The Nigerian Government says the conversion of vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas is free for commercial operators, with a 50% subsidy on the cost of conversion kits.
The Operations Manager of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Omo Imokwede disclosed this to Journalists during an inspection of ongoing vehicle conversions in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to Imokwede, the PCNGI initiative aims to convert one million commercial vehicles from petrol to CNG by 2027, in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate
He explained that installation is also free for commercial operators.
“There’s hope in sight. We’re rolling out various conversion centres across the nation. Right now, we’ve kicked off in Abuja. We’re moving towards Lagos and other regions across Nigeria. One thing is clear: PCNGI is pushing this initiative to ensure that conversion centres are accessible to all. The key words are awareness and adoption. Once that is set in motion, especially in the mindset of Nigerians, we’re ensuring that kits are available across the board. The end result is bright. Nigerians should be happy and rejoice that we have enough gas to sustain us. Why can’t we convert that to energy to power our transport system? This is a testament to Mr. President’s direction and vision, pushing through the initiative so that each and every one of us can benefit. There’s hope for us.”
Imokwede also noted that a reasonable number of the centres visited can convert between three to five vehicles per day on average.
“At different centres, we have sensors that can handle between 15 to 20 conversions per day. Imagine if we have those conversion centres across Nigeria; you’re looking at a significant turnaround time. When you multiply that by the number of conversion centres we have, within the next year, a considerable number of cars—both small vehicles and buses alike—can be converted.”
He further explained that, “The plan with the initiative is to ensure the availability of kits is 100 percent in place. We have kits in port that are being rolled out. The specific strategy is to ensure that once these kits become available, execution will be instant, which is paramount for us. The turnaround time is very important. We are definitely going to ease the stress on every Nigerian with this initiative. For commercial vehicle owners, the conversion is free, and the kits are 50 percent subsidized. The initiative and incentive program are pushing through free conversion for commercial vehicles that kick off in Abuja. We are working with transport associations. Nigerians will start feeling the impact of these initiatives. In the vision of Mr. President, our mandate is clear, and we have partners across the value chain.”
The Business Development and Strategy Manager, Omolara Obileye, while explaining the specifics of the conversion scheme during the inspection at the NASENI Portland conversion centre, outlined the varying costs for private individuals, which depend on the size of the CNG cylinder, ranging from 700,000 to 1.8 million naira.
She added that the initiative has started conversion for commercial vehicles.
“We are starting with Abuja today and Lagos, and we will keep rolling out. Announcements will be made regularly as we go to each of the states. Private cars are supposed to pay a fraction of the cost of the conversion, while the transport associations have 100 percent free conversion. However, the cost depends on the vehicle size, as different types of vehicles require different configurations. We have over 12 conversion centres in the Federal Capital Territory, and we will continue to increase the numbers and update the public.”
At Mijo Gas Auto, the Head of the Centre, Mr. Gaurav Goyal, described CNG as very safe and clean.
“What we want from every Nigerian is to go green. It will be a very good initiative for bringing down the price of items, including the cost of PMS. CNG is not only pocket-friendly, it will reduce food product pricing because transportation will be more cost-effective.”
One of the CNG Engineers, Mr. Joseph Smith, said the price of a litre of CNG is N230 at NIPCO Oil and Gas station.
“With this, a driver can use CNG worth N3000 to travel from Abuja to Kaduna.”
Smith further explained that there is an automatic switch button that can alternate between CNG and fuel in the car without causing any issues.
Car owners were seen at the centres, trying to convert their cars to CNG, and others who have already converted theirs were buying CNG at N230 per litre.
The CNG Conversion Centres visited in Abuja include NIPCO oil and gas station at Airport Road, Kia Motors at Utako, Mijo Gas Auto in Jahi, and ABG CNG in Kubwa.
PIAK
