The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets, Ademorin Kuye, has appealed to state governors and local government chairmen to come up with an effective transport system as the federal government, through the Presidential Committee on Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) begin the rollout of CNG buses in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Kuye, in a statement yesterday, commended the federal government for the rolling out of 37 CNG-powered buses in Abuja for transportation of civil servants and other persons within the capital city, adding that the intervention came at a critical time.
“The high cost of transportation has for months constituted heavy burdens on the take-home pay of Nigerian workers, with fuel-dependent transit fares consuming a disproportionate share of monthly earnings for junior and mid-level workers. By providing a subsidised, low-emission mass transit option, the federal government has taken a concrete, measurable step toward cushioning the effect of the removal of the petrol subsidy on the ordinary worker,” he said.
Kuye said the initiative would lead to a direct relief on disposable income of civil servants who spent reasonable portion of their salaries on transportation daily, reduced pressure and dependence on petrol, as well as ensuring environmental and public health gains as CNG combustion produces significantly lower emissions than petrol or diesel.
He noted the initiative could restore public confidence that government can translate policy pronouncements on subsidy removal palliatives into visible, functional outcomes that citizens can see and use.
“While this step of the federal government is commendable, 37 buses cannot accurately meet the transportation needs of the government’s workforce in Abuja, let alone the millions of state and local government employees across the federation, who face the same cost-of-living.
“I therefore call on state governors and local government area chairmen to emulate this initiative and urgently procure CNG buses for the purpose of conveying civil servants, and or convert buses to use CNG for the sake of conveying civil servants and other passengers,” he said.
He advised the state and local government areas to partner with the PCNGI and private sector operators for the ease of getting access to conversion kits, low-interest financing and technical support, adding that institutionalising the scheme as part of a broader, sustainable state transport policy is better than a temporary palliative.
Kuye appealed to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the PCNGI to expand the scheme rapidly.
He also urged his colleagues in state Houses of Assembly to work towards ensuring that the executive arm in their respective states act without delay.
