President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate deployment of approximately 100,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits across Nigeria to cushion the impact of soaring fuel prices on commuters.
The directive was disclosed by the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, on Tuesday after a meeting with Tinubu at the President’s Villa.
This gesture comes as global oil market volatility—triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East—continues to drive up the cost of petrol and diesel in Nigeria.
Ahmed stated that the President is deeply concerned about the economic strain on Nigerians and has mandated the Pi-CNG to accelerate the availability of alternative energy solutions. The conversion kits are expected to be rolled out within the next two to three weeks, targeting vehicle owners and commercial transporters, including tricycle operators.
“The President, as usual, is always trying to get information on what is going on, especially with the war in the Middle East and the rising cost of petrol and diesel,” Ahmed told journalists after a closed-door meeting with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
“He wanted to know what we are doing at Pi-CNG and EV to scale up the availability of gas everywhere in the country so that people would have lower costs of transportation,” Ahmed added.
Confirming that the President gave a direct mandate to deploy the kits immediately, the Pi-CNH said, “So we have about 100,000 kits that we’re going to deploy in the next two to three weeks. The conversion centres will all be bustling with a lot of activities.”
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The move is a direct response to the recent sharp hike in pump prices. In the past week, the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, has surged past ₦1,400 per litre in several states, while diesel prices have climbed to as high as ₦1,750 per litre. This has led to a corresponding spike in transportation fares nationwide, with passengers in cities like Ibadan, Kaduna, and Abuja reporting fare increases of 30 per cent to 50 per cent on major routes.
In addition to the conversion kits, President Tinubu has ordered the rapid expansion of supporting infrastructure. According to Ahmed, the government is currently developing 77 CNG refuelling stations at various stages across the country.
The Pi-CNG said the focus will be on key transport corridors, particularly the Northern Corridor stretching from Lokoja through Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano to Maiduguri, which officials plan to “litter with a lot of refuelling units.”
“He (the President) gave a directive that we must be able to fast-track the infrastructure in bringing gas and CNG, and electric mobility charging infrastructures to every part of the country, especially within the Northern Corridor,” Ahmed explained.
The Pi-CNG initiative is also partnering with local and international manufacturers to support vehicle conversion and explore the local assembly of CNG-powered and electric vehicles, a move aimed at boosting job creation. Furthermore, the government is collaborating with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deploy solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles in off-grid locations.
“The President wants results delivered very quickly so that Nigerians will be able to access the CNG and electric mobility,” Ahmed stated, emphasising the urgency of providing cheaper and more sustainable transport alternatives to millions of Nigerians grappling with the rising cost of living.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in mass communication.
