The federal government said it will intensify efforts to promote Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cheaper alternative for transportation, with a target to roll out one million CNG-powered vehicles across the country.
Louis Ibah, spokesperson for the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, Mr Ekpo gave the charge at the weekend in Abuja while receiving progress updates from the leadership of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) and the Decade of Gas (DoGas) Secretariat.
Mr Ekpo directed the two bodies to focus on critical interventions, scale up investments, expand CNG infrastructure and strengthen programmes to drive nationwide adoption.
He said the drive has become imperative following the removal of the petrol subsidy and the need to provide Nigerians with a more affordable and environmentally friendly alternative, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive.
“Nigeria is a gas nation with a gas reserves index of over 80 years, and that is why we are talking about the Decade(s) of Gas.
“It is important that we listen to the directive of Mr President to make transportation cheaper via CNG. We will continue to give you all the backing to provide the necessary assistance to make sure we drive this project to a logical conclusion,” Mr Ekpo said.
According to him, Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources present an opportunity to lower transportation costs, deepen domestic gas utilisation and stimulate economic growth.
He stressed the need for sustained investments in refuelling infrastructure, vehicle conversions and other critical components required to accelerate CNG adoption.
Mr Ekpo noted that domestic gas supply has risen above two billion cubic feet per day for the first time in Nigeria’s history.
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He commended the Pi-CNG & EV leadership for progress recorded under its current management and assured the initiative of the government’s continued support.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman/CEO of Pi-CNG & EV, Ismaeel Ahmed, said the initiative would step up investments and programmes to expand CNG infrastructure and increase vehicle conversions nationwide to deliver cheaper transport fares for millions of Nigerians.
Mr Ahmed said a joint industry market study completed by the Decade of Gas Secretariat provides a framework for accelerating rollout, tracking progress, identifying gaps and strengthening implementation.
Similarly, the Coordinator of the Decade of Gas Secretariat, Ed Ubong, described CNG as a key component of Nigeria’s energy transition and assured continued support for the presidential initiative and efforts to increase domestic and export gas utilisation for the benefit of Nigerians as well as investors.
