Adebola Omotosho, a mechanic, must travel eight kilometers across the megacity of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, to restock his compressed natural gas (CNG).
He is one of the pioneers, in Africa’s most populous country, who have adopted this alternative fuel promoted by the authorities but still difficult to find. The financial and environmental benefits, he believes, outweigh the inconvenience of the journey. ‘Before, I spent 75,000 naira (around 44 dollars) for petrol, compared to 12,000 naira (around 7 dollars) now for CNG every week,’ he explains to AFP. Nigerian authorities see CNG as the silver bullet to end chronic fuel shortages and a five-fold increase in gasoline prices since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed fuel subsidies in May 2023.
In September 2023, Mr. Tinubu established the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) to encourage the transition to cleaner energy. About 100,000 cars have been converted so far, with more than $200 million invested, according to PCNGI director Michael Oluwagbemi. And the Government is aiming to convert one million public transport vehicles by 2026.
-Conversion cost-
Nigeria has about 12 million vehicles on its roads and wants to join countries like Argentina, Brazil and Iran, where millions of means of transport run on CNG. But the cost of the conversion is high: around 1.3 million naira (732 euros) for a car with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.
With some 129 million Nigerians living in poverty, according to the World Bank, and an exploding cost of living, few motorists can afford such an expense, especially as the country is currently going through its worst economic crisis in a century. thirty years. “The initial cost of this conversion is prohibitive for most drivers,” says Chidalu Onyenso, CEO of Earthbond, a company that helps companies transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.
However, Mr Oluwagbemi says salaried workers can get loans to convert their vehicles, with a 12-month repayment plan. To achieve its ambitious objective, the Government must also take into account the slow pace of conversions and the limited number of resupply stations.
Jide Fasetire, a qualified technician, explains from his workshop in Lagos that he has converted 20 vehicles since the Government launched its campaign, and has 18 on its waiting list. A conversion takes at least two days. ‘Our goal is three hours, but we’re not there yet,’ he explains, adding that the technicians are being trained.
– Skepticism –
The October 2024 explosion of a CNG-powered car in Edo State (in the south of the country) fueled public concern and sparked a series of social media posts calling CNG a “bomb.” delayed”. Authorities blamed the use of “uncertified and poorly manufactured CNG cylinders” for the explosion and promised stricter compliance measures.
‘Security concerns linked to the proliferation of unlicensed conversion centers pose a serious security risk,’ explains Kelvin Emmanuel, energy expert and consultant. Babatunde Odukoya, a freight forwarder who spends 150,000 naira a week (about $88) to refuel his mid-size SUV, told AFP that the Edo explosion had been “discouraging”.
The Malaysian Government’s announcement to stop CNG vehicles, which it had introduced at the end of the 1990s, by July 2025 for safety reasons, also fueled Nigerian skepticism. For Ms. Onyenso of Earthbond, the mass adoption of CNG will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and reduce maintenance costs. However, she believes that the adoption of CNG is ‘only a step towards greening the transport network’ in the country and that other solutions must also be considered. Like even less polluting electric vehicles.
© Afriquinfos & Agence France-Presse
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