The acting President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Aliyu Issa Ore, has said the cost of transportation would reduce significantly if owners of commercial vehicles embraced Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol fuel-Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Speaking at the unveiling of NURTW Zone 4 Secretariat in honour of the former president of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, in Ilorin on Thursday, Alhaji Ore said that the high cost of fuel arising from subsidy removal has taken tolls on both the transporters and commuters, hence the urgent need to convert vehicles that hitherto used fuel to CNG.
At the zonal secretariat of the union located along Tunde Idiagbon International Airport Road, Ilorin, were leaders from Zone 4 of the union, who unanimously resolved to name the edifice in honour of Yasin.
The NURTW acting President also said that a litre of petrol sells for over N1,000, adding that price of compressed natural gas is between N120 and N200 per kilogramme.
“If this initiative is fully rolled out, I believe the cost of transportation will decrease significantly. Currently, we are buying PMS at over N1,000 per litre, while the CNG is expected to range between N120 to N200. This will certainly lead to a reduction in transportation costs, benefiting the masses,” Ore said.
He noted that the Federal Government has offered each state of the federation 100 kits used to convert vehicles to CNG, which he described as relatively cheap.
He also said that conversion of vehicles took off in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo, adding that 85 commercial vehicles had already been converted in Abuja.
“The NURTW has not initiated the conversion of vehicles to CNG for its members. This initiative is actually led by the federal government, which is purchasing the conversion kits and providing them to various authorized converters, who then convert the vehicles for transporters.
“The government has promised to provide 100 kits free of charge to each state and has already signed agreements with multiple converters. This process has already begun in Ogun, Lagos, Oyo, and the FCT, where I am currently based. In fact, over 85 conversions have already been completed here.
“One of the beneficiaries, the FCT secretary of NURTW even went on air via NTA to confirm this. Agreements have also been signed with Kogi State, and in the next few weeks, Kwara State will be included in the programme.
“The federal government’s goal is to distribute 100 kits per state free, allowing beneficiaries to experience and confirm that the programme is real. It is not just the NURTW that is benefiting; NARTO, RTEAN, and other commercial transporters are also receiving these kits.”
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