Nigeria’s CNG sector draws $1bn as gas vehicle monitoring system launches

Nigeria’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector has attracted over $1 billion in private sector investments, the Chairman/CEO of the Presidential Initiative on CNG (PiCNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, has announced.

The development coincides with the launch of the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS) by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, aimed at enhancing safety, accountability, and environmental integrity within the nation’s CNG sector.

Speaking at the pilot launch held at an NNPC retail station in Abuja, Ekpo explained that the NGVMS would ensure only vehicles converted at accredited facilities using certified kits are allowed to refuel at approved stations. The system is designed to provide comprehensive oversight from vehicle conversion to refuelling, safeguarding both users and the integrity of Nigeria’s expanding CNG ecosystem.

Ekpo described the initiative as a key milestone under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Decade of Gas Initiative, which seeks to make CNG an affordable and sustainable energy option for Nigerians.

Ahmed added that more CNG conversion and refuelling stations would be commissioned across the country before the end of the year, further expanding the sector.

Transport union leaders present at the event expressed gratitude to the President for the PiCNG initiative, noting that it has helped offset the impact of the 2023 fuel subsidy removal. They highlighted that over one million free CNG kits, buses, and tricycles (Keke) have been distributed, reducing transport costs and, in turn, lowering food prices nationwide.

The union representatives called on the government to prioritise commercial vehicles in the CNG rollout and urged the expansion of CNG stations across more states to boost the initiative’s reach and effectiveness.