Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has stopped admitting new diesel-powered buses into its regulated public transport system, directing operators to use compressed natural gas (CNG) or electric vehicles (EVs) as the state accelerates its transition to cleaner transportation.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, disclosed this on Saturday while speaking to journalists during the handover of 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and EV. “We will only work with CNG or EV buses, and this has been the policy since the beginning of the year,” Akinajo said.
She explained that existing diesel buses would be progressively replaced with cleaner alternatives, with Lagos’ regulated public transport system ultimately expected to operate an entirely electric fleet.
According to Akinajo, the transition is aimed at reducing transport emissions while helping operators manage rising fuel and operating costs.
She said transportation remained a major source of emissions in Lagos and that the shift to cleaner energy was part of the state’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
The LAMATA chief also highlighted the rising cost of diesel, which she said had increased from about N950 per litre at the beginning of the year to between N1,950 and N2,100, depending on the source. “Regulated public transport fares have not increased, and these buses have helped us achieve that,” she said.
Akinajo explained that the lower operating costs of CNG and electric buses had helped the transport authority absorb some of the increase in fuel expenses without transferring the full burden to commuters.
Before the latest delivery, LAMATA had about 150 CNG buses, in addition to high- and medium-capacity electric buses.
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