President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the swift nationwide distribution of approximately 100,000 compressed natural gas conversion kits to help Nigerians cope with rising petrol prices amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Ismaeel Ahmed, on Tuesday following a meeting with the president at the State House in Abuja.

Ahmed said Tinubu’s directive is part of the federal government’s wider effort to reduce transportation costs and promote alternative energy sources, amid global oil market volatility driven by the ongoing United States–Israel war with Iran and its impact on fuel prices

“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,” Ahmed said.

“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 stated that roughly 100,000 conversion kits would be deployed within the next two to three weeks, allowing vehicle owners, including tricycle operators, to switch their engines to run on CNG.

“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 added.

Ahmed said Tinubu has also instructed the fast-tracking of nationwide infrastructure for CNG refuelling and electric vehicle charging, with a focus on major transport corridors in the northern region.

“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,” he said.

Ahmed added that 77 CNG refuelling stations are currently under development nationwide.

“In Kano, two Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) stations are already operational, while several daughter stations are under construction,” he said.

He noted that the government plans to establish a series of refuelling points along key transport routes, stretching from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano to Maiduguri.

“These are all places that we are going to litter with a lot of refuelling units,” Ahmed said.

The Pi-CNG chairman also revealed that the initiative is collaborating with local and international manufacturers to boost vehicle conversions and encourage the local assembly of CNG-powered and electric vehicles.

He added that several manufacturers have expressed interest in setting up assembly plants in Nigeria, a development expected to generate jobs and bolster the domestic automotive industry.