FG Moves to Ramp Up CNG Penetration, Begins Free Conversion for Commercial Vehicles

.Says new fuel not only cheaper, but safer

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government yesterday intensified its efforts at ensuring the penetration of the much-talked-about Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) nationwide, with the free conversion of commercial vehicles in Abuja.

Officials of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), who took journalists around major conversion centres, including NIPCO, NASENI/Portland, among others, stressed that focus on commercial vehicles in the first phase was strategic.

PCNGI’s Sales, Business Development and Strategy Manager, Lara Obileye, stated that e-hailing cabs were also part of the conversion scheme, noting that those ones will only pay a fraction of the required funding.

“The e-hailing cabs are supposed to pay a fraction of the cost of the conversion while the transport associations have 100 per cent conversion free and cost of the kits 100 per cent free. Today, we have started with e-hailing cabs and the scheme is going to run around the federation.

“We are starting with Abuja today and Lagos and we will keep rolling out. The announcements will be made regularly as we go to each of the states. Nationwide, we intend to convert over 1 million cars within the first 12 months,” Obileye stated.

THISDAY learnt that under the scheme which is gaining national acceptance, depending on the make or capacity, conversion will range from between N700,000 to N1.8 million.

“For private individuals, the cost of conversion is a range. It depends on the car type. We have four-cylinder, we have six-cylinder and we have eight-cylinder vehicles.

“So, it depends on the size of the cylinder that goes into your vehicle. It ranges anywhere from N700,000 to N1.8 million. For transport owners across the federation, the cost of conversion is 100 per cent free,” Obileye added.

She urged commercial transport operators to approach their transport associations, key in and register so as to be part of the presidential initiative.

Also speaking, the Commercial Operations Manager, PCNGI, Omo Imoukhuede, said the initiative was focused on ensuring that President Bola Tinubu’s mandate concerning CNG penetration was met.

“Currently, for the commercial operators, we are subsidising the kits at 50 per cent, and conversion and installation is free for commercial operators. Now, we see that as a very strategic point in ensuring that the challenges that are being faced currently in our nation are reduced significantly, especially in the transport system.

 “For us, we are very strategic in ensuring that everything that we do in pushing through CNG, that the initiative, the adoption, and the awareness come to light. We’re starting with Abuja.

“We’ll be going out to other states across the federation, and hopefully, as you can see, the work is ongoing. And hopefully, with the direction of Mr. President, we’ll ensure that we’ll complete our task fully,” he stated.

He pointed out that the government was focusing on commercial operators because they are key to the growth of the transport system in Nigeria.

“We’re talking about food. We’re talking about any sorts of mechanical, electrical material and transport all over the country. Now, for the private sector, that is also what we want them to key into,” he said.

An Assistant Manager, NIPCO Gas, Abuja, Ayoola Sunday, who took journalists round one of the facilities on Airport Road, said that CNG was not only cheaper, but also safer than other fuels.

He stated that cars that use CNG will also have the option of using petrol if they so wish, stressing that when one source of fuel is exhausted, it will automatically switch over to the other, even while in motion.