FG Distributes 1,200 CNG Kits in Five Cities
•Begins free conversion of vehicles in Ogun
James Sowole in Abeokuta
The federal government yesterday distributed 1,200 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits in five cities.
It has also commenced the distribution and installation of conversion kits for commercial vehicle owners in Ogun State.
Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGI), Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michael Oluwagbemi made this known yesterday in Abuja.
He explained that the 50 kits were distributed in 18 centres in five of the eight centres, where the project has been activated.
He said: “We are distributing 50 kits per cent in 18 centres across Nigeria. Additional 200 kits.
“So, we are going to distribute about 1,200 or thereabouts in five cities today. Like I said, these five cities are the five of the eight cities so far.”
Oluwagbemi said by the first quarter of 2024, the total conversions would have hit 1,250,000.
He explained the P-CNGI had liberalised the conversion process by dealing directly with commercial drivers instead of going through their unions.
According to him: “We expect that next that the next round of this project we will be having first come, first serve window at least once in a month and ensure this is an opportunity for commercial drivers who are not necessarily to sitting down with their union, vehicles, union bus that can just drive up without knowing anybody gets converted.”
He recalled that in response to the different protests across the country, President Bola Tinubu had in August directed there should be one million conversion kits available for free for the commercial sector or at deep discounts for the rideshare industries to enable transportation fare to be moderated across the country over the next couple of years.
He said the P-CNGI had so far signed with over 75 conversion partners in eight states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He added that the initiative will be adding nine states in the next eight weeks.
Meanwhile, the P-CNG yesterday began the distribution and installation of conversion kits for commercial vehicle owners in Ogun State.
The exercise, which was done in two locations in Abeokuta, the state capital, started with the inspection of vehicles brought by the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The two centres in Abeokuta were located within the premises of the Ogun State Public Works Agency, Quarry Road, and at NEXGEN Automobile, Olorunsogo in the Abeokuta metropolis.
For this stage of the conversion of petrol engine to the CNG-enabled, the exercise, according to P-CNGI, would be done free of charge for commercial vehicle operators, adding that a total of110 cylinders of different capacities and conversion kits, were received at the two centres in Abeokuta.
The installation of the free CNG conversion kits was in continuation of the federal government’s commitment towards achieving the conversion of one million petroleum vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by the year 2027 under the Conversion Incentive Programme (CIP) initiative.
Speaking with journalists at one of the conversion centres in Abeokuta, the Director of Vehicle Inspection Services in the State Ministry of Transportation, Mr Olugboyega Adetimehin, said benefitting vehicles have to undergo inspection, to determine whether they are convertible.
Adetimehin explained that a 75-litre CNG cylinder will cover a range of 150 kilometres journey, thereby contributing to the reduction of transportation fares as envisaged by the federal government following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“The cylinder is molded and not welded and is as thick as 60 mm, bulletproof, accident proof and cannot cause any explosion. In Abeokuta here we have two refilling stations presently and one at Ibafo. To install a kit for a petrol engine it takes 4-5 hours but for a diesel engine it would take three days”.
