Lagos declares commitment to investing in gas-powered vehicles – Commissioner

The Lagos State government declared its commitment to the Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative on Wednesday.

Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the Commissioner for Transportation, stated that the state is encouraging investment in gas-powered vehicles in alignment with the Federal Government’s policy.

Osiyemi spoke in Ikeja at the South-West Stakeholders Engagement meeting organized by the Presidential Initiative on CNG.

On Monday, the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, mandated all government ministries, departments, and agencies to procure vehicles and generators powered by CNG.

Osiyemi affirmed that Lagos State supports the initiative and is prepared to implement transport policies in accordance with the presidential directives.

He said, “Our transport policy would not only guide but would also encourage investment in the space of the CNG. We are also very much aware that to make this grow as rapidly as we want, we must encourage the private sector. We will bring comfort to investors.

“In Lagos, what have we done concerning the CNG? As our President said on Monday that every ministry should buy CNG vehicles, we have also started doing this. We already have electric vehicles. We also have about 10 CNG buses that we are going to put on the road. We have some that have been tested on our roads.”

He said Lagos would create the platform and environment not just to encourage the FG’s CNG initiative, but to also drive forward the state’s policies in line with the initiative.

“I must also use this opportunity to say that we also encourage CNG vessels on our waterways. Our boats that are coming – our investors are looking towards having CNG boats that will be deployed (on the waterways). So as a state, we have taken this seriously because it’s the way to go to ensure carbon emission reduction.”

His counterpart in Ogun, Gbenga Dairo, said the state had already begun the use of the CNG-powered vehicles.

On her part, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said the initiative represented a beacon of hope for many Nigerians in the transport sector.