In a Press conference on Monday, October 8, the Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, announced the launch of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion e-portal for youths in the commercial transport sectors interested in using CNG-powered tricycles.
The announcement made in representation of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development follows the October 1 Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative where the Federal Government announced its plan to distribute 2,000 CNG-powered tricycles to empower Nigerian Youths.
According to the Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, when speaking on the basics of the portal reiterated that the portal will enable a transparent process of selecting Nigerian youths who will be beneficiaries of the Federal Government CNG initiative.
“In simple terms, what we aim to achieve with the youth portal we are about to launch is to build transparency around the process of enlisting youth into the Presidential CNG Initiative in the transportation sector”.
He again added that the application is widely open to any youths willing to take part in the program regardless of their economic status or societal background. “Through the portal, youths across Nigeria can sign up to be merged with aggregators or owners who work directly with the PiCNG programme, while beginning the process of becoming owners themselves”, he added.
Read also: Drivers union threatens to shut down Bolt app over CNG conversion, unrealistic bonuses
“What this means is that we are opening the process, and any young person willing and ready to take advantage of the program can participate. This is consistent with the aspiration of President Ahmed Tinubu, who desires that all government programmes and initiatives of the government offer the same level of opportunity to everyone, either rich or poor, low or high.”
Also speaking during the event, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative Programme Director and Chief Executive Officer, Micheal Oluwagbemi, represented by Tosin Coker said that the initiative is part of the promises made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his fulfilment to empower youths and reduce the cost of living. This will be done by creating jobs, promoting the utilization of clean fuel and bringing about holistic economic well-being through CNG.
He also described CNG as the future of the nation. He expressed the initiative as a pledge to have a greener environment and a cost-efficient medium.
“Indeed, CNG is the future of Nigeria, just as the youth are the future of this nation. By embracing CNG, we are building a cleaner environment for our nation as we move away from PMS and Diesel. We are also saving the nation in terms of the cost that is typically spent on subsidies on petrol and bankrupting the country for so long now.”
To apply, visit the portal www.youthcng.ng or www.pci.gov.ng/tricycle.
Drivers union threatens over CNG conversion
Recall that 2 weeks ago, the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) condemned what it described as the unauthorised use of its members’ data to negotiate with the Federal Government on its compressed natural gas initiative. The union claimed that the app company used the said data to negotiate on behalf of the union without consulting them first, an unacceptable situation.
The union said Bolt’s involvement is why other transport unions like NURTW, RTEAN, NATO, LSTCAN etc are receiving free CNG conversion kits while e-hailing drivers are denied by PCNGI.
According to a letter seen by Technext, this is coupled with other challenges they face which include low fares, ridiculous pricing on the system, lack of security, overwork due to unrealistic bonus structures, hidden charges etc.
“In light of these issues, we serve notice of a potential nationwide shutdown of the Bolt app and massive migration to alternative platforms that prioritize drivers’ welfare,” the statement said.
Consequently, it demanded for transparency in the management of the process and usage of the data of its members. It also called for inclusive decision-making processes; fair compensation, enhanced security measures and realistic pricing structures from the ride-hailing companies.