‘FG Committed to Free CNG Conversion of Commercial Vehicles’
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The federal government under its Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi), has restated its commitment to free conversion of petrol-powered commercial vehicles into compressed natural gas (CNG) across the country.
The Business Development Executive, P-CNGi, Louisa Afu, who gave the commitment at the weekend in Ibadan, during the kick-off of the distribution of conversion kits at three locations, said it is part of the efforts of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy and promote cleaner energy.
According to her, the conversion process which has been carried out by certified technicians involves installation of CNG kits in vehicles allowing them to run on natural gas instead of petrol.
She noted that the free conversion exercise is expected to benefit many commercial vehicle owners in Ibadan and its environs who will not only reduce their fuel costs but also contribute to a cleaner environment.
She said: “We are here on behalf of President Bola Tinubu to hand over 150 conversion kits and cylinders, these kits are to be used by commercial vehicles and it is one of the ways the President is using to tackle the pains of Nigerians as a result of the removal of subsidy.
“CNG is proper and better option, gas is cheaper, sustainable and safer, Nigeria is a gas country because we have more gas than oil, gas is more sustainable, we have refilling stations in Ibadan, and more of them are still coming up, every vehicle from 1996 till date can be converted from petrol to CNG.”
The Vice Chairman and Treasurer, Park Management System (PMS) in Oyo State, Alhaji Ademola Adeoye and Comrade Kamorudeen Idowu, in their separate remarks, thanked President Tinubu for the initiative, describing it as a welcome development in the transportation sector.
They agreed that the use of CNG will reduce the cost they spend on petrol, adding that cost of transportation will begin to reduce as soon as their members begin to embrace the initiative.
A CNG user, Dr. Sowole Jayieola, on his part, however, lamented that cost of conversion to CNG is still high, urging government to reduce the cost for more Nigerians to embrace it.
“I converted my car to CNG about two months, it is the best way to go. I used to spend between N200,000 to N250,000 monthly on petrol, but now that I have converted to CNG, I now spend between N25,000 to N26,000 monthly.”
