Centre Laments Poor Presence Of CNG Outlets In North

A group, the Centre for Human Resource and Development, has lamented what it described as the near-absence of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) points in Northern Nigeria, saying the development was indicative of lopsided distribution of the commodity in Nigeria.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) was launched in 2024 by the federal government as a strategic response to ease pressure on the demand for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption following the removal of fuel subsidies.

In a press statement made available to LEADERSHIP and jointly signed by the Coordinator and Secretary of the group, Kola Sami’u and Yusufu Garba, respectively, the group said investigations by the Centre have shown that private firms engaged by the federal government to convey CNG to the North were either not qualified or are ill-prepared to handle the humongous project.

“Currently, CNG is almost non-existence in nearly all the Northern states, including Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Niger, etc. The CNG centres under construction in the North are taking too long to take up.

“Comparatively, other private firms engaged by the federal government to deliver Compressed Natural Gas in the South are handling the project. We can boastfully say that CNG is almost a success in the region.”

The Centre called on President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas, to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the situation as it was fast becoming the bane of social development in the North.

“Going by the challenges of the Presidential initiative on CNG in the North, we are demanding that the Federal Government revoke the project, sack the contractors and hand the project to efficient firms, capable of delivering on time,” it stated.

They group urged the federal government to conduct a thorough assessment to avoid wastage of resources and to align the region with other zones in respect of CNG distribution and penetration.