The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, gave the assurance on Thursday, November 12th 2026, when he received the Initiative’s promoters at the Shehu Shagari Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
The meeting was anchored by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, OSGF, Mrs. Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens, FCA, FNIM. Also on the government side were the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office, OSGF, Mr Sani Yargaya Aminu; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John; and the Special Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr Nurudeen Zauro.
The RHETI delegation was led by its Chief Convener and Initiator, Dr Haruna Madisca Achile, and its Lead Consultant, Prince Ade Omole. Others on the team were Dr Nick Apata, Dr Pauline Amiebenomo, Dr Michael Tomori, Lady Marlene Onyeocha, Hon. Tokunbo Oladeinde, Mr Joseph Asan, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Hassan, the National President of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NACTOMORAS); and senior executives of Caser Industries Company Limited.
Presenting the Initiative, Dr Achile said the removal of the fuel subsidy had sharply raised the cost of getting to work for millions of Nigerian households, making safe, efficient and affordable public transport a national priority.
He described RHETI as a public-private partnership that combines the technical expertise, investment and delivery discipline of the private sector with the Federal Government’s policy leadership, coordinating reach and enabling environment. Such an arrangement, he said, would speed up delivery, share both risk and reward, and turn the Renewed Hope Agenda into something Nigerians can see and feel on their way to work every morning.
Dr Achile explained that the rollout would be phased, beginning with a pilot route in one city in each geopolitical zone and expanding based on the results. He undertook to report regularly to the OSGF on jobs created, kilometres covered and savings made by commuters.
According to the promoters, the Initiative supports several priorities of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Lower fares and reduced fuel spending would ease the cost of living for urban commuters. The project would complement the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) and Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, and create jobs for drivers, technicians and charging-station operators, with local assembly and parts manufacturing to follow in time. Being privately financed, it would place no fresh burden on the federal budget. And with pilots launching in all six zones at the same time, every region would share in a visible dividend of the Renewed Hope Agenda, strengthening national unity.
Responding, Senator Akume commended the promoters for the vision and seriousness behind the Initiative. He described it as a timely and practical response to the transport costs confronting millions of Nigerians, and one closely aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This is the kind of partnership the Renewed Hope Agenda was designed to inspire,” the SGF said. “It brings private sector ingenuity together with government leadership to solve a problem Nigerians feel every single day. My office will provide the support and coordination it needs, working with the relevant ministries and agencies, so that it moves quickly from proposal to reality. We are committed to its success.”
To sustain the momentum, the SGF recommended that a small, focused committee, led by the Initiative’s Lead Consultant, Prince Omole, develop a detailed implementation framework. The committee is to submit the framework within 14 days for Presidential approval.
In his closing remarks, Dr Achile thanked the SGF and the government team for their warm reception and clear commitment. He said support for RHETI had already extended well beyond government, noting that offtakers, represented at the meeting by the President of NACTOMORAS, as well as operators, investors and other stakeholders, had all expressed strong interest in taking part in the rollout.
With that coalition in place and the OSGF backing secured, he said, the Initiative was ready to move as soon as the necessary approvals are granted. Nigerian commuters, he added, would soon enjoy a cleaner, more affordable and more dignified ride to work.
