Subsidy Removal; Niger To Spend N7bn On 200 CNG Buses

Niger State government has signed an agreement with four contracting firms for the purchase of 200 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.

The signing of the agreement was supervised by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at the Government House in Minna yesterday.

Bago said the purchase of the 200 buses is in fulfilment of his promise to provide free transportation for pupils and students.

The governor also stated that transportation fares will be subsidized for all Civil servants both inter and intra-state services.

Bago said 50 buses will be used in Minna, the state capital while the remaining 50 buses will be spread across other Local Government Areas,

He disclosed that an additional 300 buses will be purchased next year as part of the second phase of the scheme.

The governor said the initiative was aimed at reducing hardship faced by citizens due to fuel subsidy removal.

Governor Bago said the gesture is also to bring a revolution in the transportation system and reduce the rate of accidents on roads.

He said that in the next four years, the state intends to purchase 1000 CNG buses and electric motorcycles to reduce the pollution caused by the fuel engine motorcycles.

He therefore called on the contractors to deliver the buses according to the specifications, while calling on investors to take advantage of the policy to establish CNG plants in the state.

The commissioner for transportation Hajiya Hadiza Idris Kuta said the State Government is to purchase the Buses at about N7 billion.