The Center requires responsibility as Nigerian tail for methane despite enormous investments

The for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity Center (CFTPI) asks for responsibility for the implementation of the presidential initiative on compressed natural gas (PI-CNG) which was launched about a year ago.

The initiative, which has been revealed as a strategic response to facilitate pressure on the demand for consumption of premium motor spirit (PMS) following the removal of subsidies for fuel, has seen substantial and private investments.

Despite the commitment of the federal government to convert 150,000 vehicles within the first year and in the end reaching a million conversions by 2027, the actual number of converted vehicles is much lower, estimated at less than 100,000.

Sponsor announcement

The director of the program and CEO of P-CNG, Michael Oluwagbemi, in a recent statement, announced that over 50,000 vehicles have been converted from the launch of the initiative.

In a press release on Monday, the head of the CFTPI public relations, Victor Aga, said that the last position of the government agency contrasted his information in November 2024, which said that over 100,000 vehicles were converted.

AGI denounced the difficulty of combining over 500 million dollars in investments, the Pi-CNG said that the sector has attracted from reality on the ground, since the Nigerians continue to endure the queues for methane following limited stations in the city such as Abuja and Lagos.

The current situation, according to the spokesperson, raises serious questions about transparency, responsibility and efficiency of the implementation of politics.

The CFTPI also observed that the implementation of the infrastructures was irregular, with most of the refueling and conversion of the methane they concentrated in some urban centers, leaving most of the country, in particular sottoregioni, with little or no access.

AGI stated that even in areas where there are stations, motorists have yet to face long waiting times, with cases reported of high conversion costs that are on average between N750,000 and N1 million, making the transition for the middle Nigerian inaccessible.

“This reality is clearly contrasting with the projection of the government according to which methane would serve as a cheaper alternative, safer and more sustainable to petrol, with savings on costs up to 60 percent for end users,” he observed.

The Center wants the administration to provide the full dissemination of funds paid, raised and generated pursuant to the Pi-CNG, adding that the public deserves to know where investments were directed and because the results do not reflect the level of resources committed.

CFTPI also urged the government to expand the equally the launch of the conversion centers and stations, in particular in the underground regions, while launching robust awareness campaigns to encourage adoption and dissipate safety problems.

“If the Nigerians are unable to access alternatives at affordable prices and see a measurable improvement in their daily life, the CNG initiative risks becoming another lost opportunity in the long search for the country of energy stability.

“Given the history of the nation with corruption of the oil industry, the center underlines that the energy reform must be both transparent and inclusive,” concluded the declaration.