By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has revealed that it plans to use the implementation of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) to lift no fewer than 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Monday that this would be achieved by creating jobs for millions of young Nigerians.
“Counting the impacts of the programme on our socioeconomic space within the first year of its launching, the administration further stepped up its commitment to industrialising Nigeria through gas utilisation by declaring the year 2021 to 2030 as the Decade of Gas.
“With proven gas reserves of over 200 million cubic feet and natural gas presents an opportunity for the nation to use gas as the catalyst for its socio-economic renaissance,” the Minister stated.
The federal government rolled out the NGEP last year and it involves the conversion of fuel-powered cars and generators from petrol to gas.
Aimed at deepening domestic usage of natural gas in its various forms, the programme aligns with the federal government’s plan to make gas the first-choice source for cheaper and cleaner energy and is expected to deliver at least one million vehicle conversions by the end of 2021.
The Minister oversaw the physical launch of the policy as President Muhammadu Buhari virtually conducted the rollout.
The NGEP seeks to deepen the penetration of gas as a cheaper alternative to petrol for powering automobiles.
The Minister stated that the induction of gas to power automobiles and other engines represented a step in the right direction, as the NGEP is set to create two million jobs annually for the country.
It was revealed that under the directives of the President, Nigeria will continue to strengthen the gas value chain, as a vital tool for transforming the economy.
Gas products to be widely pushed for adoption include Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) also pledged support to the effort of the NGEP, the national oil corporation has established designated NNPC retail filling stations offering free petrol-to-gas conversion services for some cars to enable vehicles to run on LPG or CNG.
There are currently 80 locations in the country capable of fueling the vehicles, and the price of CNG is expected to cost N97 per litre.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka