Again, Ogun state leads in adoption of CNG
…To commence construction of CNG bus stations in Mowe, Ibafo, others
Following the harsh impact of the removal of fuel subsidy, the Ogun State government has since taken the lead amongst other states in the transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to power the state’s transport system.
Recall that the removal of subsidy had occasioned an increase in the cost of transportation across the country.
The Ogun State Government hence commenced the conversion of close to 2,000 buses as part of its strategies to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy and promote energy sustainability.
In the latest development, the state is set to construct bus stations for the take-off of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mass Transit scheme along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway axis.
The stations are to be sited within Mowe, Ibafo Arepo, and Berger axis of the ever-busy expressway.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Engr Dairo Olugbenga, while speaking on a radio programme in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Thursday.
According to him, the construction will commence in earnest, as necessary implementation frameworks have been put in place, even as he urged the people to lend their support to the state government towards the successful construction activities in those areas.
“I want to use this medium to plead to our people for their support, as this is another integral part of development geared towards easing the movement of people and goods in Ogun State, which will serve as a respite to environmental pollution by reducing emissions and promote a cleaner and safer environment in the state,” he said.
Engr Dairo noted that the CNG powered mass transit buses will be deployed to the corridor for cheaper and safe movement in advance of the construction of the bus stations.
Speaking on the process of operating the urban transportation system in the state, the Commissioner highlighted infrastructure, law compliance, operation, and price control as the four key elements applied by the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.
He said, “We need to let our people know that there are four applicable and adopted ways to transportation, and that is infrastructure, which if you observe during our first tenure, the Governor has worked on bad roads in all the local government areas across the state and work is still ongoing.
“The second is law enforcement, which will ensure all road users comply with rules and regulations guiding the usage of the roads, fostering security and safety of passengers and drivers while the third is operation.
“We are going to formalise transport operation, in that, whoever is going into it must have between 10 to 30 buses under him.
“Current operators will be encouraged to coalesce into cooperatives. This will aid proper management and monitoring of the movement of goods and people in the state.
“Aside from this, there is price control. This administration is further working on providing affordable transportation for the good people of Ogun State.”
