Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) as part of efforts to ease the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians by reducing energy costs.
In a statement released late on Friday, the presidency said this initiative is poised to revolutionize the transportation landscape in the country, targeting over 11,500 new CNG-enabled vehicles and 55,000 CNG conversion kits for existing PMS-dependent vehicles.
The federal government also envisions that it will simultaneously bolster in-country manufacturing, local assembly, and creative jobs.
The initiative, which comprises a comprehensive adoption strategy, will include the following: empowering workshops programme with a nationwide network of workshops, local assembly and job creation as key points of emphasis with an initial focus on mass transit systems and student hubs to significantly reduce transit costs for the general populace in the immediate term, the statement noted.
The initiative will facilitate the provision of workshops across all six geopolitical zones and states with essential kits and comprehensive training for newly employed staff. This, according to the government, will create new opportunities for technical skill development and employment for Nigerians.
“The new nationwide network of workshops, to be established through the initiative, would ensure widespread access and demand side utilization of CNG technology and CNG-related expertise, thereby facilitating smoother transitions for vehicle owners at the wider benefit of the Nigerian economy,” the statement signed by Mr Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity said.
Other targets include support for states to onboard new CNG buses as part of their Intrastate Mass Transit network (wholesale conversion, retro-fitting and new purchase) as well as the deployment of CNG buses through existing Private Mass Transit operators, including new financing programmes for operators through an innovative asset finance programme.
It will seek to incentivize investors to invest in CNG processing, distribution and utilization by providing incentives for enhanced investment and partnership and delivering training and technology transfer to support the After-Sales Services and maintenance sub-industry to create sustainable jobs.
The launch of this initiative also underscores this administration’s commitment to fostering a cleaner environment by reducing carbon emissions and promoting energy security through the utilization of domestic natural gas resources.
