The process of switching fossil fuel-powered cars to gas-powered will soon get under way, according to Bayero Salih-Farah, director-general of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology NITT, Zaria.
When Muazu Sambo, the transportation minister, visited the institute on Friday, he made this statement.
President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly promised to eliminate gasoline subsidies by 2023, according to TheCable.
For use by government employees in the federal capital territory, the federal government debuted 20 cutting-edge buses in June that are fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) (FCT).
Salih-Farah claimed that while the federal government works to abolish gasoline subsidies, the institute will offer alternate energy sources to the transportation sector.
According to him, the NITT is working with the committee overseeing the national gas expansion initiative and pressing for the local production of conversion kits.
Additionally, he claimed that the institute has set up a databank for the collecting, synthesis, and analysis of all technological and economic information pertaining to transportation in Nigeria.
Salih-Farah claims that the institute is constructing an intelligent transport system (ITS) center to house cutting-edge technology, adding that the traffic data produced would be sent in real time to the data center in Zaria.
He stated, “At this time, the databank project has started with the installation of equipment on some important highways, such; Abuja-Lokoja, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, and Kaduna-Zaria highway.
He added that the NITT has been pursuing a strategic project since 2020 that, if successful, would have a good impact on raising road safety in Nigeria.
“NITT is building driver development and training centers in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones with support from the federal government. Three of these projects have begun, and work on them is steadily moving forward, he said.
However, he acknowledged that the institute faces difficulties, such as financial limitations.
“We are appealing to the honorable minister to kindly assist the institute with alternative and more dependable sources of funding,” he continued. “In view of the enormous tasks before the institute and in order to fully deliver our mandate to the transport sector and the Nigerian economy.”
