The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) on Saturday began inspection, distribution and installation of CNG kits to commercial motorists in Ogun.

Five hundred CNG cylinders and kits were distributed to three centres in the state.

Speaking at one of the conversion centres in Abeokuta, Olugboyegba Ademehin, the director of Vehicle Inspection Services at the state Ministry of Transportation, said the main concern was to first inspect vehicles fit for conversion.

Mr Ademehin said any vehicle certified okay for conversion would be given a kit for onward conversion.

He said 60 cylinders, comprising 10 units of 75 litres and 50 units of 65 litres cylinder kits, would be distributed at the Ogun Public Works Agency, Agbeloba Centre.

According to him, the 75-litre cylinder can cover up to 150 kilometres of a journey.

He said the centre would cater for other public members in the coming months.

Speaking on safety, Mr Ademehin said the cylinders were moulded and not welded, hence, the thickness, which assured of its strength and fireproof properties.

He said the cylinders, with 60 millimetres thickness, had been certified by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

The director said there were two filling stations for the CNG in Abeokuta.

“We, in Ogun state, through the initiative of the governor, have begun conversion before now because we prioritise the cleaner environment, and that is why we have our CNG buses that have been plying the city.

“We didn’t even know that petrol would be this expensive, and CNG is cheap and cost-effective for motorists, and of course, eases transportation costs for the masses,” he said.

Also speaking, Ali, the operations manager of Nigerian Gas and Transport Solutions Ltd., noted that the gas industry was still underutilised in Nigeria.

Mr Manager expressed optimism that the CNG initiative would ensure that the country maximised the potential of natural gas resources.

In his remarks, Ismail Adewale, chairman of the National Union of Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ogun, commended the federal government for the initiative.

(NAN)