Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has directed officials to step up investment in refuelling stations and vehicle conversions as the Federal Government pursues its target of one million compressed natural gas-powered vehicles.
Ekpo gave the directive in Abuja while receiving progress reports from the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles and the Decade of Gas Secretariat over the weekend.
Punch reported that a statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, set out the renewed push. The one-million-vehicle figure is a target, not a count of vehicles already deployed or converted.
The minister asked the two bodies to identify priority interventions, expand infrastructure and strengthen programmes supporting the use of CNG. He said the policy should help make transport more affordable.
Ismaeel Ahmed, chairman of the presidential initiative, said the programme would increase investment in refuelling facilities and conversions. He said a joint industry market study completed by the Decade of Gas Secretariat provided a framework for identifying infrastructure gaps and monitoring implementation.
The new ministerial directive follows President Bola Tinubu’s earlier order for more CNG refuelling stations, reported here. Lower fares remain a stated policy objective, rather than a confirmed outcome of the latest meeting.
Ed Ubong, coordinator of the Decade of Gas Secretariat, pledged continued support for the initiative and greater domestic gas use.
Sources: Punch
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