A presidential aide has urged Nigerians to switch to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cheaper alternative to fuel following a recent price hike.
Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, claims a trip from Abuja to Lagos using CNG would cost N10,000, compared to unspecified costs using traditional fuel.
Olusegun wrote, “From Abuja-Lagos using CNG will cost you N10,000. A PMS tank has chance of exploding due to heat faster than a CNG tank ever will.
“Nigeria has more gas than crude oil. The business of CNG is moving faster than anticipated with stations coming up across every part of the country.”
He also noted the safety advantages of CNG and the increasing availability of conversion stations nationwide.
“CNG financing is getting better every day with outlets like #futurewavecng allowing you to convert and pay back over time. “As a safer, cheaper and cleaner source of energy, the best time for you to join the CNG camp is now,” he added.
Olusegun’s statement comes amidst public outcry over the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) decision to raise petrol prices.
The price hike, the second in a month, has seen costs rise to N1,030 per litre in Abuja and N998 per litre in Lagos.
The Guardian reports that the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, while giving a speech at the conference of the Nigeria Association of Energy Correspondents in Lagos, said revealed that Nigeria currently has fewer than 50 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations serving its population of 200 million people, a figure that highlighted the gap in infrastructure despite efforts by the Federal Government, through the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGI), to promote CNG as a more affordable alternative to petrol and diesel.
However, he noted that despite having fewer than 3,000 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants and fewer than 50 CNG stations, developing a robust gas sector is crucial to securing Nigeria’s domestic energy needs and positioning the country as a reliable energy supplier to its neighbours.
