By Eunice Orike
In a move to revolutionize public transportation in the Federal Capital Territory, the federal Capital Territory administration, FCTA has received four 50-seater hybrid buses from the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI).
Speaking at the event, the Transport Mandate Secretary, Chinedu Elechi who was represented by the minister of the FCT,Nyesom Wike commended the Federal Government and the PCNGI for fulfilling their promise within 24 hours of commitment.
“The Minister has always emphasised the importance of a robust public transportation system in any modern city,” he said. “These buses will help us achieve that goal, and we are committed to providing efficient and reliable transportation services to the people of FCT.”
“It was just yesterday that we talked about this at the National PCNG Programme on Gas,” Elechi recalled. “When you said, ‘We are going to give you four super 50-seater hybrid buses PCNG and AGO that can run immediately,’ I was surprised. You promised to deliver in 24 hours, and today the buses are here. This is exactly what the Renewed Hope Agenda is about.”
He said the buses, with a combined capacity to transport over 200 passengers at a time, would greatly improve mobility in the FCT and reduce reliance on private vehicles.
“The Minister has always said that no modern city can survive without a strong public transport network. This is why the FCT Administration has been building roads, bridges, and bus terminals. We recently commissioned two modern bus terminals at Mabushi and Kugbo, and these buses will complement those facilities,” Elechi added.
He expressed his gratitude to the programme’s organizers and promised that the buses would be put to good use.
On his part, the Program Director and Chief Executive of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, said the FCT was chosen as a key beneficiary because of its unwavering support for the programme and its investments in transport infrastructure under Wike’s leadership.
“We identified the FCT as a major beneficiary because it has shown great innovation by investing not just in roads but in terminals. Yesterday, I called the Mandate Secretary and said, ‘Can we have it in the next 24 hours?’ He said it was doable, and here we are today. At PCNGI, our philosophy is to talk and do,” Oluwagbemi said.
He described the buses as “foundation assets” for the operation of the new terminals and expressed hope that within the next two to three years, Abuja residents including himself would prefer leaving their private cars at home to use public transport, as seen in developed countries.
Oluwagbemi also praised Abuja as “Nigeria’s most important physical achievement since independence,” noting its rapid transformation over the past four decades and expressing confidence that the same determination would make CNG-powered transportation a national reality.
“We just left the FRSC, and they informed us that they will launch new plate number formats for both CNG and electric vehicles in September. The FRSC received one bus, but you are getting four because you are one of our biggest supporters. This is a presidential initiative Mr. President wants to see Nigerians move around cheaper, safer, and more reliably,” he said.
The buses, which are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, are designed to run on both Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), making them a cleaner and more efficient option for public transportation.
