The initial euphoria that greeted the introduction of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) seems to be fizzling out with Nigerians from all walks of life divided on its impact.

In August 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the establishment of the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG), expected to cut down energy and transportation costs and ease the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

But two years after it was launched, many motorists who spoke with Blueprint on the benefits as well as the challenges posed to them by the initiative, even as they faulted the implementation.

In 2024, the federal government activated its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion Incentive Programme in eight states, which were Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Delta, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Nasarawa states.

The government later launched a N2.5 billion credit scheme to promote vehicle conversions to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and support local production of conversion kits, aiming to reduce energy and transportation costs nationwide.

Blueprint reports that since its take-off, the CNG policy has been dogged with several complaints concerning persistent issues which include: infrastructure deficits, regional inequality, slow progress, safety risks, high conversion costs, lack of coordination, non-availability of promised CNG vehicles, and logistical challenges.

Philip Clement, a journalist said when he converted his car to CNG he was very happy that he was at least reducing the amount spent on fuel for his car, adding however that this is not the case considering the present reality.

He said: ?Honestly, when I converted my car to CNG, I was happy that at least I could save some money from the high cost of petrol, which rose from N187 per litre to almost N1,000 or even at a time over N1,000, before it reduced to N945 or so. So, I was happy, but I converted in January this year, that?s about seven months now. And in January, throughout, I didn?t experience any problem with filling my gas, until late February, when people started converting in bulk.

?You know, the initial idea was for the government to subsidise, to give the kits free to commercial taxi drivers. But, because of the nature of Nigeria, the commercial taxi drivers started selling it, they started selling slots. Naturally, CNG conversion was supposed to be N1.1 million.

?But commercial taxi drivers, the government gave the kits for free, started selling them at N300,000, N250,000, in fact, some as low as N150,000. So, because of that, many people rushed in and embraced the scheme.

?Of course, Nigerians, when we see cheap things, we rush. So, that?s how people started converting, so many people started converting. And then, because of that, we now have a surge in conversion, which is not commensurate with the filling centres.?

?? It?s beneficial, but??

For Ifeanyi Onuba, also a media practitioner, the stress of buying gas is now more than the benefits.

Onuba said: ?I have a Jeep but the way it is, I may not even convert. The stress of buying gas is more than the benefit.

?There is NNPC in that Dutse-Bwari axis but you have to spend six hours minimum before you can get gas. Cars sleep at the filling stations just to buy gas. It?s not worth the trouble.?

Another user, Gabriel Kuma, told Blueprint that converting one?s car to CNG is good for motorists.

He noted that with CNG, motorists would spend less on fuel compared to the use of petrol.

According to him, the only thing is that you have to change your plugs every two months or it will start giving you issues.

?For instance, I was able to get N1,200 gas last Saturday and on Sunday, it took me to my church in Wuse 2, from there I went to Jabi Park to pick up some stuff, and I proceeded to Katampe extension and returned to my house in Kubwa. The next day, which was a Monday, I left Kubwa to Katampe extension from there to Area 1 before I now switched to petrol. I would have spent over N22, 000 to buy petrol for those two days,? he said.

The blessing

For some commercial drivers, however, CNG conversion has been a blessing due to their returns on a daily basis.

According to them, they now spend less on fuelling their vehicles while daily they continue to smile home.

According to Kunle, the conversion to CNG for him has been a blessing.

He said his take-home has witnessed a significant increase, adding that there is no regret resigning from his N70, 000 monthly work to take up driving.

?Where I used to work, I was paid N70,000, but thanks to the use of a CNG powered car, the amount I received after 30 days of work is what I get daily.

When asked why his charges are still high, Kunle explained that ?It is not only gas that we use; there is still maintenance of the vehicle that is still very expensive.?

?Frustrations

On the stressful side of getting the CNG, some of those who spoke to this newspaper lamented the long man hours spent queuing for the product.

Speaking to this reporter in pidgin English, a Bwari resident, Chukwuma, said: ?Wahala for who dey wait for CNG! We dey spend 6-7 hours queuing for gas that barely lasts 4 hours, only to repeat the cycle again. Some people fit lose their cool o, fights break out over N3,500 worth of CNG gas. Fathers and husbands dey sleep at CNG stations, exposed to mosquitoes and whatnot, just to get that gas. Na God fit help us for this country.?

?Someone told me he only spends Sunday with his family, from Monday to Saturday is at CNG stations,? he further added.

Another user, Philip, corroborated Chukwuma?s position, citing some examples.

He said: ?I?ll give you an example, on Sunday; I went to that CNG filling station in Wuse Zone One. I even missed church. I was thinking I could buy and go for a second mass. I went at 6 a.m. You cannot believe my brother, before I got the CNG, it was 4 p.m. I spent ten solid hours on the queue, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., before I got there. When we went there, they said, at 9 a.m., they said, a truck is coming; we waited for that truck till 2 p.m. before it came.

?And when it came, it started discharging before it dispensed. It was discharged for an hour and 30 minutes. By 4pm it started dispensing and because I was among the first people on the queue, I was among the first people that got.

?The people that came behind me, I?m sure that they will get CNG by 6. That?s 12 solid hours on the queue. So, imagine many hours lost.

?Do you know that even at 6 a.m. that I came; there were people already in front of me. People are sleeping in CNG station as if it is their house now because of scarcity. So, the thing is tiring.?

Continuing, he said: ?There is what they call chua-chua. People will just come and pay N2, 000, N3, 000. And these people have spent many hours on the queue.

?In fact, on Sunday, people almost exchanged physical blows because of that. How can I come out at 6 a.m. and be on the queue for almost 10 hours and somebody will just drive in because he has N2, 000 to give?

?But because we want to be law-abiding, we follow the queue. But the system is so corrupt that people will just drive in, pay money and get it, which is not fair.?

Challenges

Speaking further on the challenges, Chukuma said: ?The other challenge is availability. As it stands, NIPCO is the sole provider of gas. And because other oil marketers see them as competitors, they are not too keen to patronize NIPCO. The good thing is that the agreement with NIPCO will expire by next month (August), as it stands, other marketers will be able to take the gas for onward supply to consumers. Many of them already have space for CNG. What they are waiting for is the license from the Pi-CNG committee.?

?On the way out

On the way out, Philip said: ?You know, the issue is that the government has no single hand in CNG. It is a pure private investment. So, the only way the government can come in is to provide an enabling environment for investors to come and invest in CNG and then certify safety. So, if you are setting up a CNG facility in your station, before you start operation, the government will come and check to ensure safety and all.

?So, the government has no investment in it, because of that, it has little or nothing to do about it because how can you go and tell a private investor what to do with his money or how to do it, that is the issue.

?If the government had invested in it, that is where we would now hold the government to account. But the government doesn?t want to put a naira in it. They only allow private investment in CNG.?

?Short-term solution

As a short-term solution, Phillip urged the government to drive the process by expanding the infrastructure to ensure product availability at all times.

He said: ?The short-term solution is, although we don?t have so many filling centres, the government should ensure that there is always availability of gas.

?In other states, they don?t suffer from gas like the way we suffer in Abuja and it?s in Ajaokuta here that they go to pick the CNG that they go to load the CNG. So, they should make it available. Once they make it available, this issue will be a thing of the past.

?While the government should keep encouraging private investors to come and sink in their money, to open more centers, NIPCO, NNPCL, Mobil and Shafa are currently doing that. We understand Bovas and others are coming to the system. So, if we have more, AA Rano and others come into the sector, I bet you in the short term that the man-hours people like myself spend on the queue, will be reduced.

?So, even with the unavailability, Nigerians are still making life difficult for others by coming and just cutting corners. So, the short-term solution is availability, availability, availability. If only there will be availability, for instance, if a truck has been exhausted, another one will come immediately, we will not have this issue.? (Blueprint)

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