OMAA Begins Assembly of Gas-powered Buses in Nigeria

Bennett Oghifo

The first dual fuel natural gas-powered OMAA range of buses has rolled out of their assembly plant at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State.

According to the assemblers, these range of buses are built such that they can be used for passenger school shuttle or for commercial transportation, cargo vans for moving farm produce, ambulances for critical life care, logistics van for the burgeoning e-commerce, utility vehicles, and for various needs of SMEs both small, large or multinationals, corporate and government agencies

Managing Director of OMAA, Chinedu Oguegbu, recalled that, “What we are rolling out today is the beginning of a trend that will that will revolutionize not just the transportation industry, but the energy industry in Africa, by transforming the way we utilise the abundant energy resources available to us, namely natural gas.

“We have hundreds of technical partners to ensure we introduce world class products, but everything here was executed by local home-grown talents.

“OMAA is an energy start-up with a mission to energize your life; be it work or play, residential or commercial. SME or global or multinational. What do we stand for? We want to empower Africa, care for the environment and develop people.

“Our vehicles are adapted to Nigerian roads, rugged and can withstand any rough terrain. And most importantly, it runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) that is also available in Nigeria and several times better when compared with others.”

He said, “For many years, Nigeria has been flaring this valuable source of energy while importing refined petroleum products that’s heavily subsidised at the expense of government investing in education, health care and infrastructure. Our efforts today and the sustained drive in accelerating gas utilization will change this narrative. More investments in the gas value chain would drive the fuel cost down, thereby leading to increased consumption.. This means that electricity, transportation and even food prices will go down.”

On the advantages of using the conventional premium motor spirit (petrol) and gas, he said gas is a more affordable source of energy.

“Take the OMAA T Series running on CNG that we are unveiling today, on the pump price alone, there is almost 30-40% cost saving. For most fleet operators fuel cost is the largest operating expense. Imagine how this would translate to cost of transport or total cost of doing business across the value chain,” he said.

Gas, he noted is also cleaner, with over 90% reduction in knocks, CO2, particulate matter. “This means that we build healthier and more sustainable communities as we grow.

“The impact is huge and very timely, and it is one that touches every single Nigerian. We are proud to show case our completed state-of-the-art assembly plant today equipped with modern tools and passionate human capital as we strive to make a difference in producing natural gas-powered buses.”

According to officials, the OMAA assembly plant is currently running semi knocked down (SKD) operations. Later in the year, the company plans to break ground for the completely knocked down (CKD) factory that would not only assemble, but also localise some components. The plant will also work to raise the skill of the people, as well as contribute to the automotive cluster not just in Anambra State, but also across the country. The network of micro-factories, located closest to the markets it serves means that OMAA can continue to contribute immensely within its immediate locality.

On what the future holds, he said the commencement of OMAA gas-powered buses assembly in Anambra State as an economic flywheel that is very critical, as well as an enabler in the value chain because that is the way to spur growth as the continent industrialises, creating jobs, supporting local supply chain.

He lauded the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the minister of state of petroleum resources, especially for declaring 2020 as the ‘Year of Gas’. “They are driving the required changes in the sector to create a market -driven gas economy. These are part of the commitments that President Muhamadu Buhari’s administration is making in developing Nigeria’s huge gas resources and diversifying the economy away from oil.

“Our goal is to be the energy platform that powers Africa’s economic transformation. That is why our slogan is ‘energize for life’. Our plans are beyond Nigeria. AFCTA is already in force since January 2021 creating one of the largest markets in the world. I hope success locally will be replicated across the continent. This huge commercial and social opportunity would definitely influence millions of lives. Let us all contribute our quota to build a better future for Africa.”

Present at the event were Dr. MM Ibrahim, Chairman of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), Dr. Ishaku Abner, technical adviser to the minister of state for petroleum, Pat Igwebuike, special adviser on legal matters to the executive governor of Anambra State.