President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate distribution of about 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits nationwide for vehicles.
The move is aimed at shielding Nigerian drivers from soaring fuel costs fueled by the escalating Middle East conflict.
Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, who announced on Thursday said the decision comes as global oil prices climb due to the United States-Israel war with Iran.
Speaking after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ahmed said the President had closely tracked the crisis’s ripple effects on Nigeria’s petrol and diesel prices.
“He wanted to know what we are doing at Pi-CNG and EV to scale up the availability of gas and CNG across the country so that people would face lower transportation costs,” Ahmed told reporters.
The kits, set for deployment over the next two to three weeks through partnerships with stakeholders, target commercial operators, tricycle riders and other vehicle owners.
Conversion centers nationwide are expected to see a surge in activity, Ahmed said.
President Tinubu also instructed accelerated development of CNG refueling stations and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, with a focus on major northern transport corridors from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano and Maiduguri.
Currently, 77 CNG stations are under development across the country, including two operational liquefied CNG stations in Kano and additional “daughter stations” nearby.
Pi-CNG is partnering with manufacturers for local assembly of gas-powered and electric vehicles, spurring job growth, and with the Rural Electrification Agency for solar-powered chargers in off-grid areas.
Nigerians are already importing EVs in growing numbers, Ahmed noted.
“What we have to do now is to ensure that there is enough infrastructure for them to work with,” he said.
