By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) claims that investments in championing the CNG value chain have hit $450 million.

This was disclosed by Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, Project Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PCNGi, during the 9th Edition of the Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF2024) Day 2, Virtual Event themed Energising Sustainable Industrialisation.

According to the PCNGi CEO, the amount goes into things like mother stations, daughter stations and refuelling stations as well as conversion centres which are starting to spring up across the nation.

Mr Oluwagbemi, represented by Mr Tosin Coker, the Head of Commercial, PCNGi, said the initiative had successfully converted more than 10,000 vehicles from petrol to CNG.

“By 2027, the initiative will have converted more than one million vehicles using petrol to CNG,” he said.

On incidents of explosion of vehicles using CNG, the CEO assured Nigerians that it had taken precautionary measures with different agencies of government to ensure safety.

Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, National Coordinator of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), managed by UNDP, said the SGP was investing in youth energy innovation for economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Mr Daniel Adeuyi, NEF Group Chairman, said, “The event featured three super sessions on Energising Industrial Revolution, Community Climate Action by GEF-SGP UNDP and Clean Energy Innovations.

“The sessions are to share lessons learnt from real-life projects and build capacity of young entrepreneurs and cross-industry professionals.”

Mr Joseph Osanipin, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), said that the council had trained more than 4,000 auto technicians on how to convert petrol vehicles to CNG.

He said the council had started campaigns to sensitise Nigerians on the advantages of using CNG to power their vehicles.

“CNG can guarantee a cleaner environment, it is cheaper and affordable,” he said.

Mr Oluwatobi Ajayi, the Chairman and Managing Director of Nord Automobile Ltd., said the company was established to tackle the growing demand for vehicles in Africa and reduce import dependency.

He said that because of the Federal Government’s CNG initiative, the company had incorporated it into their vehicle production to meet up with the government policy.

Mr Armstrong Tankan, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), said that MOFI was set up in 1959 as the statutory vehicle to hold all the assets owned by the federal government.

“Today, we’ve been able to identify the assets the federal government owns and we are trying to track them.

‘We actually do have assets, not just locally but globally as well and we must establish visibility over what the federal government owns before we can start talking about managing them.

“So, we want to try to minimise the waste, minimise the overlaps and help to improve output,” he said.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Over $280 million has been invested by Dangote Cement Plc in compressed natural gas (CNG) technology and infrastructure to enhance energy efficiency and drive economic growth in Nigeria.

The cement maker turned to CNG in demonstration of its support for President Bola Tinubu’s drive for cheaper and cleaner fuelling alternatives for all Nigerians.

At a recent event, the President emphasised the urgent need for Nigeria to utilise its vast natural gas resources in the transportation sector.

He stated that CNG transportation is an economic necessity for Nigeria, signalling a significant shift in the country’s approach to public transportation and energy use.

This has spurred Dangote Cement to adopt CNG, reflecting its dedication to mitigating climate change and supporting a transition to a low-carbon economy, making it the largest operator of CNG trucks in the country.

The chief executive of Dangote Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, said his company’s investments in CNG are also in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2060.

“In this pursuit of transition to clean energy, we are optimistic of a remarkable accomplishment by President Tinubu, as he has taken the lead in the nation’s drive towards energy efficiency. This presupposes private sector intervention to support this noble idea initiated by the President,” he stated.

The businessman noted that the firm’s early adoption of CNG has made it the largest operator of CNG trucks in Nigeria, emphasising that the initiative is a boost to Mr Tinubu’s quest towards enhancing the nation’s energy independence and contributing to a more secure energy future.

“We are now using CNG vehicles, especially with the new policy of the federal government, launched under the Renewed Hope Agenda by President Tinubu. We are committed to a cleaner and greener future,” Mr Dangote said.

On his part, the chief executive of Dangote Cement, Mr Arvind Pathak, said the cement miller aims to acquire 100 per cent CNG trucks as part of a long-term plan to transition its entire fleet to CNG.

He disclosed that the CNG infrastructure investments have positively influenced Nigeria’s transition to cleaner fuels, adding that the CNG station at Obajana, capable of refuelling over 3,000 trucks, exemplifies this commitment, with a second station currently under development in Ibese to support fleet operations further.

“By mid-2026, Dangote Cement aims to operate a fleet predominantly powered by CNG. To facilitate this transformation, we are investing in expanding our CNG fuelling infrastructure, ensuring that our growing fleet has reliable access to CNG as our fuel,” Mr Pathak said.

He added that plans are afoot to aggressively pursue this timeline of deployment, beginning from the first quarter of 2025, saying, “We are keeping our eyes on the ball to ensure that we do not miss our target dates of full compliance.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Lagos State Government has announced that the Red Rail line will begin full passenger operations on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs Abimbola Akinajo.

“Full passenger operations on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line will commence on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo affirmed today,” a public notice from the agency read.

According to LAMATA, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, members of his executive council, and other dignitaries will launch the passenger operations and ride with commuters on the first fee-paying passenger trip.

Mrs Akinajo said that train services would commence daily from Agbado at 6.00 am.

“Before now, trips have emanated from Oyingbo at 9.00 am. The first train therefore got to Agbado at 10.07 am. The adjusted timetable foreshadows upcoming commercial passenger operations commencing on Tuesday, 15th October 2024,” the agency said.

He explained that the new timetable was the outcome of data gathered through the series of tests, including that for the non-fee-paying passengers. According to him, the new timetable gives priority to the origin trips from Agbado where riders live and work at Ikeja, Oshodi, and Lagos Island.

“For passengers whose journeys terminate on Lagos Island, buses will be available at Oyingo bus terminal for them to complete their journeys,” LAMATA said.

“It would be recalled that infrastructure for the Red Line was commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 29th February 2024. The Red Line’s first phase spanning 27 kilometres has eight stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, lju, and Agbado.”