President Bola Tinubu has called for the conversion of many fuel stations across Nigeria into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) outlets, according to Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas). This announcement was made following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, held on Wednesday in Abuja.
During his address to the media, Ekpo emphasized that the shift towards CNG is not only a part of the government’s strategy but is also a critical step toward achieving economic and environmental goals. He stressed that CNG, a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol, has gained the attention of the government and will soon be more accessible to Nigerians.
“We are well aware that the President set up a Presidential Committee on the CNG to drive the CNG project. It is left for us to inform the general public that CNG has come to stay, and we have to follow that route because CNG is safe, cheaper, and protects the environment.
“It is important to note that when you are using CNG, you save a lot of money, a litre of fuel can go for N1000, but you get CNG at N200 per litre, which saves you N800.
“With the passion of Mr President, the push that he has given to us, we’ll try to drive the CNG programme to reach the nooks and crannies of this country.
“We have to take advantage of the natural resources, gas, that God has endowed us with.”
The Minister also assured Nigerians that the country has an abundant supply of natural gas. However, the major challenge remains the lack of infrastructure to deliver CNG to filling stations across the country. President Tinubu has reportedly directed that more infrastructure be developed to facilitate the distribution of CNG nationwide.
Ekpo added that Nigeria produces more than enough natural gas for domestic use and exports. With proper infrastructure in place, the country could fully embrace CNG as an affordable alternative to petrol.
