By Abubakar Muhammad Adamu
The Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) has celebrated 30 youths in Adamawa State who benefited from a CNG-powered tricycle loan scheme, with its chairman, Comrade Bashir Muhammad Jimeta, calling on government and other stakeholders to support the initiative to expand its reach.
The beneficiaries were honoured at a reception organised by the association at the Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ office in Yola.
Speaking at the event, Comrade Bashir Muhammad Jimeta expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term ambition, arguing that the President did not assume office to serve for only four years and that another term would provide an opportunity for Nigerians to enjoy more democratic dividends.
He said the CNG tricycle initiative was part of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reduce unemployment, empower young people and provide opportunities for economic self-reliance through access to credit facilities.
The initiative, being implemented through a partnership involving the Consumer Credit Corporation, Sub City Global Consult and TOAN, is expected to deliver 1,000 tricycles to beneficiaries across Adamawa State.
Bashir disclosed that the association had made efforts to pay its counterpart funding for 30 of the 120 tricycles already brought under the arrangement, while appealing to government, wealthy individuals and other stakeholders to support the payment of outstanding counterpart funds to enable more youths to benefit.
He also commended President Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy, maintaining that the policy had not prevented tricycle operators from sustaining their businesses.
The TOAN chairman further declared that members of the association were prepared to promote Tinubu’s political ambition by displaying his photographs on their tricycles, warning against any attempt to interfere with the photographs.
He described the President’s policies as well-intentioned, attributing improvements in security, peaceful coexistence and employment opportunities to the administration.
In his remarks, the Adamawa State Coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Hon. Zakari Madayi, commended Bashir Jimeta, who also serves as Renewed hope Ambassadors’s Director of Contact and Mobilisation, for his efforts in facilitating the tricycle initiative.
He urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the vehicles to improve their livelihoods and achieve the objectives of the empowerment programme.
Madayi also commended the Tinubu administration, noting that there had been no nationwide teachers’ strike since the President assumed office, which he attributed to the administration’s policies.
Earlier, the Adamawa State Coordinator of the Rural Youths Initiative for Good Governance, Hon. Muhammad Raji Alfa, praised TOAN under Bashir Jimeta’s leadership for its commitment to mobilising support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates.
He described the association’s involvement in youth empowerment and political mobilisation as part of its contribution to the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the Tinubu administration for the opportunity, while appealing to government and non-governmental organisations to complement TOAN’s efforts by supporting the counterpart funding required to make the CNG tricycles accessible to more young people.
The association disclosed that Bashir Jimeta had earlier written to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri through the Commissioner for Transport Development, requesting the state government’s support for the initiative.
The scheme is expected to create opportunities for self-employment, income generation and economic independence among young people in Adamawa State through commercial transportation.
Meanwhile, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Yola office has launched it application portal to register ambassadors and new members with a target of 1.5M people across Adamawa state.