By Tochukwu Bliss, Abuja
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, yesterday, launched the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS), to ensure that only vehicles converted at accredited facilities with certified kits can access CNG at approved stations.
The move, he said, is a key step in the Federal Government’s drive to promote safety, accountability, and environmental integrity in the nation’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector.
Speaking at the pilot launch held at an NNPC Retail Station in Abuja, Mr. Ekpo said the NGVMS will ensure that only vehicles converted at accredited facilities with certified kits can access CNG at approved stations, according to a statement by his Spokesman, Louis Ibah.
He noted that the system will provide end-to-end oversight, from conversion to refuelling, guaranteeing the safety of citizens and the integrity of Nigeria’s growing CNG ecosystem.
Mr Ekpo was said to have described the initiative as a milestone under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Decade of Gas Initiative, aimed at making CNG the affordable and sustainable energy choice for Nigerians.
The system will provide end-to-end oversight, from conversion to refuelling, guaranteeing the safety of citizens and the integrity of Nigeria’s growing CNG ecosystem.
Also, Chairman/CEO of the Presidential Initiative on CNG (PiCNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, revealed that over $1 billion in private sector investments has flowed into Nigeria’s CNG value chain, adding that more conversion and refuelling stations will be inaugurated nationwide before year-end.
Leaders of various transport unions in Nigeria, in separate comments, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for launching the PiCNG to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal in 2023.
They said that under the initiative, members have benefited from over one million free CNG kits, buses, and tricycles (Keke), which has led to significantly reduced transportation costs and subsequently lowered the prices of foodstuffs across the country.
The union leaders urged the government to prioritise commercial vehicles in the CNG project, ensuring that they are given preference.
Additionally, they appealed for the expansion of CNG stations nationwide, noting that only a few states currently have CNG conversion and refuelling stations, as this would further enhance the effectiveness of the initiative.
