The Federal Government has renewed its drive to deploy one million compressed natural gas-powered vehicles across the country, directing officials to accelerate investments in refuelling infrastructure and vehicle conversions to reduce transportation costs.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, gave the directive in Abuja over the weekend while receiving progress reports from the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles and the Decade of Gas Secretariat.
Ekpo said the government must translate its autogas policy into tangible benefits for Nigerians, particularly lower transport fares following the removal of petrol subsidy.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, Ekpo tasked the leadership of both bodies with identifying critical interventions, expanding infrastructure and strengthening programmes to increase nationwide adoption of compressed natural gas.
The statement read, “The Federal Government has pledged to intensify efforts to promote compressed natural gas as a cheaper alternative fuel for transportation, with a renewed focus on accelerating the rollout of one million CNG-powered vehicles across the country.”
