Niger to Spend N7bn On Purchase of 200 CNG Buses

KLaleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State Government will spend N7 billion on the purchase of 200 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles for public transportation across the state.

The state government has already awarded contracts to four contractors to deliver the vehicles within12 weeks.

A statement that was signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Bologi Ibrahim, told the contractors to respect the letters of the agreement by delivering the vehicles on schedule.

Bago said that 100 of the vehicles when delivered would be put on the Suleja-Abuja routes, 50 to be used in Minna, the state capital while the remaining 50 would be distributed to other local government areas.

He explained that an additional 300 buses would be purchased next year as part of the second phase of the scheme, adding that the government has planned to have not less than 1000 buses on the roads between now and the next four years.

The investment, he said, is one of the ways being adopted by the administration to reduce the hardship faced by citizens due to fuel subsidy removal, pointing out that the gesture is also to bring a revolution to the transportation system in the state and reduce the rate of accidents on the roads.

The governor, therefore, called on potential investors to take advantage of the government policy to establish CNG plants in the state.

The spokesman of the firms Mr. Mohammed Bawa, assured that they would deliver “high-capacity buses” with two years warranty and availability of spare parts for the vehicles for the next 10 years.