•Car displaying a gas bottle to convert it to gas combustion at a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) center in Lagos
In a bid to address the impact of the war in the Middle East on the cost of transportation in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate deployment of about 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits across the country.
The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed this after meeting with the president at the State House, Abuja.
Ahmed said the president is keenly monitoring global developments and their impact on Nigeria’s energy costs, particularly the effect of the Middle East conflict on fuel prices and transportation, reports Channels TV.
According to him, Tinubu has mandated the Pi-CNG initiative to accelerate the rollout of CNG infrastructure and alternative mobility solutions nationwide.
Ahmed said the kits would enable vehicle owners and tricycle operators to convert their engines from petrol to CNG.
He added that the deployment would begin within the next two to three weeks.
The Pi-CNG chairman explained that the government is already developing a network of refuelling stations and charging facilities to support the transition to gas-powered and electric vehicles, noting that about 77 CNG refilling stations are currently at various stages of development nationwide.
He referenced Kano, where two Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) stations are already operational, while several “daughter stations” are under construction.
The government, Ahmed stated, plans to establish a chain of refuelling points along major transport routes stretching from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano up to Maiduguri.
Ahmed further revealed 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 noted that several manufacturers have already indicated interest in setting up assembly lines in Nigeria, a move he said would boost job creation and strengthen the local automotive industry.
The move came as fuel prices in Nigeria hit over N1,000 owing to the war between Iran and the United States/Israel.
On Monday, the Dangote Refinery increased the price of petrol to ₦1,175 per litre, up from ₦995 per litre on March 7 and ₦874 per litre on March 2.
But yesterday, the refinery dropped the price of the essential commodity.
