The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), has signed deals with 75 CNG conversion firms nationwide as part of government’s policy of
shifting focus from the use of petrol and diesel.
According to PCNGI, the agreements have covered eight states and expansion set for nine additional states in eight weeks.
The Chief Executive Officer of PCNGI, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, told journalists in Abuja at the weekend, that in the last 45 days, the office has been able to distribute over 6,000 to 7,000 conversion kits.
He said “We have signed up over 75 conversion partners across eight states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Kogi, Nasarawa, FCT, and Kaduna. Later this month, we’ll add nine more states, including Kwara, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Rivers , Enugu, Kano, Niger and others”.
According to him, PCNGI was expecting additional 12,000 kits in the next 30 days, which will enable it get more conversions done by the end of this year, with additional 100,000 to 250,000 kits before the end of Q1 next year.
Oluwagbemi pointed out that this will enable government hit the goal of 150,000 directly conversions in the next one year, explaining that there were only seven conversion centres in Nigeria when the scheme started.
“But I’m pleased to announce to you that today there are over 130 conversion centres in the country as a result of our work. And before the end of the year, we have an additional 120 to get to about 250 before the end of this year,” he stressed.
He explained that when the programme started, Nigeria had only 13 centres, with most of them concentrated in Benin, where there was previously a pilot done by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) in 2017.
According to him, today, there are about 55 fuelling stations and an additional 15 before the end of the month, with the planned deployment of about 500 CNG buses this year and release of 80 so far.He stressed that the programme cannot be activated overnight in every state because of the limitation in terms of dispensers, which will take time to get to some sub-nationals.
