The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) has procured 30,000 conversion kits to be distributed free of charge within the next 90 days.
The Programme Coordinator/CEO of the initiative, Mr. Michael Oluwagbemi, disclosed this on Saturday in Lagos as the committee took the autogas campaign to motor parks in Lagos.
Tagged, “Park to Park CNG conversation mobilization,” leaders of transport unions including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) joined the PCNGI officials at Ojota Motor Park to flag off the conversion mobilisation for the South-West.
Oluwagbemi while addressing the transporters disclosed that apart from the 30,000 kits to be distributed free of charge, 14 workshops have been assigned to conduct free conversion of vehicles for commercial motorists in the region.
At the event, 150 kits were provided to the region with each of the kits costing N1.2m.
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He stated that the initiative was aimed at crashing the prices of transport and ultimately the high cost of food as a kilogram of CNG would cost just N230, over 50 per cent less than the cost of premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol.
He said, “We’ve bought over 30,000 conversion kits ready for distribution in the next 90 days. This will ensure that commercial transport workers are able to benefit directly from the palliative of the federal government of Nigeria.
“And for this reason we are here in Lagos today. Ogun State is here with us, Ekiti is with us, Osun is with us, Oyo is with us and Ondo.
“We would all benefit from this immediate palliative and Mr. President has promised us that we are not stopping at 30,000. Our target is to convert one million vehicles and we want to make sure you all benefit directly from this government’s intervention.
“We will no longer buy petrol for N750, N850 per liter. We are taking advantage of our huge gas reserve where we would be buying CNG for N230 per kilogram. This is the way to go.
“This is why we are here. These kits also come with mechanic workshops. We have 14 of them here present with us.
“We are signing agreements with the 14 conversion workshops and our target is to set up 1000 of such workshops. 14 of them are signing agreements with us for Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Oyo. Very soon, the whole country would adopt the CNG initiative.
“CNG is good for us, good for the environment and it will help in crashing the prices of food items. This is a major dividend of democracy from the government. The President made the promise and he’s fulfilling it and we have started rolling out the CNG vehicles.”
Former National President of the NURTW, Alhaji Najeem Yasin and the Acting President of the union, Alhaji Aliyu Issa Ore hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing the programme that would directly impact the lives of transporters.
Yasin urged all the transporters to key into the initiative which would ease the suffering of Nigerians.
He stated that as soon as the CNG vehicles were rolled out, transportation fare which is currently high would reduce.
Ore on his part promised that the transport unions would stand by the President and his government to succeed.
In attendance were Shola Giwa, Special Adviser on Transport in Lagos; State Chairman of NURTW, Mustapha Sego, immediate past Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo; a former NURTW Chairman in the state, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, among others.
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