By Egufe Yafugborhi
Delta State Government says it would turn its attention to water transportation after rolling out its CNG-powered bus scheme, in an effort to ease public transport for all across the state.
Giving an update in Asaba on Thursday following Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s approval for the acquisition of 50 CNG buses and construction of terminals, the Commissioner for Transport, Onoriode Agofure, said the buses are expected in the state within the next 5 months.
Asked why consideration was not made for CNG boats for riverine travellers, the Commissioner said, “We are not neglecting the riverine communities. We’ve to start from one to the other. We did a study which showed that more people travel within the upland than the riverine.
“So let’s first satisfy the majority of the people that travel on land before we now move riverine. We’re obviously going to touch every segment of the transport sector in the state.”
On timelines to get the CNG buses working, he said, “The supplier has been with us for the past two weeks since the Governor’s approval. The buses are not just there for you to go, select and pick up.
“You have to place an order to the specifications you want them to be built. And when they are built, you ship. So, give or take, four to five months, those buses should be with us here in Delta.”
On the management of the routes for the buses, the commissioner said, “We are not just buying buses for intercity travel.
“We’re also buying buses that would go round Asaba and environs. We’ve mapped out all the routes in Asaba, around Warri too, Effurun, Udu, and all the town service routes.”
To strengthen the sustainability of the scheme, Agofure noted that Governor Oborevwori is building systems that will outlive his administration, similar to how the 13th Month Salary was backed by law.
“The governor we have today is not planning for only the period he remains in office. He’s setting processes that would outlive his time in office. Same way he did with 13th Month Salary, he’s going to do on transport.
“He will ensure that system and process are put in place to see that even when he leaves office, the policy will not go the way similar projects in the past went – failed. The scheme will keep on going,” he emphasised.
On the ease of refilling the buses, the Commissioner said discussions are ongoing with NIPCO Gas to expand infrastructure.
“There are about two or three gas stations in Warri. This gas doesn’t burn so fast as petrol. If you fuel at one point, it will take you far.
“In between Warri and Asaba, we are also interfacing with key players to have more gas stations built, maybe in Kwale, in Agbor, Sapele and in Abraka,” he said.
On adequacy of terminals, Agofure disclosed, “The governor approved the construction of a big bus terminal in Asaba here. He would have also done that in Warri, but the Federal Government has approved one to be built across the six geopolitical zones.
“And through the Governor’s intervention, the one for South will be built in Warri. On Tuesday, I should be in Abuja to submit approval for the land the state has donated to the Federal Government to site it.”
On the ripple effect of the CNG bus scheme, he looked forward to several direct and indirect jobs that would be created and a crash in the cost of transportation by private operators when the state introduces lower fares when the buses are rolled out.
He concluded that the government is testing the waters with 50 buses and would start scaling up with more acquisitions as the scheme makes progress.
