of commuters daily.
Pastor Oluwagbemileke Adeboye, Pastor-in-Charge of Youth Province 1, said the church revived the project after the positive feedback received last year.
“This initiative is our way of lending a hand. We saw the massive relief it brought in 2023, so we decided to do it again. The buses are open to everyone, regardless of tribe or religion,” he said.
He added that passengers often joined short prayer and exhortation sessions during the trips.
Adeboye noted that the N40 million spent covered both morning and evening trips, while the province continued preparations for the RCCG Holy Ghost Congress scheduled for the second week of December.
Pastor Martins Olusakin, Assistant Pastor-in-Charge of Province (CSR), said beneficiaries had flooded social media with messages of appreciation.
“The gratitude of commuters is evident in their smiles and relieved sighs as the church continues to extend this support,” he said.
Youth Province 1 had earlier in September 2024, launched a similar free bus service across Lagos and Ogun States in response to the country’s rising inflation and increasing transportation costs.
