The cost of road transportation in Delta State may soon ease as the Federal Government has delivered Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses to the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, in a move aimed at cushioning the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
The buses were officially handed over on Tuesday in Asaba to the Delta State Council of the NURTW, marking another step in the Federal Government’s alternative energy transport initiative under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
It was gathered that the five CNG buses allocated to Delta State were supplied through the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as part of a nationwide distribution that also covers other states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking to journalists during the handover ceremony, the Secretary-General of the Delta State NURTW, Comrade Chukwuemeka Okolo, said the buses would be deployed across the state’s three senatorial districts to ensure widespread benefits for commuters.
According to him, the dual-powered buses, which run on both Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), would significantly reduce the cost of transportation, given the lower price of CNG compared to conventional petrol.
“These buses are part of the Federal Government’s intervention to reduce the hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal. Once they are fully deployed, Deltans will feel the impact through reduced transport fares,” Okolo said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as a practical response to the economic challenges facing Nigerians, urging residents of the state to support the President’s reform agenda.
“Deltans should rally around President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections to enable him to complete the good works he has started. We are expecting more of these buses, and we believe that a second term will allow him to consolidate on these achievements,” he added.
Receiving the buses on behalf of the union, the Chairman of the Delta State NURTW Caretaker Committee, Comrade Patrick Okpandu, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress for facilitating the intervention.
Okpandu assured that the buses would be used strictly for their intended purpose and deployed in a manner that would benefit both transport operators and the general public.
“We appreciate this gesture and assure Nigerians, especially Deltans, that these buses will not be diverted. They will be put to work to ease transportation challenges and reduce fares across the state,” he pledged.
Other union leaders who spoke at the event, including a member of the national trustees, Comrade Dennis Araro, as well as Comrades Orji Ossai, Igbine Odomero, Ovo Abeke, and Peter Ojevwue, applauded President Tinubu for the initiative.
They also lauded the Federal Government for recognising the current leadership of the NURTW in Delta State as the authentic one, expressing optimism that additional vehicles would be allocated to the state in the near future.
The CNG bus programme is part of the Federal Government’s broader push to promote cleaner and cheaper energy alternatives in the transport sector, reduce dependence on petrol, and ease the economic burden on commuters nationwide.
