The Federal Government says it plans to establish 2,322 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, stations across the country by 2027 as part of efforts to boost the use of alternative fuel vehicles and improve gas transportation infrastructure.
The disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, during the Nigerian Oil and Gas Midstream and Downstream Summit organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Lagos.
Ahmed, who was represented by an official of the agency, Olayinka Rufai, said Nigeria had recorded rapid growth in CNG adoption within less than three years. According to him, commercial access to CNG was previously limited to about one state, but the fuel is now available in 24 states nationwide.
He revealed that more than 100,000 vehicles had already been converted to run on CNG, with commercial vehicles making up the majority due to government efforts to reduce transportation costs for Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy. The initiative, he said, has also attracted over $1bn in investments into the CNG mobility sector.
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Ahmed disclosed that Nigeria currently has 72 active CNG refuelling stations, while 175 more are under construction. He added that 28 compression stations are already operational, with another 65 in development.
He further stated that over 350 vehicle conversion centres had been established nationwide, alongside the training and certification of more than 5,600 technicians in CNG conversion technology.
The government also said 4,318 CNG-powered tricycles had been deployed, with 95 per cent assembled locally.
On pricing, Ahmed noted that CNG remains far cheaper than petrol, costing between N380 and N450 per standard cubic metre compared to petrol prices of over N1,300 per litre.
He added that the government was also expanding electric vehicle projects alongside CNG adoption as part of efforts to improve cleaner transportation nationwide.
