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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Tuesday launched 20 high-tech buses powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to ease the transportation burden of civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, who launched the buses said it was a joint collaboration with FEMADEC Group, a private engineering and construction company.
According to her, the project is part of the efforts towards improving the welfare of civil servants by providing efficient, affordable, and safe transportation that will convey them to and from their workplace, especially those living within FCT and its environs.
Yemi-Esan added that easing the transportation of civil servants has been one of the targets of her administration, adding that the government has always sought ways to achieve a healthier and safer environment for civil servants.
“This pillar is targeted at addressing issues of the socio-economic wellbeing of civil servants, which if not tackled holistically, is capable of impeding the efficiency of workers. The number of buses will be scaled up to 40 in the second phase of the project,” she added.
Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Ngozi Onwudiwe, noted that the pilot phase of the scheme will commence across six routes in the FCT.
The permanent secretary, was represented by Uchenna Obi, Director of Federal Integrated Housing Scheme, listed the routes as Karu-Jikwoyi/Orozo/Karshi; AYA/Nyanya/Mararaba/Ado/
Chief Executive Officer of FEMADEC Group, Fola Akinnola, highlighted that the initiative to provide the buses started in 2019 when the Federal Government moved to switch from petrol-powered cars to gas-powered vehicles.
He added that the buses, which will run on CNG, came at a critical time when Nigeria was battling with the rising cost of diesel.
