President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate deployment of about 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits nationwide as part of measures to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on Nigerian commuters.
The directive followed concerns over the surge in petrol and diesel prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its ripple effects on global energy markets.
Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed the development to State House correspondents on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a meeting with the President.
Ahmed said Tinubu is closely monitoring global developments and their implications for Nigeria’s energy costs, particularly the effect of the Middle East crisis on transportation expenses.
According to him, the President directed the initiative to accelerate the rollout of CNG infrastructure and alternative mobility solutions across the country in order to provide Nigerians with cheaper transportation options.
“The President, as usual, is always trying to get information on what is going on, especially with the war in the Middle East and the rising cost of petrol and diesel.
“He wanted to know what we are doing at 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,” he said.
Ahmed explained that the government plans to deploy about 100,000 CNG conversion kits within the next two to three weeks to enable vehicle owners to convert their engines to run on gas.
The kits will be distributed in collaboration with several stakeholders and will target commercial transport operators, including tricycle and vehicle owners.
“So we have about 100,000 kits that we’re going to deploy in the next two to three weeks. The conversion centres will all be bustling with a lot of activities,” he said.
Ahmed added that the initiative will also fast-track the development of infrastructure to support CNG refuelling and electric vehicle charging across the country.
He said the President specifically directed that infrastructure expansion should focus on major transport corridors, particularly within the northern part of the country.
“We must be able to fast-track the infrastructure in bringing gas, CNG and electric mobility charging infrastructure to every part of the country, especially within the Northern Corridor,” Ahmed said.
He noted that about 77 CNG refilling stations are currently at various stages of development nationwide.
Ahmed cited Kano as an example where two Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas stations are already operational, while several additional facilities are under construction.
According to him, the government plans to establish a network of refuelling stations along key transport routes from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano up to Maiduguri.
“These are all places that we are going to litter with a lot of refuelling units,” he said.
Ahmed further disclosed that the Pi-CNG initiative is working with local and international manufacturers to support vehicle conversion and the local assembly of CNG-powered and electric vehicles.
He said several manufacturers had already indicated interest in establishing assembly lines in Nigeria, a move expected to create jobs and strengthen the country’s automotive sector.
He added that the initiative is also collaborating with the Rural Electrification Agency to deploy solar-powered charging stations to support electric vehicles, especially in off-grid locations.
Ahmed noted that Nigerians were already importing electric vehicles and stressed that the government’s priority is to ensure adequate infrastructure to support their usage.
“People are already bringing in their electric vehicles regardless. What we have to do now is to ensure that there is enough infrastructure for them to work with, especially off-grid,” he said.
He added that the President expects rapid implementation of the programme to ensure Nigerians can quickly access cheaper and more sustainable transport alternatives.