The Federal Government has renewed efforts to deploy one million compressed natural gas-powered vehicles nationwide, directing officials to speed up investments in refuelling infrastructure and vehicle conversion facilities to lower transportation costs.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, gave the directive in Abuja over the weekend while receiving progress reports from the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles and the Decade of Gas Secretariat.
Ekpo said the government must ensure its autogas policy delivers tangible benefits to Nigerians, particularly through lower transport fares following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, Ekpo directed the leadership of both bodies to identify key interventions, expand infrastructure and strengthen initiatives aimed at accelerating the nationwide adoption of compressed natural gas.
The statement read, “The Federal Government has pledged to intensify efforts to promote compressed natural gas as a cheaper alternative fuel for transportation, with a renewed focus on accelerating the rollout of one million CNG-powered vehicles across the country.”
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, directed the leadership of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles and the Decade of Gas Secretariat to prioritise key interventions, increase investments, expand refuelling infrastructure and strengthen programmes to accelerate nationwide CNG adoption.
Compressed natural gas is generally cheaper than petrol on an energy-equivalent basis, making it a potential alternative for reducing fuel costs for transport operators and easing the burden on commuters. However, the extent of these benefits depends on the availability of refuelling stations, affordable vehicle conversion services, a reliable gas supply and operators passing the savings on to passengers through lower fares.
Ekpo said Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources presented an opportunity to reduce transportation costs, boost domestic gas consumption and drive economic growth.
“Nigeria is a gas nation with a gas reserves index of over 80 yrs, and that is why we are talking about the Decade(s) of Gas,” he said.
He emphasised the need to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive to lower transportation costs through CNG adoption, assuring that the government would sustain its support for the initiative.
“It is important that we listen to the directive of Mr. President to make transportation cheaper via CNG. We will continue to give you all the backing, to provide the necessary assistance to make sure we drive this project to a logical conclusion,” the minister said.
The Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, said the initiative would step up investments and programmes to expand refuelling infrastructure and increase the number of vehicles converted to run on gas.
He added that the measures were aimed at improving CNG accessibility for transport operators and helping lower fares for millions of Nigerians.
