The commissioning ceremony took place on Monday near the Shehu of Borno’s Palace, where President Tinubu commended Governor Zulum for his innovative development initiatives.

“Your Excellency (Governor Zulum)… this is exactly ‘Hope Renewed’. Thank you for your good job always. Thank you once again for being innovative and creative; for your concern about your people and the good governance you provide,” Tinubu, who was in Maiduguri for the 2023 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference, said.

“We are going to take advantage of your foresight and proactiveness to at the sub-national level be able to start an assembly plant and add more value to the economy and bring economic prosperity to our people. You (Zulum) are doing a good job, thank you very much,” he added.

President Tinubu had earlier paid respects to the Shehu, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi.

Governor Zulum explained that the move is part of his administration’s metro transport scheme and aims to alleviate the consequences of the fuel subsidy removal.

“Mr. President, after you announced the subsidy removal and your subsequent directive to governors to provide immediate palliative, in Borno State, we decided to invest massively in a mass transit scheme,” the governor stated.

The 107 vehicles have been converted to use electricity and gas, promoting the utilization of low-cost energy sources and affordable transportation.

The fleet includes 35 units of 30-seater gas-powered coaster buses, 12 units of 15-seater gas-powered Hummer buses, 10 units of 50-seater gas-powered mass transit buses, and 50 units of 4-seater electric-powered taxi vehicles.

Earlier this year, the Borno State Government procured 120 buses, with 77 of them launched in September to operate on over 15 routes within the Maiduguri metropolis and Jere Local Government.