By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi

A non-governmental organisation, Nana Girls and Women Empowerment Initiative, has called on state and federal governments to adopt and implement a policy framework on the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles to address rising transportation costs across the country.

The appeal was made on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ engagement held in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, where the organisation engaged officials of the state Ministry of Transport and Renewable Energy, alongside other relevant stakeholders.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the foundation, Dr Fatima L. Adamu, said the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government had triggered a sharp increase in transportation costs nationwide, while the promised transition to a CNG-powered transport system had remained largely unimplemented in most states.

According to her, only Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) have made visible progress in introducing CNG-powered vehicles, leaving many other states struggling with the economic impact of high fuel prices.

“We have observed that Lagos and Abuja are the only places where the CNG transport system has been introduced in a meaningful way. In most other states, transportation costs remain very high as a result of fuel subsidy removal,” Adamu said.

She explained that, as part of efforts to support government interventions, the organisation developed a comprehensive policy framework on CNG transport after extensive consultations in northern, eastern and western parts of the country.

“As partners in development, we have engaged the Federal Ministry of Transport, as well as relevant ministries at the state level, to encourage them to adopt the policy framework we have developed. This framework is designed to guide the effective implementation of the CNG transport programme,” she added.

Adamu noted that similar consultations had earlier been held in Kano, Kaduna and some eastern states, with the Birnin Kebbi engagement marking the continuation of the advocacy in Kebbi State. She expressed optimism that the state government would adopt the framework to accelerate the deployment of CNG-powered transport.

Responding on behalf of the Kebbi State Government, the Commissioner for Transport and Renewable Energy, Alhaji Bala Gagga, acknowledged that the state was yet to receive CNG buses from the Federal Government.

However, he said the state government, under Governor Nasir Idris, had taken proactive steps to ease the transportation burden on residents through the Kauran Gwandu Transport Initiative.

“Although Kebbi State is yet to receive the CNG buses from the Federal Government, the governor has acted swiftly by providing buses across the state at affordable fares to reduce the transportation burden on our people, pending the release of the CNG buses,” Gagga said.

The stakeholders’ engagement ended with calls for closer collaboration between governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to fast-track the adoption of cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable transport alternatives across Nigeria.