By Iyiola Olalere
The Democratic Front (TDF) has welcomed what he described as spontaneous buy-in by state Governors into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long-standing commitment to promoting CNG as a sustainable alternative for cheaper transportation cost in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary Wale Adedayo, the group argued that it was the clearest insight yet into the states’ readiness to collaborate with the federal administration in beating down cost of transportation.
It said: “We can vividly recall that in August 2023, shortly after the painful, but necessary removal of petroleum subsidy in the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), as a palliative measure to reduce energy and transportation cost on ordinary Nigerians.
“We also note that ever since the launch of the PCNGI, the President remained doggedly committed to pursuing his conviction to have CNG infrastructure established in the country as a major source of cheaper energy for Nigerians.
“It is fair to acknowledge that establishing CNG infrastructure in a country like Nigeria is herculean and challenging. But despite inherent challenges, President Tinubu’s efforts on CNG have resulted in the construction of 90 certified CNG filling stations, establishment of over 450 CNG conversion centers across 23 states, conversion of over 120,000 vehicles, and additional 100,000 kits at work in Nigeria.
“Many commercial transporters in major cities like Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, PortHarcout, and Enugu have migrated from the use of PMS to CNG for cheaper energy consumption.
“A significant percentage of heavy duty inter state commercial transporters, that previously depended on AGO (diesel) to power their vehicles, have adopted CNG as cheaper energy alternative.
“This is a remarkable indication that the President’s commitment to providing Nigerians with a cheaper alternative source of energy to cushion the biting effect of petroleum subsidy removal on the masses, has unwittingly triggered a positive transformation in the transportation sector, to the benefit of the economy.
“Although, the rate of CNG penetration in the country is currently slow, we believe that the recent resolution by the 36 State Governors to invest massively in establishing CNG infrastructure to power transportation in their respective states, will boost the rate of migration from PMS to CNG.”
It also expressed hope that the state government’s resolution will expand CNG infrastructure nationwide.
“This collective decision by the State Governors to explore CNG in addressing the rising cost of transportation, have once again, validated President Tinubu’s position that the solution to high cost of transportation is not in the reintroduction of another opaque and disastrous petroleum subsidy regime, as wrongly and ignorantly advocated by the presidential candidate of the ADC, Atiku Abubakar. But the accelerated development of cheaper and affordable sources of energies like the CNG and Electric Vehicles for transportation.
“It is on this note that we wholeheartedly welcome the establishment of an implementation committee to oversee the joint Federal and State governments measures for reducing the cost of transportation in Nigeria, starting from October 1st this year.
“This arrangement will help Nigerians to save their money from the exorbitant cost of inter and intra-state transportation, and also reduce the cost of conveying food items from the farms to markets across the nation.
“Nigerians must understand that failure on the part of previous administrations to embark on the installation of CNG infrastructure is primarily responsible for its slow adoption nationwide. We urge Nigerians to support the CNG initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so that easy access to cheaper and sustainable energy can be guaranteed in no distant time for our people, it added.
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