Tinubu commissions 30 CNG buses to ease commuters' transportation needs

President Bola Tinubu on Monday unveiled several Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, aimed at easing the burden of transportation on citizens, brought about by the removal of the fuel subsidy.

This came as the Chairman of the Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Winifred Akpani, described the formal unveiling of the buses as a game changer for the transport sector.

Recall that Tinubu had assured that the buses would help ease transportation challenges faced by Nigerians, especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

It was gathered that in the first phase of procurement, 30 buses were acquired from Innoson Motors, an indigenous vehicle manufacturing firm.

Meanwhile, at the ceremony performed at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Tinubu disclosed that commercial vehicles in Nigeria make up about 80 percent of the country’s petrol consumption, costing trillions of naira each month.

Five of the CNG buses were driven to the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, where the President officially unveiled them for public use.

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The buses were, however, driven out of the Presidential Villa after the commissioning ceremony, witnessed by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other members of the cabinet who earlier attended the FEC meeting on Monday.

Recall that the provision of CNG buses was part of the demands by the organised labour movement following the removal of the subsidy by the Federal Government on May 29, 2023.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, last week met with President Tinubu at the State House, where the duo were said to have perfected the procurement processes.

Unveiling the buses, Tinubu said, “I am very honoured to be here. It is a great expression for me to receive these buses on behalf of the government and make a significant innovation in the transportation system.

“Utilising natural gas to power our transportation industry is the next way to go. For many countries, especially Nigeria, with our own gas, if we work harder, be productive, and innovative, it is an economic necessity that we should embrace.

“I noted the recent yearnings of many ordinary Nigerians on transportation. I thank INNOSON Motors and others who have been committed to changing this narrative in this country.

“If we can enhance our energy competitiveness and bring about transformative changes like this, we would definitely be able to achieve the prosperity that we are working hard to accomplish for our people.

“These buses, along with the CNG, and being convertible are very encouraging and promising to enhance our transportation system. Countries like India have mandated CNG for commercial vehicles since 2004, and in Nigeria, commercial vehicles make up about 80 percent of our petrol demand, costing us trillions of naira each month.

“The solution is here. We have it, we will work on it. We promise you, definitely, things will get better, and prosperity will be achieved.”

Tinubu commissions 30 CNG Buses

Describing the formal unveiling of the buses as a game changer for the transport sector, Akpani said, “We are very proud to say these buses have been designed, manufactured, and delivered by INNOSON Motors, a Nigerian company in Nnewi.

“These are hybrid buses that will run on CNG. Each of these buses is capable of transporting 100 people, and they also have an alternative use of diesel. If for any reason there’s…well, we hope there will not be a shortage of CNG, but they are hybrid buses, and we are very happy today that we are able to present this.

“We continue to assure this government of our full support as marketers. We will continue to go the extra mile to ease the problems of all of us, not just the downtrodden but everybody.

“We believe that these buses will be put to use, especially since we know that more donations are coming, and we thank the President for this opportunity.

“I’d like to state that as part of our delivery, we’ve made provision that each of these buses will have two drivers, and we are going to have them trained at the facility where they have been manufactured. Here, we request that whoever gets the buses at the end, please contact DAPPMAN so that we can arrange those trainings because we think it is very important that these buses are properly handled for durability and that they can go a long way.

“We are very sure that this will contribute to bringing down transportation costs, and we know that if transportation costs come down, food and many other things will follow, since transportation seems to be one of the big issues we have in Nigeria.

“So, on behalf of DAPPMAN, we are very happy to present this set of buses to the federal government of Nigeria.”