The first 500 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations ordered by the Federal Government are due by the end of October, the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Ismael Ahmed, has said.
Ahmed told Sunday PUNCH on Saturday that a further 500 stations will be ordered afterwards, bringing the total being procured to 1,000. The plan follows President Bola Tinubu's August directive for additional CNG stations nationwide.
Tinubu has said the government is targeting lower transport fares from October 1, and that vehicles running on CNG can cost 60 to 80 per cent less to fuel than petrol-powered ones.
Ahmed said the stations cannot arrive immediately after ordering because each must be built, transported, installed and connected. Locations will be chosen by vehicle numbers and traffic. "It is not a political decision; it is an economic decision," he said. Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Zamfara, Borno, Enugu, Anambra and Lafia are among the areas being assessed.
Abuja has the most operational gas stations at 26, according to Ahmed, with NNPC having about four and Nipco about three. Land for new sites is the constraint in the Federal Capital Territory, despite interest from operators. He said gas supply exists nationwide and that the need is for more stations.
In May, Tinubu commissioned four CNG infrastructure projects in Lagos, Abuja and Owerri, including a daughter booster station in Jahi, Abuja.