The President Bola Tinubu-led government has finally announced its readiness to launch about 2,700 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered buses and tricycles, nine months after its initial promise of March 2024.
Development Diaries reports that the presidency announced that it was ready to launch the vehicles and tricycles before 29 May, exactly one year into President Tinubu’s stay in office.
Recall that the president had promised in July 2023 to roll out buses across the states and local governments for mass transit as part of some palliatives to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal.
He said his government had made provision to invest N100 billion between July 2023 and March 2024 for the purchase of 3,000 units of 20-seater buses running on CNG.
While we welcome this recent announcement as good news, we still believe it is coming quite late as palliatives because many Nigerians have been through the worst of times following the removal of fuel subsidy.
This delay reflects a failure on the part of the government to fulfil its promises to the people. This is not the first time the government has failed to fulfil its promises to the people.
Accountability in governance requires that those in power are held responsible for their actions and decisions. When promises made to the public are not fulfilled on time, it undermines accountability and erodes confidence in the government’s ability to deliver on its commitments.
The average cost of essential commodities has increased by more than 100 percent across the country since President Tinubu took office, even after he declared a state of emergency on food security and unveiled a short- and long-term plan for the industry.
Also, the suffering of Nigerians was made worse by delays in palliative disbursement and overstretched negotiations with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
And come to think of it, the Port Harcourt refinery has yet to resume production operations months after the promised deadline. That is another instance of a failed promise by the Tinubu-led government.
Overall, delays in delivering promised initiatives undermine accountability and also weaken trust in governance and the perception of government competence.
Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu and his team to take concrete steps to address gaps in the government’s responsiveness to the urgent needs of the masses.
Photo source: Channels TV
