The federal government has distributed free Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits and cylinders to companies for the conversion of vehicles of commercial transport operators in Abuja, Niger, Kogi, and Nasarawa states.
The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGI) programme director, Michael Oluwagbemi, announced the provision of conversion kits and cylinders with free installation costs during the FCT CNG Conversion Mobilisation programme, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
According to him, the event commemorate the handover of critical materials especially kits and cylinders to our conversion centre partners who will be implementing the conversion incentive programme that President Bola Tinubu has declared will convert one million commercial vehicles free across Nigeria in the next two years.
He said the different unions especially the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Association of Transport Owners, NARTO as well as Rideshares will be participating in this conversion programme and nominating their members to be converted at this conversion workshop.
“The activity we are witnessing here today, which is the handover of these conversion kits and cylinders to various organisations, that will enable you to go to them and convert your vehicles so that it can run not just on petrol, but it can run on gas, and to do it for free, is a big step in that direction
“Mr. President has ensured, by working with NMDPRA, to keep concessionary pricing for gas for all two vehicles, will ensure that you are filling your vehicles at between N230 and N300 per kg. And when this happens, that means you have more profits, more passengers, because your customers will be enjoying cheaper costs of transportation, and that will mean a better life for you, your family, and for all Nigerians, Oluwagbemi said.
LEADERSHIP gathered that about 400 conversion kits were distributed to the commercial vehicle operators in the three states and the FCT.
On his part, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NURTW and vice president of the ITF, Najeem Yassin said that the launch of the vehicle conversion programme in Abuja, aimed at reducing transportation costs across the region, followed successful initiatives in Kaduna and Lagos, and covers transporters in Abuja, Niger, Kogi, and Nasarawa states.
Yassin emphasised the importance of this initiative, supported by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in making transportation more affordable by converting vehicles to use cheaper CNG instead of petrol, which currently costs around N800 per litre in some filling stations. He urged members to participate actively in this initiative for the benefit of all Nigerians.
Also speaking, executive secretary of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Aloga Ogbogo, commended the President’s initiative for a “one-stop shop” approach to address transportation issues, emphasising its multiplier effect on the economy. He noted that reducing petroleum prices could enhance workers’ salaries and lower costs for food and healthcare. Adoga commended the government’s commitment to alternative energy and urged patience from Nigerians, stating that significant improvements require time. He highlighted financial support for transporters, with each state receiving substantial aid, and encouraged ongoing hope for better conditions in the industry.
“If you are able to bring the price of petroleum down, you have increased the salary margin of the worker, you have also increased the operational cost of the transporter, you have also succeeded in reducing the prices of food, you have also succeeded in reducing the price of hospital bills, because transportation has a 100 per cent multiplier effect on the total economy. I urge Nigerians to be patient. A 1,000-kilometre journey starts with a step, he said.
