By Victor Ahiumayoung

LAGOS—After being in limbo for about four years, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday in Lagos, rolled out 133 high capacity mass transit buses with about N1.5 billion first tranche loan secured from Infrastructure Bank.

The buses would be operating in Lagos on the name Labour City Transport Services, LCTS, with technical services to be provided by Yutong Motors of China, the manufacturers of the buses.

The board of LCTS said 50 of the buses would immediately commence operation from today in Lagos, and was not certain when the services would be extended to other parts of the country.

Speaking, President of NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar, said the congress believed the LCTS should this time run the buses profitably to be able to pay back the loan and remain in business, recalling sadly, the failure of the congress some years back to successfully run 80 high capacity buses purchased and handed over to Labour Transport Company by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Chairman of LCTS board, Mr. Kiri Mohammed, earlier, said the decision to go into the transportation business, underscored the determination of the labour movement to continue to play a critical role in helping the Nigerian masses in their quest for a decent life.

He said “What we are offering are decent transportation services comparable to what obtains in advanced economies. 50 of the busses will commence operations from today in Lagos.”

Unveiling the busses, Governor Batbatunde Fashola, represented by Mr.  Kayode Opeifa, commissioner for transportation, put the number of high capacity buses required to make some impact in the mass movement of people in the state, at over 3,000.