By Thompson Yamput
Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi state has described as laudable initiative the Federal Government’s plan to covert one million vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by 2027.
Ododo made the commendation in Lokoja on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the state government in collaboration with Automotive Gas Nigeria Services Limited, (AUTOGAS Nigeria).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the meeting is “During Sustainable Energy: the Future of CNG in Kogi State”
The governor was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade.
Ododo said: “Kogi, like other parts of the world is being faced with the challenges of reducing carbon emissions, and mitigating environmental degradation caused by conventional fossil fuel vehicles.
“The adoption of CNG readily presents an opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and promote energy efficiency.
“Today’s gathering is a testimony to our strong shared commitment to even development and the advancement of key energy solutions in Kogi and the entire nation.”
The governor, however, assured the commitment of his administration’s readiness to provide conducive environment for the success of the programme.
In his remarks, Babajide Awolowo, the Strategic Business Education Adviser, Presidential Initiative on CNG programme, disclosed that 50 million U.S. dollars had been directly mobilised to the CNG sector.
“We have set an ambitious target of 1 million vehicle conversions by 2027 for ourselves at presidential initiative on CNG (Pi-CNG) because powering our vehicles by using our God given resource has become
imperative.
“President Bola Tinubu made one of the boldest pronouncements ever made by a government on May 29, 2023, by stating that subsidy was gone.
“As you know, subsidy on PMS has been in place in Nigeria since 1977, and has contributed to years of budget deficits, significant leakages, and corruption, while also impacting the effectiveness of our economy.
“This decision was a challenging one as it automatically led to an increase in fuel price but the CNG is believed to be a cheaper, more cost efficient and cleaner alternative that should be introduced to Nigerians.
“This is because Nigeria has an estimated 206.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven gas reserves, as the 9th largest in the world. In lay man’s terms “That is a lot of gas,” he said.
Owolowo said that the federal government was partnering with a company to build a CNG Park in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi for easy access by motorists that crisscross the state to both northern and Southern parts of country.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Transportation, Atuluku Victor-Levi, said that kogi was ready to offer business friendly environment.
He added that Kogi is a prime location for the CNG service points making her an attractive destination for profitable returns on major CNG infrastructures.
(NAN)
