Scores of the mass transit buses that were promised by the Federal Government as a part of the palliative measures to cushion the effect of the controversial fuel subsidy removal have started arriving at the ports.
The buses which came in Monday aboard a ship called Graceful Leader from China. The ship, sources confirmed, as come in with about 165 units of the 48-passenger mass transit bus on Monday January 16, 2012 and sailed out early yesterday from Five Star Logistics terminal at Tin Can Island port.
Scores of the mass transit buses that were promised by the Federal Government as a part of the palliative measures to cushion the effect of the controversial fuel subsidy removal have started arriving at the ports.
The buses which came in Monday aboard a ship called Graceful Leader from China. The ship, sources confirmed, as come in with about 165 units of the 48-passenger mass transit bus on Monday January 16, 2012 and sailed out early yesterday from Five Star Logistics terminal at Tin Can Island port.
Shipping Position Daily also confirmed that the buses were manufactured in China and are of Yutong brand.
Our correspondent who witnessed the discharge of the buses confirmed that they have already being moved to a private bonded terminal in Lagos, even as details of their final destination could not be confirmed by port official.
President Goodluck Jonathan had recently commissioned some of those buses at a ceremony in Abuja.
The buses are part of the 1,600 diesel-powered buses that were promised to boost transportation in the country as a result of the fuel subsidy removal.
The buses, are the first batch purchased from the N10 billion revolving loan set aside by the government to address transport infrastructure in the country.
According to the government, the revolving loan is payable over five years period and attracts 5 per cent interest rate under the urban mass transit scheme and would be made available to credible transporters, Labour Unions and other Nigerians involved in the transport business.
Our correspondent confirmed also that the buses enjoyed duty- free concession.
The arrival in Lagos also coincided with the launch on Tuesday of the government’s mass transit scheme in Abuja.
While performing the launch, Minister of Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga had said that a large chunk of the buses are made in Nigeria, while adding that the essence of the scheme is for passengers to be paying 20 percent less than what they were paying before the 1st of January 2012, adding that government could not launch the scheme earlier due to the strike.
"A large chunk of the buses you are seeing now are made in Nigeria and one example is from Innocent Motors in Nnewi and we asked him to go and produce more next year," he said.
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