FG steps up CNG push with fuel station revival, staff vehicle conversion
—Initiative promotes cheaper energy, attracts private investment — Perm Sec
––Says 10 JAC vehicles, Villa shuttle buses already CNG-hybrid
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA–The Federal Government has renewed its drive to promote the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) with the reopening of a former petrol filling station at the State House, Abuja, now converted into a CNG refuelling facility. Plans are also underway to extend vehicle conversion services to interested government personnel.
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Temitope Fashedemi, stated that the initiative underscored the administration’s resolve to lead by example in promoting cost-effective and cleaner energy alternatives, while encouraging private-sector participation in the development of the country’s gas infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration of the facility in Karu, Abuja, Fashedemi disclosed that the project was executed through a partnership between the State House, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), and Rollin Energy Limited, with no expenditure incurred by the State House for its rehabilitation.
He explained that the Federal Government deliberately made the abandoned facility available for conversion to demonstrate the viability of the presidential initiative and encourage private investors to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the CNG market.
He further explained the initiative is also aimed at addressing concerns over the limited availability of CNG refuelling stations, which has continued to constrain wider adoption of the alternative fuel.
Fashedemi said government’s responsibility was to create an enabling environment for private-sector participation rather than take over the business of establishing and operating commercial refuelling facilities.
He urged business operators and prospective investors to partner with Pi-CNG to establish more stations and vehicle conversion centres across the country.
“All the filling stations you see around, are they owned by government? No. They are owned by people and business operators. The earlier existing and prospective business people recognise this as an opportunity and partner with Pi-CNG to establish these facilities, the better,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the State House had already commenced the integration of CNG technology into its vehicle fleet, with about 10 recently acquired JAC vehicles being hybrid models, alongside some shuttle buses operating within the Presidential Villa.
He said the government was taking further steps to encourage interested State House personnel to convert eligible personal vehicles to CNG-hybrid systems in the coming weeks.
“We are demonstrating that we are walking the talk of Mr President. In the next few weeks, a number of our staff will be bringing their vehicles here for conversion, subject to the eligibility of the vehicles,” he said.
Fashedemi, however, explained that not all vehicles were suitable for conversion, stressing that technical assessments would be conducted to determine those that met the required specifications.
He described Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources as an opportunity that had remained largely underutilised, noting that wider adoption of CNG would provide motorists and commercial transport operators with a cheaper alternative to petrol and diesel.
He recalled that the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, although accompanied by economic adjustments and initial public concerns, was also intended to accelerate the transition towards alternative energy sources.
Fashedemi further disclosed that the new facility had undergone a trial period during which CNG was dispensed free of charge to motorists in the surrounding area for more than a week before its formal inauguration and commencement of commercial operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of Rollin Energy Limited, Mubarak Umar Danbatta, said the project demonstrated the benefits of collaboration between government and private-sector operators.
He explained that the facility was an integrated refuelling unit, with its compressor, dispenser and other essential equipment housed in a single system. Its double-nozzle dispensers allow vehicles to refuel from both sides.
According to him, the station has the capacity to serve approximately 150 vehicles daily, including motorbikes, depending on cylinder sizes and operating pressure.
Danbatta said the State House project was the company’s second partnership with Pi-CNG, following an earlier collaboration inaugurated on May 29, 2024.
He disclosed that Rollin Energy currently operates facilities in Ilorin and Abuja, while two additional stations in Kano are expected to be commissioned next week, with another two planned for Kaduna.
The company, he said, is targeting nearly 15 CNG refuelling facilities nationwide by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Pi-CNG, Barrister Ismael Ahmed, said the Federal Government was targeting 2,000 additional CNG refuelling stations to accelerate the adoption of alternative fuel nationwide.
He disclosed that 106 stations were currently operational, while another 170 were at various stages of development or awaiting regulatory approvals.
Ahmed said President Tinubu had directed the establishment of 1,500 additional stations in February and another 500 in August, with the projects expected to come on stream between this year and early 2027.
He described the programme as having moved beyond the experimental stage, stressing that the priority was now to expand infrastructure at a scale capable of meeting the demands of Nigeria’s estimated 220 million population and 12 million vehicles.
On the impact of the initiative, Ahmed said CNG-powered buses had reduced transportation fares by between 30 and 40 per cent on routes where they were operating, including Abuja, Lagos and the Kano-Katsina corridor.
He disclosed that commuters who previously paid between N3,000 and N4,000 on the Kano-Katsina route could now travel for approximately N1,500 using CNG-powered buses.
In a related development, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Toyin Subair, said the Federal Government and state governments were expanding investments in CNG-powered buses, trucks, tricycles and other mass transit vehicles to ensure that the benefits of cheaper fuel translated into reduced transportation costs.
Subair disclosed that the National Economic Council had committed to a joint financing arrangement with the Federal Government to support the deployment of affordable transportation solutions across the states.
He said the administration was targeting a reduction of 40 per cent or more in transport fares, particularly on interstate routes and for the movement of agricultural produce.
He also disclosed that more than 30,000 additional vehicle conversion kits were expected to enter the Nigerian market from next week to expand conversion capacity ahead of the Christmas travel season.
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