Federal Government Distributes 64 CNG Buses To Labor Unions, Pledges Inflation Reduction Efforts

The federal government has handed over 64 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to representatives from organized labor, including the Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Labor Congress and the National Association of Nigerian Students, to celebrate Nigeria's 64th independence anniversary.

During the bus handover at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun promised the citizens that the government will continue working on reducing inflation in the country.

"We've had an initial spike in inflation, now it has peaked, and it is coming down," Edun said, as per the official X handle. "Mr President and the whole team are determined to ensure that we keep inflation coming down, and this is one of the major ways."

The minister said that the fuel cost for CNG-powered vehicles was about one-third of the cost for petrol-powered vehicles. He explained that drivers can now fill up a tank for as low as N15,000 instead of paying N50,000 or more.

When used for commuter services, the buses will help lower transportation costs in the country, offering hope for a more affordable and efficient public transport system, Edun added.

He led the government team at the bus handover ceremony, which included Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu and Minister of State for Youth Development Ayodele Olawande.

Edun said that distributing the buses fulfilled President Bola Tinubu's promise to provide affordable and efficient transportation to support Nigerians after the removal of fuel subsidies through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas.

Edun mentioned that this event was an important step in Tinubu's policies, representing a shift to cleaner fuel for the benefit of Nigerians, with a focus on mass transit. He also highlighted the effort to help workers access cheaper transportation to manage rising prices.

He highlighted that the initiative aimed to ease the burden on the poor and vulnerable, while supporting economic reforms to help stabilize the country.

The minister explained that handing over the 64 buses during Nigeria's National Day marked the start of a larger national rollout, which included distributing over 500 CNG buses and 100 electric vehicles in the first phase.

Last month, the president launched 30 hybrid CNG buses in Abuja as part of the government initiative to reduce transportation costs, enhance productivity, and save trillions of naira spent on the importation of Premium Motor Spirit and Automotive Gas Oil.