The Federal Government has commenced the deployment of 100 electric mass transit buses for federal civil servants as part of efforts to reduce transportation costs, improve workers’ welfare and boost productivity.
The first batch of 37 buses was commissioned on Wednesday at Eagle Square, Abuja, by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, under the Federal Civil Service Electric Mass Transit Programme.
The initiative, approved by the Federal Executive Council under the Renewed Hope Mass Transit Scheme, is expected to provide federal workers with safer, more affordable and reliable transportation along designated routes within the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the commissioning, Walson-Jack said transportation remained a major factor affecting the finances, safety, punctuality and productivity of civil servants.
“For many civil servants, the daily commute shapes their finances, their safety, their punctuality and ultimately their productivity,” she said.
With her tenure as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approaching its end, Walson-Jack described the commissioning of the electric buses as a fitting parting gift to federal civil servants.
She said the programme would continue to benefit workers long after her departure from office.
According to her, the buses were funded through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund and reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to translating President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda into tangible benefits for workers.
Walson-Jack also linked the initiative to other government interventions, including the review of the national minimum wage, the wage award introduced following the removal of the fuel subsidy, digitalisation of the public service and renewed attention to pensions, promotions, employee compensation and health insurance.
“Each is a thread in the same commitment that reform must be felt, not merely announced,” she said.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the programme as more than the provision of buses, saying it represented an investment in workers’ welfare, productivity and Nigeria’s industrial development.
He said the full deployment of the 100 electric buses would provide dedicated transportation for federal civil servants and help reduce the burden of commuting costs on workers’ household incomes.
According to Enoh, each bus can accommodate up to 200 passengers and travel at least 200 kilometres on a full charge.
He added that the initiative would also support the growth of Nigeria’s automotive industry and contribute to the Federal Government’s broader industrialisation agenda.
The buses, approved by the National Automotive Design and Development Council, are expected to operate along designated routes linking major residential areas with the Federal Secretariat and other government offices in Abuja.
The initial deployment will serve as an operational phase to test the scheme and establish a framework for its wider rollout across the federal public service.
