President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate deployment of 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas conversion kits within the next two to three weeks to cushion the impact of rising petrol and diesel costs on Nigerians.
The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday after meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja.
Ahmed said the directive was informed by the ongoing war in the Middle East and its impact on global petroleum prices, which have increased transportation costs for Nigerians.
“The President, as usual, is always trying to get information on what is going on, and especially with the war in the Middle East and the rising cost of petrol and diesel.
“The President wanted to know what we are doing at the Pi-CNG and EV to scale up the availability of gas and CNG everywhere in the country so that people would have less cost of transportation,” Ahmed stated.
He revealed that Tinubu gave a direct mandate for the mass deployment of conversion kits to make natural gas more accessible as an alternative to petrol and diesel.
“So the President has given a direct mandate that we should immediately deploy about 100,000 kits.
“We are working with so many other stakeholders that would incentivise and get it into the market immediately and be able to convert a lot of vehicles and tricycles for people to be able to access gas,” the Pi-CNG boss said.
Ahmed emphasised that the deployment would commence within two to three weeks, with conversion centres expected to be “bustling with a lot of conversion activities.”
He disclosed that the initiative includes plans to deploy vehicles and tricycles equipped with bi-fuel CNG and electric mobility capabilities.
The President also directed the Pi-CNG to fast-track infrastructure development for gas refilling stations and electric vehicle charging points across the country, with particular focus on the Northern corridor.
“He also gave a directive that we must be able to fast-track the infrastructure in bringing gas and CNG, and electric mobility charging infrastructures to every part of the country, especially within the Northern Corridor, so that a lot of people will be able to access this,” Ahmed said.
The Pi-CNG chairman revealed that 77 refilling stations are currently at different stages of development nationwide, with significant progress recorded in Kano State.
“In Kano right now, we have about two LCNG stations and about five, six daughter stations that are coming up as well,” he stated.
Ahmed disclosed that the Northern corridor, stretching from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, and all the way to Maiduguri, will be equipped with multiple refuelling units to ensure seamless access to CNG for motorists.
“Along the corridors, from Lokoja all the way to Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, all the way to Maiduguri, these are all places that we are going to litter with a lot of refuelling units. So it’s something that we’re looking forward to,” he said.
The Pi-CNG boss emphasised that the President wants results delivered quickly to ensure Nigerians can access CNG and electric mobility options.
“The President wants results delivered very quickly so that Nigerians will be able to access the CNG and electric mobility,” Ahmed stated.
On local manufacturing, Ahmed disclosed that the initiative is partnering with domestic manufacturers and attracting international manufacturers interested in setting up assembly lines in Nigeria.
“Absolutely, that’s where we’re dealing with partnering with a lot of local manufacturers, and even international manufacturers want to set up assembly lines in Nigeria.
“That is the goal, because it’s about job creation, it’s about availability,” he said.
He revealed that the Pi-CNG is collaborating with the Rural Electrification Agency to deploy solar-powered charging stations across the country.
“We’re partnering with REA, that’s the Rural Electrification Agency, to be able to supply solar where we can set up charging stations across,” Ahmed stated.
He noted that Nigerians are already importing electric vehicles independently, and the government’s responsibility is to provide adequate infrastructure to support their use.
“Nigerians are already bringing in their electric vehicles regardless.
“What you have to do for them now is to be able to make sure that there is enough infrastructure for them to work with this, especially off-grid,” Ahmed said.
PUNCH Online reports that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas was launched by Tinubu in 2023 as part of efforts to reduce dependence on petrol and diesel and lower transportation costs following the removal of fuel subsidy.
The initiative aims to convert one million vehicles to CNG and establish CNG refilling infrastructure across the country to make the alternative fuel widely accessible to Nigerians.
CNG is significantly cheaper than petrol, with a litre equivalent costing approximately 60-70 per cent less than premium motor spirit.
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