President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the rapid rollout of 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits across Nigeria within the next two to three weeks as part of efforts to reduce the burden of rising fuel prices on citizens.
The directive was disclosed on Tuesday by Ismaeel Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), after a meeting with the President at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Ahmed explained that the move was influenced by the global increase in petroleum prices triggered by tensions and conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed up the cost of petrol and diesel and, in turn, transportation expenses for Nigerians.
“The President, as usual, is always trying to get information on what is going on, and especially with the war in the Middle East and the rising cost of petrol and diesel.
“The President wanted to know what we are doing at the Pi-CNG and EV to scale up the availability of gas and CNG everywhere in the country so that people would have less cost of transportation,” Ahmed stated.
According to him, the President has instructed the initiative to immediately move ahead with the large-scale distribution of conversion kits that will allow vehicles to run on natural gas as an alternative to petrol and diesel.
“So the President has given a direct mandate that we should immediately deploy about 100,000 kits.
“We are working with so many other stakeholders that would incentivise and get it into the market immediately and be able to convert a lot of vehicles and tricycles for people to be able to access gas,” the Pi-CNG boss said.
Ahmed said the rollout is expected to begin within two to three weeks, adding that vehicle conversion centres across the country will soon be busy with installation activities.
He revealed that the broader programme also includes introducing vehicles and tricycles equipped with bi-fuel CNG systems and electric mobility technologies.
Tinubu also instructed the initiative to accelerate the development of supporting infrastructure such as gas refilling stations and electric vehicle charging points nationwide, with special attention to northern transport routes.
“He also gave a directive that we must be able to fast-track the infrastructure in bringing gas and CNG, and electric mobility charging infrastructures to every part of the country, especially within the Northern Corridor, so that a lot of people will be able to access this,” Ahmed said.
He disclosed that 77 refilling stations are currently under construction or at different stages of development across Nigeria, with significant activity already underway in Kano.
“In Kano right now, we have about two LCNG stations and about five, six daughter stations that are coming up as well,” he stated.
Ahmed added that the planned infrastructure expansion will stretch across a major northern transport route connecting several cities.
“Along the corridors, from Lokoja all the way to Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, all the way to Maiduguri, these are all places that we are going to litter with a lot of refuelling units. So it’s something that we’re looking forward to,” he said.
He emphasised that the President is keen to see rapid progress so Nigerians can quickly benefit from cheaper transportation options.
“The President wants results delivered very quickly so that Nigerians will be able to access the CNG and electric mobility,” Ahmed stated.
On the issue of domestic production, Ahmed said the programme is working with local manufacturers while also engaging international firms interested in establishing assembly facilities in Nigeria.
“Absolutely, that’s where we’re dealing with partnering with a lot of local manufacturers, and even international manufacturers want to set up assembly lines in Nigeria.
“That is the goal, because it’s about job creation, it’s about availability,” he said.
He also revealed that the initiative is collaborating with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deploy solar-powered charging infrastructure nationwide.
“We’re partnering with REA, that’s the Rural Electrification Agency, to be able to supply solar where we can set up charging stations across,” Ahmed stated.
Ahmed noted that electric vehicles are already being imported into Nigeria by private individuals and that government efforts are focused on ensuring the infrastructure exists to support their use.
“Nigerians are already bringing in their electric vehicles regardless.
“What you have to do for them now is to be able to make sure that there is enough infrastructure for them to work with this, especially off-grid,” Ahmed said.
The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas was launched by Tinubu in 2023 as part of broader measures following the removal of fuel subsidy to reduce reliance on petrol and diesel while lowering transportation costs.
Under the programme, the government aims to convert at least one million vehicles to CNG and establish a nationwide network of refuelling stations to make the alternative fuel widely accessible.
CNG is significantly cheaper than petrol, with the equivalent of a litre costing about 60 to 70 per cent less than premium motor spirit.
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