Federal Government gives 138 CNG tricycles to Adamawa riders

The Federal Government has distributed 138 compressed natural gas-powered tricycles to youths in Adamawa State under a loan scheme, Punch Nigeria reports. The initiative is intended to cushion the effect of rising transport costs following a fuel price increase. The vehicles were given to riders in Adamawa, although the available material does not identify the beneficiaries or say how they were selected.

The tricycles use compressed natural gas, or CNG, rather than conventional fuel. The supplied report does not provide information about the vehicles’ operating range, the availability of CNG filling points in Adamawa or the training offered to recipients. It also does not state the value of the loans, the repayment period, the interest rate or the institution responsible for administering the scheme.

No details are given about whether the recipients must make an initial payment or provide security for the loans. The distribution was presented as a response to transport pressures caused by higher fuel costs. However, the report does not quantify the increase in fares or explain how the 138 tricycles are expected to affect transport prices.

No reaction from the riders, passengers or state authorities is included. The available information also does not say whether similar distributions have taken place in other states. The programme’s stated elements are the number of vehicles, their CNG power source, the Adamawa beneficiaries, the loan arrangement and the effort to reduce transport-related hardship.