The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) has urged Nigerians to only use government-certified CNG conversion centres across the country for safety reasons.
P-CNGi Programme Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Michael Oluwagbemi, made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Oluwagbemi cautioned against using illegal conversion centres and locally made cylinders by unqualified individuals attempting to convert petrol vehicles to CNG.
He advised Nigerians to visit the P-CNGi website – www.pci.gov.ng – to view the list of approved conversion centres.
NAN reports that P-CNGi is part of the palliative measures introduced by President Tinubu’s administration to provide relief to Nigerians affected by the fuel subsidy removal.
Following the removal of the fuel subsidy and the full deregulation of the petroleum products market, fuel prices surged, creating a need for alternative energy sources such as CNG and electric vehicles.
However, Nigerians remain doubtful about using CNG, expressing concerns about its safety, security, and the cost of conversion kits.
Addressing safety concerns, the programme director explained that CNG is lighter and disperses quickly, thus reducing fire hazards in contained environments.
Regarding regulation, Oluwagbemi noted that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) had approved regulatory standards for the CNG conversion industry. He also mentioned that the Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System monitors and regulates all gas-powered vehicles.
“Natural gas is safer than petrol and diesel, and our goal is to transition Nigeria to a safer, more affordable, cleaner, and more reliable energy source,” he said.
Since the P-CNGi project began in 2024, it has been promoting the use of CNG through various policies and initiatives, including public awareness campaigns to increase adoption by Nigerians.
The CNG programme began with seven centres and has grown to 193 by 2024.
Oluwagbemi stated that there are currently about 30 conversion centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) alone, while Lagos has more than 70 centres.
He added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration aims to convert one million vehicles by 2027, increasing from the current 30,000 to 50,000 converted vehicles and trucks across the country.
Oluwagbemi emphasized that CNG is safer than petrol, noting that there has been only one incident of failure in 2024 in Edo, which was due to the use of locally fabricated cylinders by unqualified individuals attempting to fill them for the first time.
“The three individuals involved were arrested and charged for economic sabotage,” he said.
In comparison to petrol incidents, he pointed out the numerous petrol explosions recorded across the country, often resulting in high mortality rates.
He explained that methane and ethane, the main components of natural gas, are single-chain hydrocarbons, in contrast to the multiple-chain hydrocarbons in diesel, petrol, gasoline, and LPG.
“Natural gas is lighter than air. It is stored in bulletproof containers made of seamless pipes with no welded joints, unlike LPG cylinders. This design prevents leaks, and if gas does escape, it dissipates immediately into the air. Natural gas has a self-ignition temperature of 1001 degrees Celsius, making it 18 times less explosive than petrol and eight times less explosive than diesel. If you’re using a petrol vehicle, you are essentially sitting on a petrol bomb,” he warned.
He further emphasized that petrol vehicles are far more dangerous, with fatal incidents from petrol explosions occurring in nine out of ten cases, in contrast to the much lower risks associated with CNG vehicles. (NAN)
