Why FG wants Nigerians to use CNG-powered vehicles

• The Nigerian government has declared that transport workers across Nigeria can now purchase cheaper fuel
• The development follows the free conversion of petrol and diesel-powered engines to CNG
• The Nigerian government disclosed that it targets the conversion of 250,000 vehicles annually

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.

Nigerian road users will now relax as the road transport workers have promised to reduce the cost of fares across the 36 states in Nigeria.

The development comes as the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) campaign begins in Lagos.

Petrol stations begin selling fuel priced at N200 nationwide Credit: Bloomberg/Contributor
Source: Getty Images

Transporters to reduce costs

Members of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Tricyclists, among others from the Southwest, gathered to begin converting their vehicles from petrol—and diesel-powered engines to CNG.

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Programme Director and Chief Executive of Presidential CNG Initiative Michael Oluwgbemi said the campaign had been launched in 14 states.

According to reports, Oluwagbemi disclosed that President Bola Tinubu's CNG initiative would help transport operators and commercial bus drivers in the Southwest and across Nigeria save costs as the price of petrol has increased.

He disclosed that over 30,000 CNGs have been made available and ready for distribution, stating that the committee would ensure that transport operators would benefit from the initiative.

250,000 vehicles to be converted annually

Reports say Folarin Oworu, the Programme Execution Coordinator of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi), said the Nigerian government targets converting 250,000 vehicles annually by 2025.

He said the Nigerian government would mobilize all 36 states by year-end to convert petrol—and diesel-powered vehicles to cleaner and more affordable CNG.

FG provides free conversion kits

Oworu disclosed this at a rally in Kaduna, where about 100 conversion kits were distributed to commercial transport union members.

He disclosed that the N1.5 million kits would be free for transport unions to reduce transport costs. 

The development comes as the Nigerian government listed centers nationwide where vehicle owners can go for free conversion of their vehicles.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) recently opened more filling stations to sell CNG to vehicle owners at N200.

FG speaks on powering 3 million CNG-powered vehicles

Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government has said that every one million cars converted to run on compressed natural gas will save almost $2.5 billion annually.

At the South-South/South-East Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on the Presidential Initiative on CNG, which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Friday, Michael Oluwagbemi, the initiative's program director, shared more insights about it.

According to Oluwagbemi, the project has the potential to lessen the inflation that is now plaguing the country's economy.

Source: Legit.ng