Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir Lawal has expressed scepticism regarding the feasibility of implementing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles in Nigeria without adequate government intervention.<\/p>\n
Lawal emphasised that for CNG vehicles to function effectively, the government must establish the necessary infrastructure to support them, warning of potential catastrophic consequences otherwise.<\/p>\n
He made these remarks during an interview on the Daily Politics programme on Trust TV.<\/p>\n
Lawal\u2019s comments came in the wake of President Bola Tinubu\u2019s directive for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to transition their petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles and generators to CNG.<\/p>\n
The directive, aimed at enhancing energy security and reducing fuel costs, was announced by Tinubu\u2019s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the government plans to unveil CNG-powered buses on May 29, 2024, coinciding with the administration\u2019s one-year anniversary.<\/p>\n
However, Lawal criticised the sustainability of the initiative, alleging that it serves as a conduit for governors and other government officials to mismanage national resources.<\/p>\n
He underscored the necessity of establishing gas stations nationwide, particularly along highways, to facilitate refuelling for CNG vehicles.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cThey will display for who? The last time they gave money to the governors to buy buses, they called it palliatives, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen one bus in my state, in Adamawa. I\u2019ve seen one bus plying my Mubi-Yola. I took note of the number. I saw one; I\u2019ve not seen any other one. Sometimes, we go to provide solutions that don\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other day, I was talking to one of the ministers and was complaining about the cost of diesel, which is spent on tractors every week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent about 75 litres of diesel on my farm. And that\u2019s a lot of money. Yesterday I bought two drums of diesel which were 50 litres. I bought it for N700,000, and it lasts for one week if I\u2019m lucky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I complained, he said, \u2018convert your tractors to CNG\u2019. I\u2019m an engineer, so I asked, where in Adamawa will I get the gas? Or where am I going to get it if I\u2019m going to Abuja and run out of gas? Where will I get the gas from? So the infrastructure must be on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawal continued, saying, \u201cTypical government. They talk, they talk grammar, and they leave out the implementation, which should have seen the filling stations first. Let\u2019s see the filling stations first. Let them be all over the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Tinubu) is putting the cart before the horse. Let\u2019s see the infrastructure for refilling the gas. If I go buy a car or convert my car to CNG, and maybe run out of gas on my way, what do I do?<\/p>\n
\u201cPark the car and come back to Abuja with the cylinder on my head. So, there must be filling stations along the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe argument is that it is cheaper and more efficient. I\u2019ve seen some vehicles that use gas, the Dangote trucks; they carry hefty cylinders, and even if it runs out of gas in Mubi, he runs to Yola. At least that\u2019s how they do their own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir Lawal has expressed scepticism regarding the feasibility of implementing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles in Nigeria without adequate government intervention.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n