CNG-Vehicle: Nigerians Lament Difficulty in Accessing N200 Fuel
- The Nigerian government continues to push for the utilisation of CNG as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to fuel
- In recent months, the CNG initiative has gained traction as many motorists continue to convert their cars
- However, many Nigerians have described the difficulty in getting their cars refilled as "moving from fry pan to fire"
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
The shortage of sufficient filling stations is undermining the Nigerian government's efforts to promote the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a less expensive and cleaner fuel substitute.
Source: UGC
Due to the high cost of petrol in the nation, many drivers have started converting their vehicles, which has led to the CNG movement gaining momentum in recent months.
BuisnessDay reported that many Nigerians have compared the challenge of refilling their cars to "moving from fry pan to fire."
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Aisha Umar, an Abuja resident, said:
“You will not believe that I have been making efforts to refill my car for the past four days, but there is no gas in the station close to me at Durumi, Abuja, except I drive to Airport Road.”
“How can the government be pushing people to convert their cars without adequate preparation on how these cars will be refilled? We are having conversion centres everywhere but no refilling station.”
FG-launched filling stations not sufficient
The federal government put six refuelling stations into service in July 2024 to serve Abuja's inhabitants. Others in Lagos state were also commissioned.
However, because drivers must travel great distances to reach these stations, they are no longer sufficient as CNG fueling stations are not available in some places.
Due to the lack of CNG stations, Henry Orji, a businessman at Abuja's Gudu Market, said he has gone back to using gasoline to power his vehicle
“Refilling my car with CNG is really cheap compared to fuel and I can tell you that I have saved some amount since I started using it. But getting it to buy is not as convenient as fuel. We have just this station here serving the whole of these areas,” Orji said.
According to BusinessDay's research, many Nigerians are deterred by the exorbitant conversion cost. Depending on the vehicle's size, conversion costs range from N600,000 to N1,200,000.
However, Michael Oluwagbemi, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) program coordinator, assured that the government was working on credit facilities that could lower the cost of conversion and that the private sector is now offering a variety of products to make CNG conversion affordable.
The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) recently inked a collaboration agreement to establish a N10 billion Credit Access for Light and Mobility (CALM) fund.
FG speaks as Malaysia bans CNG vehicle
Legit.ng reported that the Malaysian government’s decision to phase out compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles elicited strong responses in Nigeria as the country continues to push for a switch to CNG as a more affordable and cleaner alternative to petrol.
An earlier report said that Malaysia’s transport minister, Loke Siew, announced different measures to phase out CNG use for vehicles amid safety concerns.
The minister disclosed that CNG-powered cars can no longer be registered, effective July 1, 2025.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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