In an effort to provide an affordable alternative and reduce the cost of transportation, the federal government has released a list of locations across the country where motorists can convert their petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The conversion will be at no cost for commercial transporters across different unions, including the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), among others. Ride-share operators have also been included in the scheme, with a target of free one million conversions by 2027.
According to the program director and chief executive of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi), Michael Oluwagbemi, the cost of converting a petrol-powered vehicle to CNG ranges between N300,000 to about N600,000, depending on the type of car and components.
As part of the government's response to the increase in fuel prices, NNPCL and NIPCO Gas have entered a strategic partnership to expand CNG stations across Nigeria. The collaboration is set to establish 35 CNG stations nationwide, of which 12 were commissioned in Lagos and Abuja in the past week.
Under the Presidential CNG Initiative, CNG is priced at around N200 per standard cubic foot for cars, taxis, and tricycles, while CNG for heavy commercial vehicles is sold at N260 per standard cubic meter (SCM).
The list of CNG conversion centres provided includes locations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan, Benin City, Warri, Ajaokuta, Abuja, Oron, and several other cities across the country.
This initiative aims to provide a more affordable alternative to traditional fuel, thereby reducing the burden on transportation costs for Nigerians.