President Bola Tinubu has commissioned 107 electric/gas buses and taxis in Borno State, as Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration works to mitigate the impact of the elimination of fuel subsidies.
Tinubu commissioned the flotilla on Monday in the vicinity of Borno’s Shehu’s Palace.
At the event, Nigeria’s president praised Zulum for his foresight, calling his development efforts unique.
“Your Excellency (Governor Zulum)… this is exactly ‘Hope Renewed’. Thank you for your good job always. Thank you once again for being innovative and creative; for your concern about your people and the good governance you provide,” Tinubu, who was in Maiduguri for the 2023 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference, said.
“We are going to take advantage of your foresight and proactiveness to at the sub-national level be able to start an assembly plant and add more value to the economy and bring economic prosperity to our people. You (Zulum) are doing a good job, thank you very much,” he added.
President Tinubu had earlier paid homage to the Shehu, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi.
On his part, Zulum said the move is part of his administration’s metro transport scheme and to cushion the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.
“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,” the governor added.
Zulum stated that the 107 vehicles were converted to run on electricity and gas in order to increase the usage of low-cost energy sources and transportation.
The buses consist of 35 30-seater gas-powered coaster buses, 12 15-seater gas-powered Hummer buses, 10 50-seater gas-powered mass transit buses, and 50 4-seater electric-powered taxi cars.
The Borno State Government purchased 120 buses earlier this year. In September, 77 of them were introduced to operate on 15 routes throughout Maiduguri and Jere Local Government.
