President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate deployment of 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits nationwide to mitigate rising transportation costs, a move directly responding to economic pressures from the Middle East conflict.
The directive, announced by Ismaeel Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), follows a meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Ahmed stated that Tinubu is closely monitoring the global crisis and its potential to inflate fuel prices and transport expenses in Nigeria.
The kits are slated for distribution within the next two to three weeks through a collaborative framework involving multiple stakeholders. The primary aim is to enable vehicle owners, particularly commercial operators including tricycles, to switch to CNG, a significantly cheaper alternative to petrol.
The expansion of CNG infrastructure will be strategically prioritized along key national transportation corridors, with an initial focus on the northern region. This aligns with the Federal Government’s plan to establish a dedicated refueling network. Currently, about 77 CNG stations are under development across the country. A flagship route is planned, stretching from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano to Maiduguri, to create a continuous gas-powered transport spine.
This policy intervention seeks to provide immediate economic relief to Nigeria’s transport-dependent populace and commerce. By accelerating the shift to a domestically sourced, lower-cost energy option for transport, the government aims to insulate the sector from volatile global oil markets. The success of the initiative hinges on the swift distribution of kits and the concurrent rollout of refueling infrastructure, representing a significant step in Nigeria’s broader energy transition strategy.
