As part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary and to ease transportation costs, the Federal Government has handed over 64 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Speaking at the handover of the buses on Sunday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said this is in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to provide cleaner energy, affordable and efficient transportation to support Nigerians after the removal of fuel subsidies under the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PCNGi).
He stressed that this initiative aims to alleviate the burden on the poor and vulnerable and support macroeconomic reforms that would Position the country on the path to economic stability.
Our Correspondent, Raliat Adenekan reports that Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said that this is the beginning of a larger plan to roll out over 700 CNG buses across Nigeria, stating that Labor Union is to have 40 buses, Student Union 20 and the remaining 4 to remain in the FCT.
Mohammed Idris who stated that the CNG-powered vehicles offer a far cheaper alternative to petrol, also reassured Nigerians that safety concerns related to CNG have been carefully addressed adding that the CNG cylinders are bulletproof ensuring there is no risk of explosion.
The information minister however urged Nigerians to exercise patience, explaining that while the initiative will take time to scale nationwide, significant progress is already being made as over 34,000 conversion kits have been produced.
On his part, the minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, revealed that the government had allocated N130 billion in the 2024 budget to support the transition and expecting public sector investment to reach N250 billion by coming year to further encourage private sector participation.
He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to ensuring that Nigerians can transition to CNG with minimal financial strain.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive of TUC, Comrade Nuhu Toro; NANS president, Comrade Lucky Emonefe; and the Head of International Desk, NLC, Comrade Uche Ekwe, commended President Tinubu for the gesture, as they called for more CNG buses to be made available to the public.
Michael Oluwagbemi, Programme Director/Chief Executive of PCNGi, said that since its establishment one year ago, over 125 conversion centres have been established, compared to the initial seven.
