President Tinubu Inaugurates NASENI CNG Conversion Centre In Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Friday, inaugurated the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Reverse Engineering Training, Filling, and Conversion Centre in Abuja.
Established in 1992 by the federal government, NASENI focuses on manufacturing development.
President Tinubu, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, highlighted the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a pivotal program supporting private-sector-led gas infrastructure expansion for innovation and industrialization in Nigeria.
“Our administration’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PiCNG) is a flagship programme by which we are actively supporting a private-sector-led rollout of critical gas infrastructure to drive innovation and industrialisation in Nigeria.
He emphasized the importance of utilizing Nigeria’s vast gas resources to achieve net-zero emissions, as outlined in the Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
“It is also a major contribution to our vision of fully harnessing Nigeria’s immense gas resources, as a transition fuel on the journey to net-zero, as envisaged by our Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
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President Tinubu expressed the government’s commitment to exploring various energy options for the transportation sector, including electric vehicles.
“Let me say that we are equally focused on the full range of energy options for powering Nigerian transport sector. So, in addition to gas, electric vehicles are a major plank of our overall strategy.”
“We can and will make Nigeria an African hub of the global Electric Vehicle revolution. Fortunately for us, Nigeria is blessed with abundant deposits of lithium, a key mineral in the development of electric vehicle batteries.
“We have put in a lot of work on the way to the full implementation of the PiCNG, and this commissioning today is a testament to the success of our efforts,” he added.
The President praised NASENI’s efforts, stating that the commissioning of the CNG centre marks a milestone in implementing the PiCNG.
Khali Halilu, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO emphasized the collaborative approach with partners Portland and Kia in developing the CNG centre.
He also mentioned that the facility can convert 15 cars every two hours, resulting in approximately 2,700 conversions per month.