Nigeria has officially commissioned a pilot conversion centre for vehicles that will run on compressed natural gas (CNG) in the Federal Capital Territory.
The centre is expected to boost the government’s CNG initiative and mitigate the effect of petrol subsidy removal by reducing transportation costs.
The Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, said the adoption of a more environmentally friendly energy source like CNG would help to reposition the transportation sector.
“Greenhouse gas emissions pose health hazards and dire environmental consequences,” Alkali said. “Nigeria can not afford to lag considering that she is a signatory to Green House Emission policy aimed at reducing carbon emission in the environment.”
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy, Magdalene Ajani, urged Nigerians to consider the conversion of vehicles to CNG as a symbol of a new beginning.
“The CNG initiative is not only about the conversion of vehicles but also about generating employment opportunities,” Ajani said. “The goal is to build a sustainable future by leveraging our own cheap and clean energy sources.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative Steering Committee, Micheal Oluwagbemi, described the adoption of CNG as a significant development in diversifying the transportation sector from fuel dependency to natural gas.
“The CNG centre would pave the way for a more ecologically sustainable and economically prosperous future in Nigeria,” Oluwagbemi said.
The P-CNGi Steering Committee said seven CNG conversion centres have been established in the country.
“Today, as we officially open the Abuja Conversion Centre, we go beyond the inauguration of a facility; we extend a hand to a greener, more sustainable, and affordable future,” Oluwagbemi said. “We are not just changing how we fuel our vehicles; we are changing lives, one job at a time.”
The facility is located at the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology in Abuja.
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