Senate President Godswill Akpabio (2nd right), Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI (middle), at the Event in Abuja, FCT Photo: NASENI
*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directs government Ministries Departments and Agencies to patronise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure for CNG-powered transportation, to reduce pressure on Foreign Exchange and save money for vehicle owners
Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect
In a move to further advance patronage of Made-in-Nigeria goods to reduce importation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed government Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to patronise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
ConsumerConnect reports President Tinubu stated this while commissioning NASENI-Portland Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineering and Training Centre Friday, May 31, 2024, in Utako, Abuja, FCT.
Tinubu was represented at the event by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Nigerian leader, who is also Chairman, Governing Board of NASENI, said he was aware that NASENI collaborated with private sector players in the commercialisation of its products.
He further asserted that the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi), to which NASENI has subscribed, is the way to tap into Nigeria’s abundant gas resources, and ultimately, attain cleaner energy for consumers in the West African country.
Tinubu also noted the use of CNG-powered transportation would reduce pressure on foreign exchange, save money for vehicle owners by converting fuel-emitting vehicles to CNG.
Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, Director of Information at NASENI, Friday stated President Tinubu lauded the agency for working with private sector collaborators as part of effort at establishing lithium ore processing plant to produce lithium battery for electric vehicles in the country.
Earlier in his welcome address on the occasion, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, said the NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited, was a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.
Halilu disclosed the new facility could convert 15 cars every two hours, translating into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.
The EVC/CEO of NASENI stated: “Mr. President, by our calculations, if Nigeria is able to have 10 of this kind of facility in each of the 36 States and the FCT, we will be able to convert every vehicle in the country to CNG within one year.”
He also urged the President to give NASENI approval to convert all the vehicles in the State House fleet to CNG.
“We are asking for your approval to do this, and showcase our capabilities. “Second, we are offering to carry out CNG conversions for every Ministry, Department and Agency of the Federal Government at a cost,” said he.
Equally, to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Halilu as well said NASENI is willing to make available to its contractors its CNG generators, for the purpose of test-running the lighting project on Bill Clinton Drive, that is the highway leading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in order to encourage them to purchase the Agency’s streetlights for the project.
Goodwill messages poured in from the Minister of Petroleum (Gas), Epkerikpo Ekpo; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji; Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi; and Chairman, House Committee on NASENI, Hon. Taofik Ajilesoro.
The Director of Information said the NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre equipped with the latest technology and staffed with trained professionals to ensure efficient and safe conversions, is designed to build local capacity and domestication of CNG technology.
The Centre offers comprehensive training programmes for technicians, engineers, and other stakeholders, fostering domestication of expertise in CNG systems, and promoting the adoption of green energy solutions across in the country.
The NASENI initiative is expected to significantly reduce vehicular emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment.
Additionally, the adoption of CNG will offer economic benefits by reducing fuel costs for consumers and creating new job opportunities and technical expertise in the Nigeria’s green energy sector.
