President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday in Maiduguri commissioned a fleet of 107 mass transit vehicles, including 50 electric taxis in the second phase of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s metro transport scheme.
Speaking at the ceremony, the President lauded Governor Babagana Zulum for his foresight and people-oriented policies and projects.
He disclosed that the Federal Government planned to set up a plant in that direction to create employment and ease transportation. The scheme aims to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy withdrawal.
Governor Zulum in his remark at the commissioning said, “Mr President, after you announced the subsidy removal and your consequent directive to governors to provide immediate palliative, in Borno State we decided to invest massively in a mass transit scheme.”
“Each of the 107 vehicles was converted to use electricity and gas to enable the use of low-cost energy sources and provide cheap transportation for citizens.”
The new fleet of buses comprised 35 units of 30-seater gas-powered coaster buses, 12 units of 15-seater gas-powered Hummer buses, 10 units of 50-seater gas-powered mass transit buses, and 50 units of 4-seater electric-powered taxi vehicles.
This year, Borno State procured 120 buses from which Governor Zulum, in September, launched a fleet of 77 buses dispatched to over 15 routes within the metropolis and Jere Local Government.
He said the deployment of 50 electric taxis was the first of its kind in Nigeria and was in line with the realities of climate change.
Tinubu, who was in Maiduguri on his first official visit to the state, paid a courtesy call to the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi.
Source: Daily Post
