The Federal Government plans to save $12 million daily by reducing the consumption of 50 million litres of petrol every 24 hours through the conversion of vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The government aims to convert one million vehicles to CNG, resulting in an annual savings of $4.4 billion, according to Zayyan Tambari, Coordinator for Regulations, Compliance, and Facilitation at the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PCNGi).
During a session on the Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS) in Abuja, Tambari mentioned that an investment of $890 million is needed to establish alternative fuel infrastructure.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by Abel Nsa, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully utilizing the nation’s gas resources. Ekpo emphasized the importance of ensuring the safe use of CNG as vehicle fuel.
“We need to address the safety issues in the use of CNG. Education and specific tools and materials are necessary for safe usage,” Ekpo said.
Michael Oluwagbemi, PCNGi Programme Director and CEO, highlighted the benefits of transitioning to natural gas, describing it as more affordable, cleaner, safer, and sustainable for the economy.
“In doing this transition, we need to make sure that the transition is smooth and ensure that any bad actors are identified and fished out, and that we all comply with the necessary basic technical regulations” he said.
“In achieving this, we need the cooperation of all members of the ecosystem right from the point of inspection or conversion to the point of use, right from the point of manufacturing or importation of any part to the point of installation, there is a need that we have a very strong regulatory regime.”
