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). 

Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, during the handover of the buses yesterday in Abuja, said the gesture is in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to provide cleaner, affordable and efficient transportation to support Nigerians after the removal of fuel subsidies.

Our Correspondent, Raliat Adenekan reports that Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said 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.

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