THE PROGRAMME Coordinator, Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Mr Folarin Oworu, says all the 36 states will be fully mobilised and sensitised on the conversion of vehicles using petrol to compressed natural gas (CNG).
CNGI is a key component of President Bola Tinubu administration’s palliative measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the fuel subsidy removal policy on the masses.
The initiative seeks to provide relief to Nigerians by promoting the use of CNG as a cleaner and more affordable alternative to fuel.
Oworu, who disclosed this while speaking at a Park Rally held at Mando motor park, Kaduna, said the project targets commercial vehicles across the country.
He said the kick off in Kaduna was done with 100 conversion kits, adding that the next point of the rally would be Lagos, believing that before the year runs out, the 36 States must have been covered.
Oworu said, “What we are doing here today is front to back CNG conversion mobilisation.
“Mr President has decided to make the conversion free for the road transport unions, that is, the NURTW, NATO and other road transport unions.
“The idea is to bring down the cost of commercial transportation and how to do this by converting the commercial vehicles of transport unions to make their running cost cheaper.”
According to him, the idea is for them to translate the savings up to the end users by making transportation cheaper.
Oworu added, “And we are starting here in Kaduna, and from Kaduna we shall move to Lagos, and before the end of the year, we would have gone to the whole 36 States.
“The signing of the MOU was done by the conversion partners we have at the various locations we have where the commercial vehicles will go to and have their vehicles converted.
“The conversion kits are one hundred per cent free as the conversion cost is one hundred percent free.
“The government has various partners in various States of the federation.”
He said that the project beginning in Kaduna would give out 100 conversion kits, adding, “this is not the end, because the plan is that we will be back again before the 100 run out.
“We are targeting close to 250,000 conversions of vehicles per year, starting from next year.
“The conversion kits worth N1million to N1.5 million depending on the type of kits you have include; kits of four, six-cylinders and eight- cylinder vehicles.
“We have different capacities for the CNG storage. We have 60 litres, 65 litres, 75 litres.
“So, it depends on the concentration of these kits and the nature of the price,”Oworu said.
Mr Najim Yasin, former National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in a goodwill message, commended Tinubu’s initiative on the P-CNGI agenda aimed at converting commercial vehicles to CNG.
Yasin commended the president’s support for the transport sector and the decision to provide conversion kits free of charge to the commercial vehicles, estimated to benefit 1 million vehicles.
He urged the members of NURTW, NARTO and other road users to key into the programme which aims to reduce the suffering of the masses by decreasing transportation costs and fuel prices.
Yasin appreciated Tinubu and the organisers for involving transport workers in the programme and acknowledged support from the neighbouring states.
He emphasised the programme’s potential to reduce fuel prices and transportation costs, hence alleviate the suffering of the masses.
“I urge the entire transport organisations across the country to key into the programme,” Yasin urged. (NAN)
