Indications emerged Monday that President Bola Tinubu may present the 2025 budget estimate to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The President last week wrote to the parliament of his desire to present the 2025 budget proposal on Tuesday.

The indication of a likely change in the budget presentation date was given by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, while fielding questions at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He disclosed that the Executive and the National Assembly are currently engaged in discussions, which may culminate in the shift of the budget presentation to the federal lawmakers to Wednesday.

The Minister also announced President Tinubu’s approval of free train rides across Nigeria from December 20, 2024, to January 6, 2025, as part of measures to ease transportation costs during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Idris said the initiative aims to cushion the impact of transportation costs, particularly for vulnerable Nigerians.

A similar initiative was introduced last year with a 50 percent cut as a discount for luxury bus travellers and free train services on all routes in the country beginning from December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024, which was later extended.

It also declared that movement during the Yuletide by train along the existing routes will be free of charge to enable Nigerians willing to travel to do so with less financial strain, adding that all the t’s and the i’s had been worked out with the stakeholders so as to tidy up the gesture.

It said the gesture is aimed to provide succour to citizens who are heavily weighed down by the prevailing high cost of transportation, commuting across the country, especially during the yuletide.