The Federal Government has appealed to Nigerians to take advantage of the CNG initiative to reduce by buying locally-assembled CNG vehicles.
This is expected to reduce pressure on the use of Premium Motor Spirit and diesel in the country.
After the removal of fuel subsidy, the Federal Government had provided N100bn for the purchase of 5,500 CNG vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 electric buses and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits, alongside spurring the development of CNG refilling stations and electric charging stations.
President Bola Tinubu has also encouraged Nigerians to venture into the CNG initiative.
Reechoing the admonishment of the government, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Oluwemimo Osanipin, described the CNG as best for Nigerians from all fronts considering its affordable cost.
The NADDC DG said this during an assessment tour of Lanre Shittu assembling plant in Lagos on Monday.
While appealing to Nigerians to buy CNG buses, the DG added that the government was ready to do anything within its power to ensure that the assemblers of CNG flourish in their business.
He said, “My appeal to Nigerians is for all of us to start adopting this initiative and start buying Nigeria-assembled CNG vehicles. It will save us from more expenses. Just like we just heard from one of the engineers now, a 60k of CNG will cover more than 300 kilometres, if you compare that to a petrol or diesel-powered vehicle, you will know that CNG is good for Nigerians.
“Just as you can see, there are pickups here which are assembled here as CNGs and right in this facility we have a place where conversions are done, this means we are ready and the assemblers are ready too.”
He further noted that the automobile industry was also ready to move from assembling cars, trucks and buses to the production of car components.
He said, “We are here to look at what they are doing, assess what they are doing to determine how to take it further from where we are now to a greater stage. Some of these things we import can be done here and that is what we want to see happen. We want to see some of these things done right here in the factory and the CEO of Lanre Shittu has just told me that their other facility over there, which is under construction is for welding while the painting site will be somewhere in Ogun state. This means that we are moving from SKD to CKD.”
Speaking on forms of support the government intends to render to the assemblers, Osanipin noted that the government would be one the assembler’s biggest customers which according to him was evident in the presidents’ directive for all government ministries, departments, and agencies to purchase compon the CNG powered vehicles.
“Our first support is patronage and not just by the government but all Nigerians. We can do it, most of the trucks on our roads now are assembled in Nigeria, so let us all embrace the CNG initiative and replicate what we have done in trucks to buses and cars, let us assemble here and together we can achieve this and a better Nigeria together.”
Also speaking with journalists, Chief Executive Officer of Lanre Shittu Motors, Taiwo Shittu, also commended the CNG initiative, advising Nigerians that it would save them 75 per cent of what they spend on fuel.
He also advised motorists to patronise vehicles assembled in Nigeria considering their after-sales factor.
“A lot of vehicles failed because they didn’t know that the after-sales is important, making parts available is important. I am happy I just showed the DG our parts store which is worth over two billion naira. It is not just about buying a car but putting into consideration how it will be fixed when it develops faults is also very important. Nigerians should not patronise any car that does not have an after-sales plan.”
