Before President Bola Tinubu’s first anniversary in office, the Federal Government of Nigeria plans to introduce up to 2,700 buses and tricycles powered by compressed natural gas.
It stated that before the end of 2024, the federal government planned to provide 60 refueling stations and 100 conversion workshops distributed over 18 states.
This was contained in a statement titled ‘Presidential CNG initiative set for rollout’ by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
“From the end of May, Nigeria will take some baby steps to join such nations that already have large fleets of CNG vehicles,” the statement read.
“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.
600 buses are targeted for production in the first phase which will be accomplished in 2024, according to the statement.
In addition to plans to build CNG refilling stations and electric charging stations around the country, the Federal Government set aside N100 billion (a portion of the N500 billion palliative budget) to buy 5500 CNG vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 electric buses, and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits.
“After months of detailed planning and background work, the committee driving the initiative is set to deliver on President Tinubu’s vision and promise.
A new plant on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be established to build tricycles, and Brilliant EV will assemble electric cars once it receives the Semi Knocked Down components. This was part of the statement made on Sunday.
“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.
“In collaboration with the private sector, the PCNGI is set to deliver 100 conversion workshops and 60 refuelling sites spread across 18 states before the end of this year.”
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.
“Brilliant EV will assemble electric vehicles. It is awaiting the SKD parts, which will arrive in due course. The electric vehicles it will produce are meant for states such as Kano and Borno, which do not have access to CNG for now.
“They will also be available in key Nigerian cities and university campuses. It must be noted that soon-to-be-completed gas pipeline projects initiated by the Buhari administration and being completed by NNPCL (the AKK Pipeline) will take gas into the hinterlands of North East and North West where there is a current paucity.”
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