Kogi to Launch Intra-city Bus Service in Lokoja »

Kogi State Government has announced that preparations are complete to commence operation of buses for intra-city transport to improve movement within the Lokoja metropolis.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Victor Levi Atuluku, disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.

Atuluku said the intra-city transport service was expected to begin within the first week of June to ease residents’ mobility.

“This administration, led by Gov. Ahmed Ododo, is on top of this. The 2025 budget includes funds for acquiring brand new buses to serve this purpose.

“In the meantime, we are refurbishing some abandoned buses acquired during former Gov. Idris Wada’s administration.

“Those buses were previously unused because their engines were incompatible with their intended use, but we have installed new engines that are suitable and ready for service.

“I believe that within two weeks, these revamped buses will commence intra-city operations to boost movement within Lokoja before the arrival of the new buses,” Atuluku assured.

He also noted that the Confluence Express service currently operated fleets of buses running routes from Okene to Lagos, Kano, Jos, and some local government areas (LGA) within the state.

He said this included a recent extension to Anyigba Town in Dekina LGA.

Atuluku said Ododo was closely monitoring the Ministry of Transportation, as he did with all ministries, promising that residents would soon see significant improvements in transportation services.

Regarding the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses brought to Kogi by the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PICNG) in 2024, the commissioner explained that the buses were taken back by the initiative.

“These buses were handed over to the lead consultant, Mono Energy, responsible for their operations in Kogi, not directly to the state government.

“On the day the buses arrived, there was a launch event and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PICNG for the Conversion Incentive Programme (CIP).

“This programme aims to convert 10,000 vehicles owned by members of National Union of Road Transport (NURTW), National Association of Transport Owners (NATO), and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to CNG free of charge.

“Sensitisation efforts are ongoing to encourage participation. The programme even benefits tricycle operators with four-plug engine vehicles,” he added.

On waterways transport, Atuluku stated that the government had received four boats from the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), to boost transportation in the riverine LGAs of the state.

(NAN)