The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative’s chief executive officer and programme director, Michael Oluwagbemi, says 30,000 CNG conversion kits have been ordered and will be given to commercial drivers in less than 90 days.

Mr Oluwagbemi disclosed this at the Park-to-Park CNG Conversion Mobilisation on Saturday in Lagos.

He added that the CNG initiative was to ensure that commercial drivers would benefit from the palliative measure for transporters.

“We have been across over 14 states; we have been to Ilorin, Ekiti, Lokoja, Aba and Port Harcourt; we have been to the South-East, even to the north.

“Nigeria should believe in this project; there might be some challenges, but we should believe in it.

“This is our country, so we need to support this programme, support Mr President. Don’t be negative; we should be positive in this,” he said.

Mr Oluwagbemi pointed out that CNG was cheaper, cleaner, safer and more reliable, adding that it had 40 per cent less steel emissions and 90 per cent fewer pollutants in the air.

“Definitely, there is an advantage to using CNG for the environment. We are already flaring gas. What we are saying is that instead of flaring gas, we use it for the growth of the economy,” he said.

A former commissioner for transportation in Lagos State, Kayode Opeifa, said the provision of conversion kits by the federal government was in keeping with its promise of easing the effects of fuel price increases for transporters.

According to him, 150 beneficiaries will collect vouchers for conversion, which they will take to an installation centre.

He added that they would refill gas at N250 per kilogramme.

“This will, in turn, increase pocket savings, reduce transport fare and lower the prices of commodities,” he said.

“With the CNG, prices of commercial vehicles should come down, and this will affect all sectors of the economy,” he said.

He said that NURTW was involved in the project to ensure it would go around.

“The whole 36 states would get these free conversion kits, and we assure Mr President that the aim would be achieved,” he said.

He urged all transport associations to bring their lists for conversion, noting that 14 conversion centres were represented for the signing of the dotted line for the mass distribution.

(NAN)