
Prince Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, has said that his administration will provide transporters in the state with access to one hundred brand-new eighteen-seater Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
In addition, the governor said in his Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, office that the federal government will provide the state government with 500 conversion kits and 20 buses equipped with compressed natural gas (CNG) this week.
During a meeting with transport unions about ways to guarantee equitable transport pricing in the state, Governor Abiodun revealed this.
Along with the State Police Commissioner, his counterpart in the Department of State Security Service (DSS), the Traffic Compliance Agency (TRACE), heads of transport unions, and representatives from the Ministries of Transportation and Trade and Investment, Prince Abiodun also announced the formation of an enforcement committee.
He explained that the recent occurrences, such as the gasoline shortage that is currently improving, and the resulting rise in the product’s pump price, were the reasons behind calling the meeting.
Prince Abiodun observed that whenever there is even the slightest change in the price of petrol at the pump, transportation costs have always skyrocketed.
He claims that the federal government, under the direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is aware of the effects of the most recent increase in the price of petrol pumps and is taking steps to mitigate those effects for the populace.
As a state government, our initial objectives are to provide our transport unions with access to one hundred buses, each with eighteen seats. There will be one hundred brand-new CNG buses, and they will be name-brand vehicles rather than unknown vehicles. We are discussing the Toyota Hiace buses that you will receive.
We’ll make them available to you, and you can pay over time in installments. We are convinced that if we lend you these buses, you would use them sensibly and make the necessary payments on schedule because of your demonstrated sincerity and dedication.
“The Presidential CNG initiative has launched the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Program, and I can assure you that the Presidency has affirmed that it will initially provide Ogun State with 20 CNG buses. Those buses are on their way to us within the next week.
Additionally, 500 CNG conversion kits are being made available to Ogun State so that cars can be converted to CNG-enabled right now.
“We will receive the first 500 conversion kits within the next five days, I have been promised. We have a conversion centre in Ogun State, as you are aware. Being a significant conversion hub for the Southwest, we will start converting cars in line with our agreed-upon schedule for who gets to convert first and what kinds of cars we start with,” he stated.
Governor Abiodun stated that there was no need for carriers to raise transport fares by more than 1000% when the price of PMS had only increased by 30%, even though the Federal Government is progressively handing over control of the sales and distribution of petroleum products to the private sector.
“In the past, we’ve observed that our carriers automatically raise charges in response to changes in pump prices of up to 10% since it affects the cost of their operational equipment, which includes trucks, buses, motorcycles and tricycles.
We want to have a conversation to make sure that people are not overburdened when there is a 10% to 20% increase in the price of petroleum goods. At times, we observe an impact of up to 2000%.
“The difference in price is about 25% or 30%, so we shouldn’t see a difference in transport fares that is more than 25% or 30% if pump prices have changed by like 25% to 30%,” he stated.
While reminding transporters that fuel is only one part of their transportation costs, Engr. Gbenga Dairo, Commissioner of Transportation, asked them to take all reasonable steps to guarantee that the state’s citizens are not overworked.
Abiodun Alamutu, the state’s commissioner of police, revealed that the rise in PMS isn’t significant enough to justify the sharp rise in transport costs. He also urged transporters in the state to consider the possibility of implementing a more accommodating transport fare system.
The Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) National President, Prince Samsudeen Apelogun, spoke on behalf of the transport heads and praised Governor Abiodun for revolutionising the transport sector with the creation of the Ministry of Transportation and the launch of the E-mobility program.
He committed to bringing the parties involved together to devise a more agreeable and controllable transport fare.