President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday commissioned the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Reverse Engineering Training, Filling and Conversion Centre in Abuja.
NASENI was established in 1992 by the federal government to conduct development work in the area of manufacturing.
President Tinubu was represented at the event by the president of the senate, Godswill Akpabio.
In his address, the president said: “Our administration’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas Initiative(PiCNG) is a flagship programme by which we are actively supporting a private-sector-led rollout of critical gas infrastructure to drive innovation and industrialisation in Nigeria.
“It is also a major contribution to our vision of fully harnessing Nigeria’s immense gas resources, as a transition fuel on the journey to net-zero, as envisaged by our Energy Transition Plan(ETP).
“Let me say that we are equally focused on the full range of energy options for powering Nigerian transport sector. So in addition to gas, electric vehicles are a major plank of our overall strategy.”
He said he was aware that NASENI was championing efforts in this area, with an ambitious plan to develop and build lithium batteries in Nigeria, working with foreign partners.
“We can and will make Nigeria an African hub of the global Electric Vehicle revolution. Fortunately for us, Nigeria is blessed with abundant deposits of lithium, a key mineral in the development of electric vehicle batteries.
“We have put in a lot of work on the way to the full implementation of the PiCNG, and this commissioning today is testament to the success of our efforts,” he added.
Earlier, the executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of NASENI, Khali Halilu, said the CNG center was developed in partnership with Portland and Kia, demonstrating NASENI’s collaborative approach, and to leverage on existing infrastructure to achieve the agency’s mandate.
He said the facility could convert 15 cars every two hours, translating into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.
