Nigerian govt hands over 15 CNG buses to transport unions

The Federal Government on Thursday handed over 15 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses to transport unions in the country.

The beneficiaries were the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

In his address at the handover ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, said the scheme was designed to ease the burden of fuel subsidy removal in the country.

He said the buses symbolized the government’s commitment to empowering citizens while transitioning to a cleaner energy economy.

Alkali said: “The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative is a bold statement of Nigeria’s intent to take control of its resources and utilise them for the benefit of its people.

“We have been exporting our raw materials for decades only to import finished goods at a premium.

“We exported crude oil and imported refined petroleum; we exported palm oil, cocoa, and rubber and imported soap, chocolate, and tires. The time has come to break this cycle.”

READ ALSO: Tinubu assures Nigerians CNG, other initiatives will boost industrialisation, prosperity

The minister stressed that the country would not continue to export gas only to import products like fertilizers or other derivatives, but to harness the gas to power the economy.

He added: “Nations like Japan, which import our gas, have demonstrated their transformative potential.

“They use gas to drive their transportation sector, reduce their reliance on petrol, and export vehicles like Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to countries like ours.

“Why shouldn’t Nigerians benefit from the resources beneath our soil?”

The Programme Director of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Mr. Michael Oluwagbemi, said residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would enjoy 40 days of free rides on the buses.

He noted that the initiative is safer, more reliable, and available.

“On these buses for the next 40 days, people will enjoy free transportation as part of the benefits of this administration.

“And after 40 days, they will enjoy a discount because of the work of President Bola Tinubu,” OIuwagbemi stated.

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