RTEAN Scribe, Ogun State, Chief Tiwalade Akingbade
The Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has implored the Federal Government to mitigate commuters’ daily suffering from the sharp rise in the cost of transportation brought about by the removal of petrol subsidy by subsidising the conversion of commercial vehicles in the country from fossil fuel (petrol) usage to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) usage.
The transporters’ association made the appeal by way of memorandum to the just concluded 18th Edition of the National Council On Transportation (NCT) held in Abeokuta and attended by the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, all Commissioners of Transportation nationwide, investors and stakeholders.
The Ogun State Secretary of RTEAN, Chief Tiwalade Akingbade who made the position of the union known to THE STATEPOST during a private chat at the forum of the NCT’s meeting decried the hardship facing the common man on the street as a result of hike in the cost of living brought about by petrol subsidy removal.
Enumerating the advantages inherent in CNG over fossil fuel, Akingbade noted that it is cheaper, environmentally friendlier and makes engine to last longer but the cost of conversion to it is herculean for transporters to bear alone.
He said what RTEAN is asking Federal Government to do is partnership with the transport unions in the country and share the burden of converting commercial vehicles only to CNG.
Asked to explain why RTEAN stopped its initiative of launching CNG vehicles which the association started last year, Akingbade explained that his association did not convert vehicles.
He noted that the burden of converting commercial vehicles is too heavy to be borne and that what RTEAN did March, last year was launching of CNG vehicles bought for all the 774 local governments in the country at the rate of 3 vehicles per local government.
Asked to throw more light on RTEAN’s prayers at the NCT, Chief Akingbade said his Association is also begging government to create CNG centres nationwide so as to make it easier for users to access the commodity.
He said his association’s national authority had envisioned that CNG will take a pride of place in the future and that was why RTEAN called attention to it by being the first to launch its vehicles.
