NIGERIA—Nigeria has committed US$80 million to convert 5,500 vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG), marking a significant stride in curbing pollution in the transport sector.
Earlier announcements by the federal government outlined plans to have one million CNG-powered vehicles on the road by 2027, emphasizing a concerted effort toward sustainable transportation solutions.
Furthermore, through the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi), the Federal Government has attracted a US$50 million deal for converting commercial vehicles to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The P-CNGi Programme Director/Chief Executive, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, said the deal, which was a private sector initiative, would enable the construction of CNG conversion workshop infrastructure across the country.
P-CNGi is a component of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s palliative directed at providing succour to the masses following the removal of fuel subsidies.
The federal government’s initiative to launch and deploy CNG vehicles for mass transit, scheduled to kick off in May, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s one-year milestone in office.
“We will be announcing on May 29 a targeted conversion incentive program for the mass transit sector,” he said.
“We are working with our partners in the mass transit sector, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), to determine modalities for providing the equipment and incentives.”
He said the initiative’s first phase would roll out 100 conversion workshops and 60 refueling sites across 18 states in Nigeria before the end of 2024.
In Nigeria, the transport sector is as much a priority as health and education. In fact, in this West African country, the most populous continent, there are as many vehicles (15 million) as city dwellers (15 million in Lagos), which explains the endless traffic jams in major cities.
The other major challenge is air pollution, which is mainly caused by the current vehicle fleet, which primarily consists of aging combustion-powered vehicles.
While waiting to switch to “all-electric,” which is the long-term solution for decarbonizing transport, Nigeria is opting for vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG)
The conversion, part of Nigeria’s US$2.5 billion Energy Transition Plan, includes 2,700 buses and tricycles, the main modes of transport used by Nigerians. At least 100 conversion stations will be installed progressively across 18 states.
While the federal government’s investment may seem sustainable at first glance, it should be remembered that natural gas, whether liquefied or compressed, is, first and foremost, a fossil fuel. But it is considered a transitional energy. More specifically, CNG cars with two tanks emit 85% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than cars powered by diesel and petrol.
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