The Presidency has said it is set to launch about 2,700 Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses and tricycles before May 29 when President Bola Tinubu turns one year in office.
It said the federal government was set to deliver 100 conversion workshops and 60 refuelling sites spread across 18 states before the end of 2024.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, revealed this in a statement he signed recently on Sunday titled ‘Presidential CNG initiative set for rollout.’
“From the end of May, Nigeria will take some baby steps to join such nations that already have large fleets of CNG vehicles.
“All is now ready for delivery of the first set of critical assets for deployment and launch of the CNG initiative ahead of the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration on May 29.
“About 2,500 of the tricycles will be ready before May 29, 2024…working towards delivering 200 units before the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration,” said the Presidency.
It added that in all, over 600 buses are targeted for production in the first phase which will be accomplished in 2024.
In October 2023, about five months after the removal of petrol subsidy, Tinubu launched the Presidential CNG Initiative to deliver cheaper, safer and more climate-friendly energy.
The CNG Initiative was designed to deliver compressed natural gas, especially for mass transit.
The Federal Government earmarked N100bn (part of the N500bn palliative budget) to purchase 5500 CNG vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 electric buses and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits, with plans to develop CNG refilling stations and electric charging stations nationwide.
The FG had said the initiative would ease the burden of the increased pump price on the masses.
“After months of detailed planning and background work, the committee driving the initiative is set to deliver on President Tinubu’s vision and promise,” Onanuga affirmed.
Part of Sunday’s announcement was the creation of a new plant on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that will assemble the tricycles while Brilliant EV will assemble electric vehicles when it receives the Semi Knocked Down components.
The Presidency explained further, “The SKD parts manufactured by the Chinese company LUOJIA in partnership with its local partner to support the consortium of local suppliers of CNG tricycles are set for shipment to Nigeria and expected to arrive early in May.
Four plants owned by JET, Mikano, Mojo, and Brilliant EV located in various parts of the country are involved in the assembly of the semi-knocked-down components of the CNG buses, Onanuga revealed.
He added “JET, which has received the SKD parts is coupling the buses in Lagos and is working towards delivering 200 units before the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration.
