…Betta Edu hail interventions to ease transport costs, boost women’s businesses and create jobs
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated 50 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered buses in Edo State and unveiled a N1 billion empowerment fund for 5,000 women as part of efforts to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
The initiatives, launched under the Renewed Hope Initiative, are aimed at reducing transportation costs, supporting women-owned businesses and expanding economic opportunities for residents.
Speaking at the ceremony, the First Lady said the interventions reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to easing the economic burden on Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy.
She said affordable transportation remained critical to students, traders, workers and other commuters, noting that the CNG buses would provide a cheaper alternative for residents amid rising transportation costs.
“Behind every bus is a human story. There is a student who needs to get to school. There is a trader who needs to get to the market. There is a civil servant going to work. That is why today’s event is a story of renewed hope,” she said.
Tinubu also stressed the employment opportunities that could emerge from the expansion of CNG transportation, urging the Edo State Government to invest in technical training for young people who could work as technicians, engineers, drivers, mechanics and fleet managers.
She said the N1 billion empowerment fund would benefit 5,000 women, helping them strengthen their businesses, increase household incomes and participate more actively in the local economy.
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and his Kogi State counterpart, Ahmed Usman Ododo, commended the Federal Government’s economic reforms and pledged to sustain programmes designed to improve the welfare of residents.
Okpebholo said the CNG buses would help lower transportation costs and reduce the pressure on commuters, while reaffirming his administration’s support for President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Also speaking, the Director of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Betta Edu, commended President Tinubu and the First Lady for the interventions, describing them as practical measures to cushion the effects of subsidy removal and improve the welfare of Nigerians, particularly women.
Edu said the CNG buses would help ease the transportation burden on residents while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians through the emerging CNG economy.
She also applauded the First Lady for unveiling the N1 billion women empowerment fund, describing it as an opportunity to strengthen women-owned businesses, improve household incomes and expand economic opportunities at the grassroots.
Edu reaffirmed the Directorate’s commitment to mobilising women across the 774 local government areas in support of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, during a visit to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, the First Lady highlighted key interventions of the Renewed Hope Initiative and commended the monarch for his contributions to Edo State and Nigeria.
The initiatives are expected to deliver greater impact through effective implementation, accessible CNG bus services and sustained support for the women targeted under the empowerment programme.
