The National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NATOMORAS) has raised the alarm over the alleged diversion of 2,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tricycles promised by the Federal Government, accusing the Presidential CNG Initiative of handing them over to private entities instead of union members.
The association, which claims it played a pivotal role during the 2023 general election campaign, said its members were promised the tricycles as part of a federal incentive to reduce petrol dependency and promote clean energy adoption. But the union now alleges that these vehicles are being sold back to them at inflated rates through third-party companies.
NATOMORAS National President, Usman Gwoza, in a statement obtained by ireportmedia, accused the CEO of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, of breaching this promise and favouring private dealers. According to Gwoza, “The tricycles that were meant to be distributed freely or at subsidised rates to our members are now being sold for N2.5 million by the Initiative, and some private companies resell them at N3.5 million.”
He added that the initiative has failed to honour the public commitment made during the election period and called on President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation. “This is not what we agreed on. The President must be informed, as many of these decisions are being made behind closed doors,” Gwoza said.
Backing his claim, Gwoza referenced official campaign recognition granted to NATOMORAS, noting that the group was given a special role during the presidential campaign as the Directorate of Community Transport. “All our correspondence, including invitations to Lagos, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt for programme briefings, were signed by Mr Oluwagbemi. We have all the documents,” he insisted.
The controversy centres on the government’s flagship gas transition policy, which includes deploying CNG-powered vehicles for public transport. While the initiative has made strides—delivering CNG buses to groups like the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO)—NATOMORAS says it has been sidelined.
Oluwagbemi, however, refuted the claims in an interview, challenging the association to present evidence of any formal agreement involving the president. “Let’s assume the president made a promise. Where is the written agreement? Where is the video or audio clip? I maintain that there is no presidential directive that 2,000 tricycles be allocated to NATOMORAS,” he said.
He also dismissed the accusations of private sector collusion as baseless, noting that the initiative’s focus is to accelerate private sector participation in clean energy mobility, not to favour any one group.
But Gwoza insists the matter is political and strategic. “We believe the preferential treatment of larger unions like NARTO and RTEAN is because the government thinks they are more powerful. But we have the numbers and deserve equal recognition.”
He said NATOMORAS has begun compiling a formal petition to the Federal Government and will be seeking legal redress if the issues are not resolved. “We have data on who received tricycles, how many were sold, and who paid N2.5 million. Our members are grassroots transporters who cannot afford these inflated prices.”
He continued, “This was a campaign promise. We held up our end by mobilising across communities. We are not asking for favours—only what was pledged to us.”
According to recent figures from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Presidential CNG Initiative plans to deploy over 5,000 CNG vehicles nationwide by 2026 to curb petrol reliance. But industry observers warn that lack of transparency and potential favouritism could undermine the programme’s integrity.
As the Tinubu administration continues to push forward with its gas adoption agenda, mounting allegations like NATOMORAS’ could spark wider unrest within the informal transport sector, where many still feel excluded from national development benefits.