100,000 CNG kits?
When the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Buses was launched shortly after the removal of subsidy on petroleum products by the Federal Government in 2023, it was generally
- This is good but more measures are needed to take care of fuel price spike due to the Gulf crisis
When the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Buses was launched shortly after the removal of subsidy on petroleum products by the Federal Government in 2023, it was generally well received as one measure that could cushion the pain that followed the new policy. Government had explained that since Nigeria has an abundance of gas reserves, it should not be difficult to make vehicle owners embrace it.
Last week, the Federal Government announced that 100,000 CNG kits would be released within three weeks to cushion the effects of fuel price hike caused by the crisis in the Gulf region.
The measure is partly to assist vehicle owners, especially those involved in public transportation, to obtain the conversion kits. The government also promised to ensure that the gas is available in all parts of the country in no time.
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The government should ensure that this is done. The kits may not be enough, but they should help in reducing the hardship.
And we said government should fulfill its promise to make the 100,000 kits available, advisedly.
After the launch of the programme, very little has been heard of it.
Indeed, more than 30 months after, it is appropriate to ask how far the presidential committee has gone. It seems not much has been heard from it, at least going by information in the public domain. It’s been quiet in that front.
We therefore call on the committee and the Federal Ministry of Transportation to step up activities on the CNG initiative now.
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How many bused have been procured so far? How many filling stations are already in place and how many public and private vehicles have been converted -- where and when? Constant updates on these aspects is the way to mobilise the citizenry behind such a programme, especially in a country where many people distrust governments and their projects.
Government should also take a look at the cost of conversion. At a time when poverty rate is so high, the Federal Government should come up with more pocket-friendly programmes. This can come by way of low or no-interest loans that would have a fairly long repayment tenor.
It may have taken the United States/Israel attacks on Iran and the consequent spike in the prices of petroleum prices for government to speak on CNG after a long period. But there should be no lull on CNG again.
Constructive engagement with the citizenry and bodies like labour unions, employer associations, student movements, civil society groups and professional institutions on what the government is doing to lessen the pains of the war should continue. It would help in building trust and ensuring that many Nigerians know that the government cares.
Besides, it should not just be a Federal Government affair. At the beginning, states like Ogun and Lagos pledged to launch their own CNG schemes on a massive scale. Some of them did, too. But are they still on course?
The private sector too should be brought in. Local vehicle assembly plants need encouragement to support the laudable initiative to yield results.
As things stand, the CNG promise appears futuristic. We know it will take time before it can cover the entire country.
Without necessarily rolling back the hands of the clock with regard to the economic reforms of this administration, some of which have been applauded by other countries, multilateral bodies and rating institutions, there is an urgent need to come up with more measures to cushion the effects of the pains, especially from the Gulf crisis.
