If commercial transporters across Nigeria can buy into the Compressed Natural Gas, the Federal Government has said the hike in transportation fares will be drastically reduced.
According to the Programme Director of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, the Federal Government hopes there will be over 40 per cent reduction in transportation fares through adopting CNG for commercial vehicles.
Speaking during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony held in Abuja on Friday, where key stakeholders, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers from Itakpe, Adavi and Ajaokuta train station units gathered to formalise the agreement, Oluwagbemi emphasised the government’s commitment to affordable transportation amidst rising fuel costs.
Explaining how President Bola Tinubu led administration plans to tackle hike in transportation fare, Oluwagbemi said the Federal Government is working hard to bring transportation prices down, especially during these challenging times.
Describing CNG introduced by the president as a great alternative to the petrol problem, he said under the new plan, fares for six eight-passenger ger vehicles will be slashed from N12,000 to N7,,000 while fares for four-passenger ger vehicles will drop from N13,000 to N8,000 from Abuja to Ajaokuta train station.
According to him, the trip from Itakpe Station to Warri costs N5,000, showcasing the benefits of the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments over the past five years.
He said the progress represents a significant savings of over 40%, adding that passengers travelling from Abuja to Ajaokuta Station will greatly benefit from Tinubu’s intervention.
The Director of the CNG initiative noted that it is designed to encourage the conversion of existing commercial vehicles to CNG, which is sold at a discount of up to 60 per cent compared to petrol prices.
Oluwagbemi stated that the converted vehicles will operate at a significant discount, remain flexible, and run cleaner, cheaper, safer, and more reliably.
A total of ten CNG fuel conversion centres have already been established across Abuja, Itakpe, and Ajaokuta, including six NNPC stations and two NIPCO stations.
More stations are in the pipeline, with collaborations with Bovas to introduce additional facilities in Abuja.
The timeline for implementation is ambitious, with inspections of vehicles expected to conclude next week and conversions commencing shortly thereafter.
At the event, the Secretary of the NURTW’s Ajaokuta unit, Adeyemo Teslim, expressed gratitude for the collaboration.
Teslim revealed that joining forces will yield multifaceted benefits, which Nigerian transporters are eager to support.
The transporter highlighted the need for expanded coverage to enhance accessibility across various regions, adding that the agreement also includes an enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the new fare structure.
