Indications emerged on Wednesday that the absence of relevant personnel and fueling points around the country is responsible for the delays in deploying the long-awaited Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
While in the United Arab Emirates, President Bola Tinubu had assured Nigerians that he would unveil the buses, which have been produced by Innoson Motors and parked at Eagles Square, Abuja.
BusinessDay had exclusively reported that workers are facing untold hardships over the federal government’s unfulfilled promises made since July to cushion the high cost of public transportation arising from the May 29 fuel subsidy removal.
The cost of public transportation, especially intra-city transport, has gone up by over 100 percent since the policy was introduced in May of this year.
Responding, the President announced that the government would bear 50 percent of the cost of transportation for Nigerians travelling to different parts of the country by roads with luxurious buses only, while also approving free transportation for those using trains.
But speaking on the deployment of the CNG buses provided by the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Delẹ Alake, the solid minerals development minister, said the buses could not be deployed to their various routes due to the “absence of sufficient fueling points, skilled drivers, and competent technical operators.”
The buses, numbering about 100 and branded as “Hybrid Powered CNG Buses,” have been parked at Eagles Square, Abuja, awaiting their deployment.
The President had announced his plans to inaugurate the first set of 100 buses as part of Nigeria’s significant step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future.
Speaking at a high-level meeting of stakeholders and investors on the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Programme on Saturday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the margins of the COP28 climate summit, the President explained that the strategic initiative is aimed at significantly reducing Nigeria’s carbon footprint and modernising the country’s transportation systems as part of a larger effort to position Nigeria and Africa as the pioneering frontiers of green manufacturing and industrialization, with a focus on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.
The President also used the opportunity to announce that Nigeria’s plans for a greener and cleaner economy can serve as an inspirational narrative for nations worldwide.
“Our comprehensive approach, rooted in visionary leadership and pragmatic action supported by our technical partners, is poised to become a blueprint for countries aspiring to also develop and catalyse their markets for sustainable growth.”
The unveiling of the buses was expected to mark a major milestone for local auto manufacturers, as the buses were manufactured and delivered by Innoson Motors, an indigenous manufacturer, blazing the trails in the automobile industry.
Over the years, the federal government has been criticised for refusing to patronise local auto manufacturers in preference for foreign companies.
The buses are coming, courtesy of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the body that promised buses, as part of their contributions to the federal government’s measures to cushion the negative effects of fuel subsidy removal.
Winifred Akpani, Chairman of DAPPMAN, had promised to deliver the buses when they visited President Tinubu in Abuja in June.
The DAPPMAN chairman, who doubles as the managing director of Northwest Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, said they were at the Presidential Villa to discuss the best course of action in the post-subsidy regime.
Akpani said the oil marketers lived proactively and were at the forefront of mitigating the effects of the removal of the petrol subsidy.
“We have made suggestions today; we can move this forward. What we came up with today is for the federal government to diversify our energy sources because, over time, we have all depended on PMS because it was cheap.
“We didn’t develop our gas so that we would have alternate sources of energy. It does not have to be PMS alone.”
To boost the use of CNG, the government said over 1,000 of such centers will be opened nationwide in the next few years, with 55,000 conversion kits planned under the palliative programme that has kicked off, designed to reduce the cost of transportation, especially mass transit, for poor Nigerians while creating over 2,000 jobs and converting vehicles from PMS to CNG bi-fuel that runs cheaper, cleaner, and better.
This is not only a dream come true but also the fulfilment of an agreement resulting from the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the federal government with organised labour on October 15, 2023.
Recall that the federal government had agreed to vote N100 billion for the provision of high-capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria as part of the deal to ameliorate the pains of fuel subsidy removal.
The project, aside from the multiplier effect on the economy, also means that, in the next few days to come, Nigerians will begin to see CNG-powered vehicles on the roads.
The buses are already parked at Eagle Square, Abuja, awaiting commissioning, from where they will be deployed to strategic routes.
The CNG is expected to cost N230 per kilogramme, and the federal government plans to develop an app for locating stations.
Toyin Subaru, Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs, revealed that compressed natural gas (CNG) will cost N230 per kg as opposed to petrol, which is sold at about N670 per litre at most filing stations.
The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently said it is partnering with NIPCCO Oil and Gas to develop 56 CNG conversation centers across the country.
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