The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has announced that the Federal Government has not fulfilled its promise to assist transporters in converting their buses to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) following the removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023.
NURTW spokesperson Segun Falade told The PUNCH on Friday, “It was going to be in phases. 1,000 buses were supposed to be available first. Then we made the outcry that the number of CNG buses was too small for the country. We advocated for 10,000 buses. So, instead of waiting for the conversion process to be completed, we ordered 5,000 buses. As we speak now, there are 5,000 buses available on the ground to be shared. But most of them are still being kept at the conversion facilities.”
During his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu declared an end to the petrol subsidy regime, stating emphatically, “Subsidy is gone!” This announcement led to a significant increase in petrol prices, which rose from an average of N238.11 per litre to N750 per litre, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
In response, the President launched the Presidential CNG Initiative in October 2023 to promote safer, more affordable, and eco-friendly energy solutions. The initiative plans to introduce 5,500 CNG buses and tricycles, 100 electric buses, and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits.
Falade expressed frustration over the delays in the distribution process, noting, “The consignment from the conversion facilities has been done, but not wholeheartedly the way we expected it. We are just waiting for activations. So, we are expecting the rest to be distributed. We are expecting others to be launched.”
He added that the initial plan was to complete the conversion by May 29, but unforeseen issues caused delays. “We had some issues along the line, so we are awaiting distribution, especially with a lot of issues coming out from this protest. I believe the government is not taking it lightly,” Falade explained.
In April 2024, the Presidency announced its readiness to launch about 2,700 CNG-powered buses and tricycles before President Tinubu’s first anniversary in office. The statement from Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, read, “From the end of May, Nigeria will take some baby steps to join such nations that already have large fleets of CNG vehicles. 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.”
The NURTW continues to await the complete fulfillment of the government’s promises amid the challenges faced by transporters and the ongoing protests.
