Lagos and Ogun states on Wednesday, May 15, threw their weights behind the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative of the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.
Commissioners for Transportation of both states at the southwest stakeholders’ summit organised by the Presidential Initiative on CNG in Ikeja, said they were not only in support of the use of CNG-powered vehicles but would encourage the private sector to key into it.
Speaking during a panel session, Lagos Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the state was ready to roll out transport policies in line with the presidential directives.
“Our transport policy would not only guide but would encourage investment in the space of the CNG. We are also very much aware that to make this grow as rapidly as we want, we must encourage the private sector. We will bring comfort to investors.
“As our president said on Monday that every ministry should buy CNG vehicles, we have also started doing this. We already have electric vehicles. We also have about 10 CNG buses that we are going to put on the road. We have some that have been tested on our roads,” he said.
According to Osiyemi, Lagos would create the platform and environment not just to encourage the federal government’s CNG initiative, but to drive forward the state’s policies in line with the initiative.
“I must also use this opportunity to say that we are encouraging CNG vessels on our waterways. Our boats that are coming – our investors are looking towards having CNG boats that will be deployed (on the waterways). So as a state, we have taken this seriously because it’s the way to go to ensure carbon emission reduction,” he added.
Similarly, Ogun State Transport Commissioner, Gbenga Dairo, said the state had already begun the use of CNG-powered vehicles, adding that it helped residents to cope with the effects of fuel sunsidy removal.
“Clearly, it’s been a well-thought-out policy by the Federal Government and it speaks to the climate change opportunities that the CNG gas brings,” he said.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha in her remarks, said the initiative represented a beacon of hope for many in the transport sector.
She stressed the employment opportunities the initiative had to offer citizens.
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She said: “As we gather here, we are reminded of the need to propel our nation forward, we have to do what we have to do not just in terms of economic growth but in creating opportunities that uplift every citizen. The presidential CNG initiative stands as a testament to this great vision.”
“I commend the visionary leaders behind the initiative for their dedication to innovation and progress, it is initiates like this that drive our nation towards a brighter future.
“In this journey towards a sustainable and prosperous future, collaboration is key. That is why I’m proud to highlight the collaboration between the presidential CNG initiative and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment,” the minister added.
Speaking earlier, the Programme Director of the Pi-CNG, Michael Oluwagbemni, highlighted the support the FG had given to the team which had made it deliver on the mandates given to them by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Oluwagbemi said: “On August 23, last year, Mr President announced the commissioning of the CNG initiative. We immediately swung to work with the massive support that Mr President had promised us and that is why we are here today.”
“I’m pleased to announce to you that since December, over $50m has been mobilised by the sector much more than any amount of money that has been mobilised by the CNG sector in the last 10 years combined – in just five months.
“This is just the beginning, several companies are investing because they see that the Tinubu administration is serious about moving this country forward by leveraging the gas resources that God has given us,” he added.
