Nigerians have been urged to embrace the usage of compressed natural gas (CNG) as 15 CNG buses were handed over to Ekiti State. Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, the Programme Director and CEO of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), encouraged citizens to maintain their faith in President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to revamp the country’s economy.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti during the conversion incentives programme launch, Oluwagbemi emphasised that the president understands the challenges faced by the people, particularly in Ekiti State, which has one of the highest food inflation rates due to rising transportation costs.

As he handed over the 15 buses and unveiled seven initial CNG conversion centres, Oluwagbemi highlighted the initiative’s potential to transform the local economy.

“The aim is to provide a cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable fuel that can turn the waste of over $12.5 billion of gas in the last five years into an opportunity for the people,” he said.

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He also mentioned plans to collaborate with local universities, including Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), to train technicians and enhance local capabilities in CNG conversion.

“In the future, Ekiti State could have an assembly plant exporting gas-enabled vehicles to other West African nations,” he added.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji, represented by the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, noted that the state’s CNG efforts began with a partnership with IPP Limited to power a 3 MW independent power facility.

He urged commercial operators, especially tricycle drivers, to consider converting their vehicles to CNG or adopting it altogether.

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, Amb. Joseph Falope and his counterpart from the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Comrade Sunday Adeola, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the initiative and pledged their support for the programme’s success.