FG buys 70 CNG buses from local manufacturer

The Federal Government has taken delivery of 70 hybrid Jet Mover buses from Jet Motor Company in a bid to enhance the country’s transportation sector.

The Nigerian automobile manufacturer made this disclosure in a statement to The PUNCH on Monday.

The buses, which operate on compressed natural gas and premium motor spirit, are expected to provide affordable and comfortable transportation for Nigerians.

The handover ceremony, held at Jet Motor Company’s plant in Ajah, Lagos State, was attended by officials from the Ministry of Finance and representatives of the Presidential Initiative for Compressed Natural Gas.

The Technical Assistant to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Dimas Hamidu, acknowledged the good quality of the vehicles and commended the company for its good work.

He said the hybrid vehicles were a testimony to the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to alleviate the hardships that may have been brought on by the removal of fuel subsidies.

According to Hamidu, the vehicles will go a long way in helping to solve the transportation needs of the citizens and help to cushion the impact of rising costs on the economy.

“I am happy with what I have seen here. This will go a long way in alleviating the pain and suffering of the people with the removal of fuel subsidy.

“I was here earlier with the Minister of Finance, and we were taken around the plant. The minister even drove one of the vehicles, and he was very impressed.”

He also noted that the Federal Government had awarded contracts for the CNG vehicles to different companies to deliver a different number of units.

“Nigerians were becoming agitated and asking why they were not seeing these vehicles on the road.

 This is why the Ministry of Finance decided to have a tour of the factories and their facilities to see how soon they could deliver. We are impressed with Jet Motor for sticking to the terms of the contract, and the vehicles are in accordance with the specification.”

“And we hope that very soon they will invite us again to take delivery of more of these vehicles that the president can use to alleviate the transportation challenges of the country,” he explained.

The Managing Director of Jet Motor Company, Derek Ewelukwa, thanked the team for the opportunity to contribute to the delivery of an efficient and comfortable transport model to the citizens of the country.

He explained that each of the hybrid vehicles had two CNG tanks with a combined capacity of 220 litres of gas and capable of doing 300 kilometres, and a petrol tank with a capacity of 80 litres.

According to him, the CNG tanks have a lifespan of 15 years, and the engine switches from gas to petrol and back seamlessly.