Cars on gas

Editorial

But for the fact that the idea had been mooted by the Federal Government earlier this year, the information by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylvia, that the Federal Government will start converting cars and small capacity generators of Nigerians to run on gas from next month could have been seen as an afterthought. This is much more so coming after near simultaneous increases in fuel pump price and electricity tariffs. At least the government must tell Nigerians something new, to calm frayed nerves, after the price hikes.

That the conversion would be done for free to mitigate the effects of the increase in the pump price of fuel compounds the bewilderment, given the sheer quantum of vehicles and generators to benefit from the proposed arrangement. The minister reportedly made the disclosure on Nigerian Television Authority’s Good Morning Nigeria. According to him: “The alternative we are now introducing is gas, which is definitely going to be cheaper than the subsidised rate of PMS. So, what we are trying to encourage Nigerians to do now is to convert their cars to dual fuel. That means your car can use either gas or petrol and that will be done for free because the government is going to ensure that you are able to convert your vehicles for free.”

Nigerians who might have seen the measure as panic reaction to assuage public angst against the price increases could have been pardoned if the government is just making the intention public. Successive governments have always come up with knee-jerk reactions to such price increases in the past, which had made nonsense of the so-called palliative measures put in place by the governments.

However, the minister’s disclosure that the Federal Government had recorded some measure of success through a pilot scheme with commercial tricycles in Port Harcourt should convince us that the idea had been on before now.

Given its numerous advantages, the idea looks good and we commend the government even for thinking in this direction. If vehicles can run on dual fuel, why kill ourselves over petrol?  If vehicle manufacturers are thinking ahead by making their automobiles run on alternatives to petrol, it only makes sense to key into such a diversification arrangement. While this does not in any way excuse the government’s incompetence in making our refineries work, it at least wakes us to the reality of a cheaper alternative to petrol which also logs many other benefits. In the first place, gas is cheaper and cleaner; it would reduce carbon emissions in the country. This will, in turn, attract funding from international donors. Moreover, it would open up a lot of job opportunities for the country’s teeming youths seeking employment.

However, in spite of its inherent advantages, there are several questions begging for answers, and which must be answered correctly, for the proposal not to flop at the level of implementation.

On paper, the idea seems good to go. The government said the scheme would start in one part of the country before spreading to others. It added that NNPC filling stations nationwide and some private sector marketers had signed on to the initiative. Good. But the question of how the conversion would be done, and for free for the millions of vehicle owners, is germane.

Taking care of the logistics in this area is going to pose a challenge which may also bring in the usual corruption that has always bedeviled several good initiatives by the government. Whether this idea will not de-market the country’s hope in petrochemicals, Dangote Refinery, is easily punctured by the fact that the refinery has been strategically placed for export, not necessarily for domestic consumption.

It has been proven that Nigeria has more gas than petrol, much of which is flared by the day. It won’t be a bad idea to put some of these wasted asset into productive use. However, the government must ensure that this dream does not die unfulfilled like many previous government initiatives. And, one of the ways to do this is to turn the idea into a big business which private stations can key into. It should not be treated as a social amenity that it is presently being advertised to be by saying it would be done free of charge. Otherwise, it would end the way of our moribund refineries.