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By Moses Akaigwe
Nigeria’s automotive industry got a huge boost recently following the procurement of 2,322 locally built buses that run on compressed natural gas, by the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
At the inauguration recently in Abuja, the director-general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, lauded the patriotic zeal of the association’s leadership for opting for the products of the domestic auto industry which, he said, is in line with the goals of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP).
Congratulating the association, Aliyu stated that it was heart-warming to note that the 2,322 units of compressed natural gas{CNG}-powered buses procured for the 774 local governments, “were built in Nigeria by an indigenous company.”
The Director General particularly congratulated the National Chairman of RTEAN, Alhaji Dr. Musa Maitakobi, on the patronage and efforts to boost transportation in the country.
The DG further called on all transport associations in the country to emulate the RTEAN and key into the National Gas Expansion Program by patronising CNG-powered vehicles produced in Nigeria.
Aliyu said the ceremony was a significant testimony to the fact that the implementation of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan by the NADDC is yielding results.
He also noted that the CNG powered vehicles produced locally will make transportation cheaper for the commuters and also save lives and protect the environment because it is a cleaner fuel compared to petrol and diesel.
Aliyu added that as one of the 195 signatories to the Paris Accord on the mitigation of greenhouse gases, Nigeria must leverage on the country’s huge reserves of natural gases as a transition fuel.
