CHUKWU DAVID 
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially commissioned a pilot conversion centre for vehicles that will run on compressed natural gas (CNG). The commissioned centre is in Abuja. It is an initiative of the government to mitigate the effect of subsidy removal on petrol. While launching the initiative at the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) in Abuja, the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali revealed that the adoption of a more environmentally friendly energy source like the CNG, which the country had in abundance would reposition the transportation sector in urban cities across the country and put Nigeria in tandem with what the world desires at this time.
Alkali was represented by the Acting Director, Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration in the Ministry, Akhidenor Cynthia, who was also the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Magdalene Ajani at the occasion. Alkali said that GreenHouse gas emissions pose health hazards and dire environmental consequences, and that Nigeria could not afford to lag behind considering that she is a signatory to GreenHouse Emission policy aimed at reducing carbon emission in the environment.
On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Magdalene Ajani urged Nigerians to consider the conversion of vehicles to CNG as a symbol of a new beginning, adding that the CNG initiative was not only about the conversion of vehicles but also about generating employment opportunities. According to Ajani, the goal is to build a sustainable future, leveraging our own cheap and clean energy source.
Speaking earlier, the Director-General, Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Dr. Bayero Salih – Farah welcomed all participants to the event, saying the program was a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to both environmental sustainability and economic growth. Also speaking at the inauguration, the Chief Executive Officer of P-CNGi, Micheal Oluwagbemi, described the adoption of CNG as a significant development in diversifying the transportation sector from fuel dependency to natural gas.
Oluwagbemi emphasized that the CNG centre would pave the way for a more ecologically sustainable and economically prosperous future in Nigeria.
