Subsidy palliative transport scheme, flagged off by Rivers State government, on Tuesday, has triggered controversies, The state Governor,  Siminalayi Fubara, while launching 17 coastal buses, said the  scheme was part of his administration’s interventions to cushion the high cost of living caused by fuel subsidy removal.
 
But the opposition political party in the  state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the fanfare at the ceremony as mere jamboree. The party claimed that the buses were purchased  by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi in 2011 when the state hosted the National Sports Festival,  adding  that  the vehicles were later used to transport civil servants to and from work.
 
Amaechi’s ally and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (NPDP), Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, made the  claim in a statement made available to  newsmen, yesterday,  in Port Harcourt 
 
Meanwhile,  further findings by The Guardian showed that  some of the  buses were sighted at the motor park of the  main gate of Government House in Port Harcourt, but were recently moved out and refurbished at  the park of the defunct Rivers Transport Company (RTC) located at waterlines in Port Harcourt City Council of the state. 
 
During a visit to the area, some eyewitnesses told The Guardian that they saw when the buses were being refurbished at the RTC mechanic park. Also, The  Guardian  learnt  that  some of the buses  broke down on the road two days after they were flagged off due to mechanical faults.
 
One of the  residents , John Amah, said: “The vehicles used to be parked at Government House motor park; later, we saw them at RTC mechanic park where they were being refurbished”
Similarly,   Eze in the statement claimed  that the buses  laid idle all through the administration of Nyesom Wike, but were  revived  in 2022 for his  presidential interest, which was aborted. 

Eze added: “The fanfare at flag-off were unnecessary given that since the fuel subsidy removal, other states where governments are conscious of their obligation to citizens, have been rolling out better palliative schemes such as cutting work days, increasing monthly salary, establishing food banks and reducing school fees in public institutions to help students from less privileged homes remain in school.” Contacted, the state Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Jacobson Nbina, promised to get back to The Guardian for the government’s response.