The programme coordinator of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Folarin Oworu has said that all the 36 states in the country would be fully mobilised and sensitised on conversion of vehicles using petrol to compressed natural gas vehicles.
The PCNGI is a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s palliative measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the fuel subsidy removal policy on the masses.
The initiative seek to provide relief to Nigerians by promoting the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a cleaner and more affordable alternative to fuel.
Speaking on Thursday at Kaduna park rally, the conversion center, Oworu the pioneer targets in the conversion are commercial vehicles across the country with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with key stakeholders in the transport unions.
He said the kick off in Kaduna was done with 100 conversion kits, adding that the next point of the rally would be Lagos, believing that before the year runs, the 36 States must have been covered.
“What we are doing here today is front to back CNG conversion mobilisation. Mr. President has decided to make conversion free for the road transport unions, that is, the NURTW, NATO and other road transport unions. They idea is to bring down the cost of commercial transportation. How do we do that? It is by converting the commercial vehicles of transport unions to make their running cost cheaper, the idea is for them to translate this savings up to the end users by making transportation cheaper. So that is what we are doing here.
“And we are starting here in Kaduna, and from Kaduna we shall move to Lagos, and before the end of the year we would have gone to the whole 36 States. The signing of the MOU was done by the conversion partners we have at the various locations we have where the commercial vehicles will go to and have their vehicles converted. The conversion kits are one hundred percent free. The conversion cost is one hundred percent free. That is the agreement in the MOU.
“The government has various partners in various States of the federation. Here in Kaduna we are giving out 100 conversion kits, this is not the end of it. The plan is that we will be back again before the 100 runs out. The same with other States around the country. So we are targeting close 250,000 conversion of vehicles per year, starting from next year.
“The conversion kits worth one million naira to N1.5 million depending on the type of kits you have. We have kits for four-cylinder vehicles. We have kits for six-cylinder vehicles, we have kits for eight- cylinder vehicles.
We have different capacity for the CNG storage. We have 60 litres, 65 litres, 75 litres. So it depends on the concentration of these kits and the nature of the price”. Mr Oworu said.
In his goodwill message, former National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Najim Usman Yasin commended President Bola Tinubu’s initiative on the P-CNGi agenda, aimed at converting commercial vehicles to use compressed natural gas (CNG).
Yasin applauded the President’s support for the transport sector and the decision to provide conversion kits free of charge to commercial vehicles, estimated to benefit 1 million vehicles.
He encouraged members of NURTW, NATO, and other road users to key into the program, which aims to reduce the suffering of the masses by decreasing transportation costs and fuel prices.
Yasin thanked the President and organisers for involving transport workers in the program and expressed appreciation for the support from neighboring states.
He emphasized the program’s potential to reduce fuel prices and transportation costs, benefiting the masses. The program is set to roll out across all 36 states in the country.
Yasin said, “This program will move round the 36 states of this country. We, the National Union of Road Transport Workers of Nigeria, National Association of Transport Owners, use this opportunity to commend President Bola Tinubu for this laudable initiative and support for the transport sector n Nigeria.
“I called on entire transport organisations- NURTW, NARTO…etc across the country to key into the programme. They have signed the agreement with the company for the conversion here in our present. We have got the numbers of vehicles that as from today can move to the conversion centres so that this vehicles can be converted one by one.
“This one is strictly for commercial vehicles and that is why we are involved so that we ensure that our members key into this programme. We appreciate
Mr. President and all those that work tirelessly to make this programme a reality.
“We know how much a litre of fuel is now sold and if you fill your tank for N50,000, N45,000, it depends on the number of litres your vehicle is consuming. Before you go from Kaduna to Abuja, that fuel is gone. Automatically, it will affect the transport fare.
“When we start operating this P-CNGI, I think the cost of the price of fuel will come down and it will certainly affect the transportation system in the country. That’s the aim of the PCNGI.
“I thank Mr. President because we are suppose to have bought this conversion kits with money but he said no that they should go round to give it to commercial vehicles free of charge. It was estimated to convert 1 million vehicles free. So, we appreciate Mr. President for finding us fit to key us into this programme.”
