Abuja: Michael Oluwagbemi, Programme Coordinator of the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGI), announced that the initiative has attracted over 491 million dollars in investments for AutoCNG, along with the creation of more than 9,000 direct and 75,000 indirect jobs within the past year. Oluwagbemi made this statement while addressing State House Correspondents on Monday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Oluwagbemi highlighted the significant progress in vehicle conversion capacity from pure petrol and diesel to Bifuel vehicles, which increased from seven to over 200 since the inception of the programme. Additionally, the Conversion Incentive Programme (CIP) introduced by President Bola Tinubu in August 2024, has resulted in the employment of 3,000 new technicians. This programme aims to facilitate one million free or subsidised conversions of certain classes of vehicles, particularly public commercial transports, rideshares, and government vehicles.
Oluwagbemi noted that around 22,000 conversion kits were procured and began delivery in October 2024 through the Ministry of Finance. The programme plans to establish 10,000 conversion centers by the end of this quarter, having commenced in December 2024. PCNGI has also expanded to offer discounts for public servants to finance the remaining costs of vehicle conversions in collaboration with Credit Corp.
He further mentioned that the Federal Ministry of Finance procured CNG and electric vehicles (EV) to demonstrate the efficacy of these platforms. A total of 655 buses, including 421 CNG buses and 36 EV buses, have been delivered, with 405 buses deployed as part of wage negotiations with the NLC and TUC.
The PCNGI was established to promote the adoption of natural gas and alternative fueled vehicles, including electric vehicles, in response to the removal of fuel subsidy that initially increased transportation costs. Despite a temporary gap in CNG availability due to the influx of CNG trucks and over 30,000 private sector conversions, Oluwagbemi assured that solutions are underway.
The PCNGI launched the Refueling On-lending Programme to provide refueling equipment to key conversion centers and partners, with 25 sites and 15 states scheduled to benefit. The first site in Kwara State is operational, with Kogi, Ekiti, Rivers, and Abuja to follow soon. By June 12, additional sites in Kaduna, Abia, and Enugu will join, with others like Niger, Kano, and Benue to follow shortly thereafter.
Oluwagbemi emphasized intensive stakeholder engagement and public awareness campaigns from May to November 2024, which encouraged private sector investment alongside government funding. To enhance infrastructure, PCNGI is collaborating with private sector partners to deploy over 150 new refueling locations in the next 18 months. NNPC has already deployed 12 sites, with approval for an additional 100. NIPCO and other entities are also investing in station sites across the country.
Oluwagbemi addressed a safety incident in Benin last year, attributed to illegal fabrication of CNG cylinders by economic saboteurs, who were subsequently arrested. He assured that with the Nigeria Gas Vehicles Monitoring System (NGVMS) implementation, such incidents will be avoided. The NGVMS is expected to be operational by year end, ensuring safety and protecting investments in the sector.