By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has taken delivery of four 50-seater hybrid buses from the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, PCNGI, to strengthen public transportation in Abuja.
The high-capacity buses, which can run on both Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, and Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, were handed over to the FCT Administration on Friday, by the PCNGI in what officials described as a 24-hour fulfilment of a pledge made to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Receiving the keys on behalf of the minister, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Chinedu Elechi, recalled how the promise was made a day earlier when he represented Wike at the National PCNG Programme on Gas.
“When you said, ‘We are going to give you four super 50-seater hybrid buses PCNG and AGO that will run immediately,’ I said, ‘Are you serious?’ And you said, ‘We can do it in 24 hours.’ We were very happy that the promise you made, the buses are here, and this is what we’ll push about the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Elechi said.
He noted that the four buses, with a combined capacity to move over 200 people at a time, will complement the minister’s ongoing repositioning of public transport infrastructure, which includes new roads, bridges, and modern bus terminals.
“The Honourable Minister has always said that no modern city can survive without a robust public transportation system. We have just commissioned two modern bus terminals at Mabushi and Kugbo, and these buses will be very helpful. We are going to get more buses, the minister is already working on that. On behalf of the FCTA, we thank you and Mr President for this initiative,” he added.
Earlier, PCNGI Program Director and Chief Executive, Michael Oluwagbemi, said the FCT was chosen as a major beneficiary for demonstrating strong support for the gas-powered transport programme and investing heavily in infrastructure.
“Our philosophy at the PCNGI is to talk and do. Yesterday, I called the Mandate Secretary and asked if we could deliver in the next 24 hours. He said it was doable, and here we are today,” Oluwagbemi said. “We see your terminals, we see your roads, and we want these buses to serve as foundation assets for the operation of the new transport system.”
He described Abuja as “Nigeria’s most important physical achievement since independence” and expressed hope that within two to three years, even private car owners would prefer using public buses, as in developed countries.
Oluwagbemi also revealed that the Federal Road Safety Corps will introduce new number plate formats for CNG and electric vehicles in September, adding that the FCT received four buses because of its direct role in public transportation.
“This is a presidential initiative. Mr President wants to see Nigerians move around cheaper, safer, and more reliably. On behalf of Mr President, the board, management and staff of the PCNGI, I hand over these four CNG hybrid buses to the glory of God, to the service of humanity, and for the employment of the people of the FCT,” he said.
