The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative has reported significant progress in its first year, attracting over $500 million in investments and facilitating the conversion of more than 50,000 vehicles to run on Compressed Natural Gas.

In response to media reports alleging a slow rollout of CNG infrastructure, PCNGI Programme Director and CEO, Michael Oluwagbemi, described the claims as “alarmist” and “unreflective” of the strides made under President Bola Tinubu’s administration to promote alternative, cleaner fuels in Nigeria’s transport sector.

In a statement on Monday, Oluwagbemi stated that since its official launch in May 2024, the initiative has created over 10,000 direct jobs, established 255 vehicle conversion centres, and rolled out 53 CNG dispensing daughter stations nationwide—marking a major step forward in Nigeria’s transition to cleaner transportation.

“We note the latest alarmist headlines on the fate of the thriving CNG sector by a sceptical section of the media. But such narratives ignore the incredible progress made in just seven months,” the statement read.

He explained that the initiative was launched to encourage the use of CNG and electric vehicles, attract private investment in the alternative transport energy sector, and coordinate regulatory frameworks to support its expansion.

He recalled that before May 2024, CNG adoption in Nigeria was nearly absent, with only 11 stations in operation—remnants of a 2017 pilot project by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Oluwagbemi said at the time, public interest was low, and misinformation about CNG was widespread.

Just one year later, he noted, the situation has changed dramatically.

“From May 2024, the PCNGI set out to implement its mandate in line with the directive and vision of Mr President, which was to: Incentive the adoption of CNG and EV vehicles to ensure sustainable transportation for all Nigerians, facilitate investments into the alternative energy sector for transportation and coordinate regulation of the emerging sector for rapid growth.

“Because the initial desire of the President was greeted with scepticism, the start-up work of the PCNGI was to embark on an intensive awareness campaign which was conducted from May to October 2024; hardly any CNG vehicles were on our roads and no demand at the few eleven CNG stations nationwide since a 2017 pilot by NNPCL,” he stated.

The PCNGI boss noted that even the most committed advocates initially doubted there would be demand for CNG vehicles, as misinformation and fake news about CNG dominated the media space.

He emphasized that public skepticism was high, making the programme’s current achievements even more significant.

“In one year, the CNG sector has attracted over $500m in investments and created over 10,000 direct jobs. 255 new conversion centres that didn’t exist last year and 53 daughter stations exist today as a result of some of those investments.

“Nigerians love CNG, and the programme is working. With over 50,000 converted vehicles on Nigerian roads, and projections to hit 100,000 soon, it is expected that CNG station queues will grow due to the unprecedented rise in demand,” Oluwagbemi stated.