Federal Govt, RTEAN Launch Gas-powered Vehicles Nationwide

The ministry of transportation, National Automotive Design and Development Council and Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) have introduced gas-powered commercial vehicles into the nation’s transportation system.

This was disclosed at an event in Abuja yesterday by the national chairman of RTEAN, Alhaji Dr Musa Muhammad (Maitakobi). He said 2,322 vehicles would be distributed to the 774 local government areas in the country.

According to Dr Muhammad, the initiative is a collaboration of the association, the ministry of transportation and the National Automotive Design and Development Council.

He also said the move for commercial vehicles that are powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) was part of the federal government’s efforts to migrate vehicles in the country from using petroleum to the use of CNG as it is obtainable in many parts of the world.

He said, ‘‘This current initiative was borne out of consideration for the observed advantages of using and relying on gas instead of petroleum and other several advantage which include, creating of jobs for teeming unemployed Nigerian, it will also encourage the reductions of gas flaring and improve economic gains of gas and increase fund generations from conservations.

‘‘The initiative is also in partnership with the NNPC. We should all encourage and support it in order to enhance efficiency in the nation’s transportation system which has a great economic advantage and does not pollute the environment. This is very important because the country has to migrate biogas to cleaner energy sources and other renewable sources. The federal government has declared this as a decade of gas and transportation contributes to 15 percent of the country’s carbon emission.’’

In his speech, the director-general, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Dr Jelani Aliyu, said in 2015, Nigeria was one of signatories to the Paris Accord to the mitigation of greenhouse gases.

‘‘This type of development of natural gas-powered vehicles would make a significant impact in the country. I am very happy that all the supervising ministries and agencies have come together to see this development happened.

I was also excited that these vehicles were built in Nigeria. This is a significant milestones, vehicles and products built in Nigeria for use in Nigeria. NADDC would do its best in seeing this project reach its desired peak, and this is the testimony of the success of the National Automotive Industries Development Plan. It would go a long way in discouraging importation of vehicles into Nigeria,’’ he said.

Jelani also promised to partner with RTEAN to achieve the association’s laudable objectives. The minister of transportation, Sen Gbemisola Rukayyat Saraki, was represented at the event by Mrs Angela Kehinde, while the minister of women affairs, Dame Paulen Tallen, delivered a goodwill message.