By George Ozalla
The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee held an investigative hearing on Thursday into the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) policy and implementation progress of the Federal Government, with a focus on ensuring transparency, safety, and accessibility. The investigative hearing targets to evaluate the status of the CNG policy implementation and identify challenges.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, who was represented stressed the importance of the CNG policy in Nigeria’s energy transition strategy, spotlighting its potential to promote cleaner, safer, and more economically viable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, and closing with a call for detailed submissions from key stakeholders.
The Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Implementation of the CNG Policy, Hon. Ahmadu Jaha, raised concerns about the accessibility, sustainability, and equity of Nigeria’s CNG rollout, warning that the policy risks failure without urgent transparency and stronger oversight, he ended with a call for quick action to address these issues.
Program Director of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi), Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, disclosed that Nigeria currently has 300 CNG conversion centers, up from just seven at inception, and appealed for additional funding to scale up vehicle conversions and ensure that all states are covered, he reassured a practical commitment to expanding the initiative’s reach.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) announced full support for the implementation of Nigeria’s CNG initiative, calling it a safe, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional fuels.
The Executive Vice President of Gas at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Lekan Ogunleye, praised President Tinubu’s administration for sustaining the policy, and assured that Nigerians would benefit from 50% discounts on conversions.
Other stakeholders, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), applauded the initiative but at the same time appealed to the government to ensure equitable access across all states.
