The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday took delivery of four Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) hybrid buses donated by the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGI), marking a significant step in enhancing public transportation in the nation’s capital.
Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transport Secretariat, Chinedu Elechi, who received the buses on behalf of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, lauded the initiative as a testament to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Elechi expressed gratitude for the swift delivery of the buses, recalling how the PCNGI team had promised the vehicles within a day.
“May I, on behalf of the Honourable Minister of the FCT, receive the keys to these buses. It was just yesterday (Wednesday) that we talked about this when the minister asked me to represent him in the National PCNG Programme of Gas,” he recalled.
Elechi expressed happiness that the promised vehicles were delivered “this is what we will push about the Renewed Hope Agenda because with a 50-seater bus multiplied by four, we are talking about moving over 200 people efficiently”.
The Mandate Secretary further emphasised the importance of public transport in modern cities, stating that the minister of the FCT has always said that no modern city can survive, or there is no modern city, without a robust public transportation system.
He highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects, including newly commissioned bus terminals in Mabushi and Kugbo, and assured that more buses would be procured to improve mobility.
“These buses, as good as they look, will be very helpful. We are going to get more buses; the minister is already working on that. I am sure that both those who have private transportation or those who do not would enjoy the ride,” he said.
The Program Director and Chief Executive of the PCNGI, Engr Michael Oluwagbemi, while presenting the buses, commended the FCTA for its commitment to infrastructure development.
“We have identified potential onward beneficiaries of these buses to ensure that it gets to the people of Nigeria and delivers the promise of Mr. President.
“Naturally, we looked around, and our Federal Capital Territory, having demonstrated great support for this programme, having shown great innovation itself by investing not just in the roads but in terminals under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, popularly known as ‘Mr. Project’, and the Transport Mandate Secretary, we felt that the FCT should be a major beneficiary.”
Oluwagbemi commended the FCT’s transformation, calling it Nigeria’s most important physical achievement since independence.
“The land we are in today was not occupied 40 years ago. And here we are, striving national capital because Nigerians made it happen. That same way that we made it happen, we are going to make compressed natural gas (CNG) happen for transportation,” he assured.
He also revealed that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) would introduce new license plate formats for CNG and electric vehicles in September.
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