- It is an initiative that all tiers of government must give momentum
Just in July, it was seen by some as mere initiative. But months after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) launched the compressed natural gas (CNG) as driver of transportation, it received its first boost of reality with the unveiling of 60 buses alive with the new technology.
It is a big step, although today it can be called a baby step, towards turning our backs on petrol as the only means of powering our cars and other vehicles.
Thirty buses may seem little, but they are for the country’s capital. Sixty have been delivered to Lagos. In all, the 90 buses are blazing the trail of CNG-powered mobility in the country.
First, it signifies the importance of innovation this day and age in tackling modern challenges, especially in urban areas and an increasingly interconnected world. When the NNPCL with its chief executive Mele Kyari launched the initiative, the idea looked puny and even artificial. But it is obvious we can make it more than just a cosmetic dress-over but an essential revolution in modern transportation for a country like us with burgeoning population and increasing pressure on rural-urban movement.
President Tinubu praises it as a tonic for public transportation. Statistics bear him out since 80 percent of our commute as a people involves commercial transportation.
Read Also: Tinubu: CNG-powered transport will lift economy
We are not the first.
“Countries like India have mandated CNG for all commercial vehicles since 2004,” noted President Tinubu.
“In Nigeria, commercial vehicles make up about 80 per cent of our petrol demand, costing us trillions of naira each month.
“The solution is here. We have it and we will work on it. We promise you things will definitely get better and prosperity will be achieved.”
India is no different from Nigeria in terms of its large population, urban sprawl and the urgency for affordable means of moving around.
The removal of oil subsidies shot the cost of transportation not only within towns and cities but across the country. The spinoff has been benumbing. Costs of goods and services have jumped up, putting pressures on families and corporate concerns and the strains on the entire social fabric with political reverberations have made an alternative imperative.
It is hoped that more of these buses are rolled in good time so that reliance of petrol will be minimised and import of motor spirit will take backstage in our scale of preference, while we call for the refineries to be urgently put to work.
It is worthy of note that Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) worked with Innoson to make the buses available. It is a testament to home-grown methods.
They are hybrid buses that will run on CNG. Many Nigerians may still be scared how this works, and so more enlightenment is required. Each of these buses is capable of transporting 100 people and they also have alternative use of diesel. When the NNPCL began the launch, it opened CNG stations in Lagos and Abuja.
The newly commissioned stations in Abuja are located at Airport Road, Kubwa, Gaduwa, Olusegun Obasanjo Way Zone 1, Dei-Dei Junction, Duste-Bwari Road, and Gwagwalada.
In Lagos State, the stations are located at Lateef Jakande, Agidingbi, Agege Motor Road, Mushin, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Sangotedo, Eti-Osa LGA and Mobil Road, Apapa.
“There is simply no way to turn back on delivering CNG for all Nigerians,” Kyari said in July.
One of the expected triumphs is its benefit for the environment as it will help reduce fossil fuel footprints and redound to a healthier atmosphere.
What is important now is to make sure we not only get more buses but also ensure that more state governments tap into this beneficial idea.
