The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a Compressed Natural Gas Keke NAPEP in an effort to reduce transportation costs and minimize environmental impact.
The CNG Keke NAPEP is expected to significantly lower the cost of transportation, especially for those living in rural areas.
The project is a collaboration between the Nigerian Orientation Agency, the SIMBA Group of Companies, and Ecomead Acres.
The Keke NAPEP consumes less fuel than existing petrol-powered tricycles. In addition, the CNG Keke NAPEP is more environmentally friendly, as it does not produce harmful emissions.
The Federal Government has established about 10,000 CNG stations across the country to ensure the availability of compressed natural gas to users of the newly launched tricycles.
The Director General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said that the project is focused on improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians, especially those living in rural areas.
He also said that the Federal Government is accelerating the process of bringing CNG-powered buses to the country.
”We are here to address the critical issue of transportation, as a fallout of the removal of fuel subsidy as it is the government’s policy to provide immediate succour in terms of palliative.
“The President, in his address to the nation several times reiterated the fact that a lot of interventions are in the works regarding how to reduce the subsidy removal’s impact on all of us.
“Related to that is the introduction of the Compressed Natural Gas as an alternative source to power our automobiles. You also recall that the Federal Government is accelerating the process of bringing CNG-powered buses to the country. And apart from that about 10,000 CNG filling stations across the country are put in place, so that we can have CNG as an alternative source of powering our automobiles.”
“We all know the role that Keke NAPEP has come to play as a means of transportation in this country, especially for those who live in rural areas. Millions of Nigerians daily commute using the Keke NAPEP. So, it is a thing of joy that we have this as an immediate solution, by having a local assembly for Keke NAPEP powered by CNG.
“As an agency, we have structures and operations nationwide, in all the states and FCT, and 774 local government areas, this will also come in as an essential tool for us, because we will be working towards securing at least one for each local government for our community orientation and mobilisation officers to be able to do their work.
“As of today, it is also difficult for them to move around to support the system, the government, and the citizens for all the education and enlightenment that they require to get by on a daily, so we are also keying into this, looking at how we can provide this for all our offices nationwide,” he said.
The CEO of Ecomead Acres, Kayode Oyin-Zubair, said that the CNG Keke-NAPEP is configured to use both petrol and CNG, making it more convenient for users. He also said that the CNG-powered tricycle will help to mitigate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the cost of transportation.
The representative of Wandel International and Simba Group of Companies, Sharma Shamrat, said that CNG-powered automobiles are the best option for Nigeria. He explained that CNG is a certified product that has been used extensively in India. He also said that CNG is a more environmentally friendly option than petrol or diesel.
