Senate panel asks Tinubu to present supplementary budget for CNG project

The Senate Committee on Gas has urged the executive arm of government to present a 2023 supplementary budget to the National Assembly to kick-start the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) project.

The panel, which commended President Bola Tinubu for the CNG initiative, however, cautioned against extra budgetary spending.

The committee’s Chairman, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, in a statement, said it would be illegal to spend taxpayers’ money on any project without the approval of the National Assembly.

He emphasised the need for the president to come up with a supplementary budget to enable the government to fund the gas value chain, including the provision for CNG infrastructure and CNG vehicles.

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Jarigbe said the National Assembly was poised to support the lofty programmes of Tinubu’s administration, adding that a 2023 supplementary budget would be most appropriate instead of resorting to extra-budgetary spending.

Following the removal of fuel subsidy, the Tinubu administration plans to roll out CNG-run vehicles for ease of public transportation.

In his independence speech, the president said that, “We have opened a new chapter in public transportation through the deployment of cheaper, safer CNG buses across the nation. These buses will operate at a fraction of current fuel prices, positively affecting transport fares.

“New CNG conversion kits will start coming in very soon as all hands are on deck to fast track the usually lengthy procurement process.”

He said his administration was also setting up training facilities and workshops across the nation to train and provide new opportunities for transport operators and entrepreneurs.