Tosin Coker, Head of Commercial for the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG), has highlighted the benefits of converting vehicles from petrol to gas.
He emphasised that this shift is more cost-effective and will alleviate pressure on petrol prices, thereby lowering transportation costs and contributing to a more affordable cost of living.
Speaking at the initiative’s launch in Benin, Edo State, Coker detailed the agreements signed with partners to support the project.
He assured that President Bola Tinubu is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by rising petrol prices.
The initiative aims to convert one million vehicles nationwide, with the conversion costs covered entirely for vehicle owners.
Coker said: “Mr. President has directed that we incentivise all commercial vehicles in the country. We have a target to convert a million vehicles across the nation in partnership with the transport associations. They can come to Pi-CNG partners’ conversion centres and have their vehicles converted at no cost to them, including the cost of conversion.
“This is a very laudable policy and initiative directive by President Tinubu. The idea is that as the government is making this available, it will reduce the cost of petrol, the cost of transportation and they can pass those savings onto the masses.”
He also stated that on conceptualisation about a year ago, the President set up a steering committee, with three core mandates of incentivising the project, enabling the financing infrastructure, and regulating the new scheme.
He said for the financing, some partners put the financing in place to make it available for corporate organisations, civil servants, salary earners, individuals, and companies who want to invest in the initiative and revolution.”
Coker disclosed that to regulate the initiative, there was the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System, the product of collaboration between the Pi-CNG and the Nigerian Automobile Development and Design Council (NADDC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) and National Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He said: “Part of the regulations is to ensure that all vehicles that are powered by gas, all organisations that deal with gas conversion centres, and filling stations will be regulated. It is a safety and regulatory body, to the extent that we can track every single conversion kit that has gone into any vehicle.
“We can track the conversion kit so that there is visibility and take the incidences to zero. The idea is to have zero incidences in gas vehicle monitoring, if there is any incidence, we can track it everywhere it is. Any vehicle that comes to refill gas will not be refilled, without being checked. So, if checked and your vehicle is compliant, you will refill, but if you are not compliant, you are not allowed to refill. If the gas station refills, there will be sanctions.
“Mr. President has seen that as a nation, we are more of a gas-producing nation, before being an oil-producing nation. We have far more gas reserves than we even know, and unfortunately for many decades, we have been flaring gas, thereby making us the second largest gas waster, behind Russia.”
The head of commercial also called for collaboration and support from state governments and other stakeholders.
Edo State Commissioner for Mining and Energy, Enaholo Ojiefoh, in his remarks, stated that Godwin Obaseki’s administration in Edo, for over three years, started its initiative with the use of alternatives to petrol by its citizens.
Ojiefoh also called on Edo residents to fully embrace the much better conversion of vehicles from petrol to gas.
