The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State Chapter, has unveiled its first batch of 3,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) commercial tricycles, valued at N10.2 billion, aimed at alleviating transportation challenges in the state. The CNG initiative was launched on Wednesday by Alhaji Azeez Abiola, a prominent NURTW chieftain, in Lagos.
Abiola, who serves as the Zonal Chairman of the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria under the NURTW, expressed optimism that this initiative would provide relief to the masses by reducing transportation costs. He stated, “Over 3,000 CNG tricycles have been deployed to the state to ease the cost of transportation among the residents and, at the same time, reduce economic hardship.”
He further emphasized the positive impact of the project, saying, “As we launch this initiative today, residents will begin to experience a reduction in the cost of transportation within their locality. This is the number one CNG commercial tricycle in the country that will be in operation, with the 3,000 tricycles beginning operations on Thursday.”
The shift to CNG is expected to significantly lower daily operational costs for tricyclists. Currently, it costs about N15,000 for a tricyclist to fuel their vehicle daily, while operating on CNG will cost between N2,500 and N3,000. Abiola noted that the initiative would also create over 5,000 new jobs for operators and technicians involved in CNG conversions.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for supporting the project and acknowledged the state NURTW chairman for facilitating the initiative, allowing members to benefit from it. “With this development, we are going to engage hundreds of our members, fix them in the system, and monitor their operations from excessive charges,” he added.
However, Abiola raised concerns about the limited availability of CNG filling stations, noting that the only station is located at Agidingbi in Ikeja. He urged the government to establish additional CNG stations closer to operators in areas such as Alagbado, Agbado-Okeodo, Ifako-Ijaiye, Agege, and Alimosho for easier refueling access. He also called for the lifting of the ban on tricycles on routes leading to the CNG filling station to facilitate refilling.