530 CNG buses ready for deployment in Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, FCT, others

The process for nationwide deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles has commenced. Not less than 530 buses are to be deployed by the end of the month in six pioneering states.

These are Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Programme Director of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) Michael Oluwagbemi stated this yesterday.

It was during the event signaling the commencement of 15-day-long activities ahead of the rollout.

He said the distribution is on a demand-led basis.  He added that efforts would be accelerated at the conversion of diesel and petrol-fuel engines across the country.

According to Oluwagbemi, President Tinubu has directed the PCNGI to ensure the conversion of at least 10 per cent of the total number of vehicles in the country in the first year of the rollout of the initiative.

Today, the team will inspect the Jets and Mikano Factory along with representatives of the Ministry of Labour and workers unions.

Southsouth and Southeast stakeholders engagement will be held tomorrow in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Affiliate conversion and refuelling at the Femadec Site as well as an inspection tour of the Total Energies support station are planned.

Another six-day inspection tour of the Kojo Factory at the Enugu-Onitsha Site will begin on May 24 to receive the first set of assembled tricycles, buses, cylinders and kits ahead of the official launch.

The Luojia Assembly Plant for CNG tricycles on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be inaugurated on May 30.

“These programmes are a fulfilment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise to drive Nigeria’s energy transition in the transportation sector leveraging CNG and enabling economic growth,” Oluwagbemi stated.

He noted the President’s political will to ensure the full utilisation of natural gas which hitherto was being flared.