Abuja: The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) has urged Nigerians to patronise only government-certified CNG conversion workshop centres across the country for safety. P-CNGi Programme Director/Chief Executive, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Oluwagbemi warned against patronising illegal conversion centres and using locally fabricated cylinders by unqualified individuals attempting to convert petrol vehicles to CNG. He advised Nigerians to visit the P-CNGi website to access the list of government-approved conversion centres. The P-CNGi is part of the palliative intervention of Tinubu’s administration, aimed at alleviating the hardship created by the removal of fuel subsidies.
Following the removal of the fuel subsidy and the full deregulation of the petroleum products market, fuel prices have increased significantly, prompting the need for alternative energy sources such as CNG and
electric vehicles. However, Nigerians remain sceptical about the safety, security, and affordability of conversion kits. Speaking on safety, Oluwagbemi noted that CNG was lighter and dissipates quickly in the air, reducing fire risks in contained environments.
He also mentioned that the regulatory standard for CNG conversion was approved by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), covering the CNG conversion industry. The Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System regulates and monitors all gas-powered vehicles. “Natural gas is safer than petrol and diesel, and our aim is to transition Nigeria to a safer, cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy source,” he stated.
Oluwagbemi highlighted that the CNG programme began with seven centres and expanded to 193 in 2024, with approximately 30 conversion centres in FCT and over 70 in Lagos. President Bola Tinubu’s administration aims to convert one million vehicles by 2027, from the current 30,000 to 50,000 CNG-converted trucks and vehicles across the country.
He
emphasised that CNG was safer than petrol, citing only one incident in Edo in 2024, attributed to the use of locally fabricated cylinders by unqualified personnel. The individuals involved were arrested and charged with economic sabotage. Oluwagbemi compared CNG incidents with petrol explosions, noting several incidents of petrol explosions with high mortality rates across the country.
He explained that methane and ethane, the primary constituents of natural gas, are single-chain hydrocarbons, contrasting with the linked chain hydrocarbons in diesel, petrol, gasoline, and LPG. “Natural gas is lighter than air and stored in bulletproof containers made of seamless pipes with no joints, unlike LPG cylinders with welded joints,” he explained. He added that natural gas has a self-ignition temperature of 1001 degrees centigrade, making it significantly less explosive than petrol and diesel.
The programme director further argued that the fatality rate when a petrol vehicle explodes is nine out of ten, making petr
ol vehicles more dangerous compared to CNG vehicles.