Convener of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG), Comrade Bamidele Atoyebi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently deploy Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses across federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs on civil servants.
Atoyebi made the call following encounters with federal workers in Abuja, which, he said, exposed the growing transportation difficulties faced by civil servants despite earning regular salaries.
He said the situation became evident on Wednesday, August 12, when he visited the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to obtain a licence for an upcoming media and podcast studio.
According to him, NBC workers complained that transportation costs were consuming a significant portion of their salaries.
He said one worker living in Kuje lamented the increasing cost of commuting to work, while an Assistant Director disclosed that, although she owned a car, rising petrol prices had made it difficult for her to drive to work.
Atoyebi said the complaints prompted him to propose CNG buses for NBC workers, beginning with junior staff and subsequently extending the arrangement to senior employees.
He said he had directed his staff to prepare a letter to the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, Ismail Ahmed, requesting CNG buses for NBC workers from the managerial level downward.
He added that a Chief Medical Director of a military hospital also raised concerns about transportation difficulties faced by hospital workers and appealed for similar support.
Atoyebi said another encounter later that day, when a man working around the Senate sought financial assistance to return home, further reinforced the need for urgent intervention.
He said the experiences supported an earlier position attributed to Bishop David Oyedepo that reducing transportation costs would help cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, noting that transportation costs affect the prices of food, goods and services.
Atoyebi also referenced comments by Professor Peter Kpakol on Arise News TV, where he advocated measures to reduce transportation costs and expressed support for the CNG initiative.
“All these people cannot be wrong. The President must act now,” he said.
The BAT-IG convener urged the President to expand the CNG initiative beyond individual vehicle conversion by deploying affordable staff buses across federal MDAs.
He also called for CNG conversion centres at ministries and other government locations to enable civil servants convert their vehicles from petrol to CNG.
Atoyebi urged state governors and local government chairmen to adopt similar measures, arguing that affordable transportation would reduce pressure on workers’ salaries and improve productivity, punctuality and morale.
He acknowledged existing government efforts on CNG buses but stressed that civil servants should be adequately supported, saying reduced transportation costs would provide practical economic relief at a time when rising fares continue to erode household incomes.