The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) has announced that the Federal Government is aiming for a billion-dollar annual investment in compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion projects.
Programme Director/CEO of the initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, disclosed this at the launch of a CNG conversion centre at Commercial Parks, Mile 2, Lagos, in collaboration with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
According to Oluwagbemi, there has been a rapid growth in investment over the past year.
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He said, “In the last one year, we’ve invested over $500 million, and more is still coming. Our target this year is a billion-dollar investment. I think we’re already close to $175 million.
“We’ve seen Greenville, NIPCO, and AYM Shafa investing stations. Femadec Energy is investing, and even the federal government, through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), is investing.”
He explained that PCNGi is also investing projects to extend gas supply across northern Nigeria, not just the south.
“Our food comes from the north, and we want cheap food in the south. If we want cheap food in the south, then we must provide gas to the north so that they can transport the food cheaply to the south, and vice versa,” he added.
He said the development of the refueling stations is being fast-tracked through the private sector.
Oluwagbemi added, “There was no infrastructure for CNG in the country then. But the reality is that progress happens, it might be slow, but it will happen surely. When we first got GSM in this country, we did not have towers everywhere. We had to go a little distance, sometimes we even climbed on top of a tree to make a call. It’s no longer the case and it’s getting better because the private sector is investing.”
State Secretary, NURTW, Comr. Usman Teslim, described the initiative as a positive development for the union.
He recalled that the federal government launched the CNG Conversion Centre around this time last year, which has been embraced by union members.
“Time is of utmost importance to drivers. It has been challenging for our members to leave their vehicles parked for one or two days for conversion.
“Now, with PCNGi introducing this new approach, after a day’s work, drivers can have their vehicles checked, and if everything is in order, the conversion can be completed within three to four hours. This is a significant improvement for our organisation,” Teslim said.
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