THE Federal Government’s Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) is targeting the creation of about 100,000 jobs from an estimated one million conversion of vehicles from petrol to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
According to media reports, this was just as the initiative commenced the conversion of vehicles into autogas across the country following the distribution of free kits.
The Programme Director of PCNGi, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, speaking in Abuja, said, “25,000 technicians need to be enabled across 1,000 conversion centres. We need 2,300 refuelling stations, but we currently have only three. We also need additional LCNG plants across the 14 to 15 core Northern states that cannot immediately get piped natural gas.
“We need mini-LNG plants probably in two or three locations across the country; one in each of the geo-political zones, and we also need over 2,500 vector pipeline trucks. It’s important to know that people will be driving these things and enabling them.
“We are making sure that investment is going to the corridor with the most users because 90 per cent of Nigerians ply three major transit corridors: namely, the Lagos to Kano transit corridor, the Calabar to Benin transit corridor and the Lagos to Benin through Lokoja corridor. When we do that, there will be a reduction in the cost of food and transportation.”
It was gathered that in Lagos, commercial drivers trooped to the conversion centres across the state to change their vehicles to CNG.
Following the distribution of kits, motorists were advised to visit various conversion centres to have their vehicles converted free of charge.