Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched an initiative to provide 2,000 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, tricycles aimed at empowering youth and improving transportation infrastructure across the country.
The Minister of State for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, said the tricycles were dedicated to fostering transparency in the enrollment of youth into the Presidential CNG Initiative within the transportation sector.
Olawande spoke while unveiling the online portal designed to facilitate access to the tricycles, in collaboration with the Presidential CNG Initiative, PI-CNG, and National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, NATOMORAS, in Abuja.
He noted that the online portal seeks to promote transparency and inclusivity in the enrollment process, and emphasized that youth will not need influential connections to benefit from the initiative, reinforcing the government’s commitment to equitable access.
“This aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for all government programmes and initiatives to provide equal opportunities to people of all backgrounds, regardless of wealth or social status.
“Young individuals in the country will not require any influential connections to benefit from the Ministry of Youth Development’s programmes. The launching of the Youth portal reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that all the initiatives and programmes are equally accessible to everyone.”
The Minister encouraged all young people working in the commercial transportation sector or those interested in joining the sector to take advantage of the benefits provided through the Presidential Initiative on CNG, noting that the initiative is a significant component of the President’s palliative programme.
The Minister further explained that there are two ways to accessing the CNG Portal for tricycles; youthcng.ng, or pci.gov.ng/tricycle.
The Representative of the Presidential CNG Initiatives, Mr. Tosin Coker, said the youth have the chance to gain employment by becoming partners with aggregators through the launched scheme.
Coker explained that the youths will have the option to own the tricycles if they desire, and expressed his appreciation to the Ministry for taking the lead and to the aggregators for supporting the initiative.
Earlier, the Chairman of NATOMORAS, Alhaji Sani Hassan, noted that the launch of the portal was historic for their association and its members across the country.
Hassan expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to witness and participate in the launch of the important portal, which he said will provide opportunities for all members.
He assured the Minister of the Association’s full commitment to mobilize and educate their members to be actively involved in the programme and to ensure that they make the most of the opportunity.