The Compressed Natural Gas buses being produced in the country under the Presidential CNG Initiative are almost set for rollout.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, made this known over the weekend.
This followed his visit to one of the plants where the buses are being assembled in Lagos, JET Motor Company.
JET, which was established in 2018 to build electric vehicles such as vans and pickups and CNG/petrol buses tailored to meet Nigeria’s unique transportation needs, is one of the four plants picked by the PCNGi to produce CNG buses.
It is to assemble semi knocked down components of climate friendly CNG and electric buses and tricycles.
Edun, who visited the plant, according to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the assembly.
He said though the PCNGi has taken time to be actualised, the benefits will soon be available to Nigerians.
The Minister said: “I have come to see the CNG buses that Nigerians are asking about.
“I have seen them.
“I have tested them and driven them.
“I have seen them being assembled.
“The benefits will soon be available to Nigerians.
“Two critical aims will be achieved.
“Whereas it costs about N55,000 to fill a 15 to 20 seater buses with petrol, it will cost between N12 to N15,000 to fill a CNG bus of the same capacity.
“This is three times, if not four times less.
“This is a huge savings that will help reduce transport costs and at the same time help reduce inflation.”
Edun praised JET’s employment of local talents in the assembly of the vehicles.
The company aims to transition from Semi Knocked Down components to Completely Knocked Down components in the next three to four years.
The Chairman and Founder of JET, Chidi Ajaere, conducted the Minister round during the visit.
