FG to Convert Vehicles, Generators to Gas Alternatives Free-of-Charge

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has disclosed that the conversion of vehicles and power generating sets to gas-fuelling will be done for Nigerians free of charge from October.

This was made known by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, during a national television show on Monday. He explained that the move was a follow-up to his promise upon appointment, to provide cheaper, cleaner and affordable alternative fuel.

According to him, the federal government will convert vehicles and generating sets without any charge as the gas would be cheaper compared to petrol.

He said: “The alternative we are now introducing is gas, which is definitely going to be cheaper than the subsidised rate of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). So, what we are trying to encourage Nigerians to do now is to convert their cars to dual fuel.

“That means your car can use either gas or petrol and that will be done for free because the government is going to ensure that you are able to convert your vehicles for free”.

He continued, “And when you convert your car for free, you go to the filling station, you see the price of PMS, you see the price of gas, you can decide to buy LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) or CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), you can decide to buy LNG (Liquefied Natural gas). These are all going to be available and we are going to have a roll-out plan for this within October”.

“Nigerians will have alternatives. It is like introducing a toll on the roads. When you introduce a tollgate, you are expected and required by law to also create an alternative. So, we are also creating that alternative so that you can go to buy gas,” he added.

This development is coming after the minister recently directed civil servants that their official cars be converted to gas-fuelling ones as against petrol as a way of encouraging more use of gas in-country, adding that CNG will sell for about N97 per litre once the initiative is flagged off.

The price of petrol had recently jumped to N162 per litre from N145 per litre in the country following the deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry by the government.

In June, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the $2.8 billion 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) natural gas pipeline in Ajaokuta, Kogi State and Rigachikun area of Kaduna State.

Expectations are that it would further improve gas supply nationwide as the pipelines will boost domestic gas consumption, power generation, and industrialisation.