To mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict on transportation costs in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of approximately 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits nationwide.
The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, announced this following a meeting with the president at the State House in Abuja. He explained that President Tinubu is closely monitoring global events and their effect on Nigeria’s energy sector, especially rising fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East.
Under the president’s directive, the Pi-CNG initiative will accelerate the rollout of CNG infrastructure and alternative mobility solutions across the country. The conversion kits will allow vehicle owners and tricycle operators to switch their engines from petrol to CNG, with deployment set to begin within two to three weeks.
Ahmed noted that the government is establishing a network of refuelling stations and charging points to support gas-powered and electric vehicles. Currently, about 77 CNG refilling stations are at various stages of development nationwide, including two operational stations in Kano, with additional “daughter stations” under construction.
The plan includes setting up refuelling points along major transport corridors from Lokoja to Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, and Maiduguri. The Pi-CNG initiative is also collaborating with local and international manufacturers to facilitate vehicle conversions and the local assembly of CNG and electric vehicles. Several manufacturers have shown interest in establishing assembly lines in Nigeria, which is expected to create jobs and strengthen the local automotive industry.
This initiative comes amid rising petrol prices in the country, which recently reached over ₦1,000 per litre due to tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel. Dangote Refinery had raised petrol prices to ₦1,175 per litre on March 9 but reduced them slightly on March 10.
