KEY POINTS
- Nigeria’s PiCNG-EV says over 120,000 vehicles have already converted to CNG nationally.
- CNG prices held steady for three to four months while petrol prices fluctuated sharply.
- Rivers State currently hosts eight certified CNG conversion centres with more expected soon.
Nigeria’s government has a direct answer to the pain of petrol subsidy removal. It is called CNG, and the man tasked with rolling it out wants every Nigerian motorist to know it.
Tosin Coker, chief operating officer of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, known as PiCNG-EV, made the case plainly at a media sensitization session in Port Harcourt on Friday. The event was organized by the Decade of Gas Initiative at Hotel Presidential.
“When this administration came in, the subsidy on petrol was pulled. That immediately impacted every Nigerian because the cost of petrol went up,” Coker said. “So when you do a policy like that, you need to bring an alternative. That is what we are doing with CNG.”
120,000 vehicles already converted as prices hold steady
The numbers behind the initiative are starting to carry weight. Coker said more than 120,000 vehicles across Nigeria have already been converted to CNG. Port Harcourt is next in line for intensified attention in the coming weeks.
The price stability argument is the one Coker leans on hardest. CNG prices did not move over a three to four month period, even as global oil market tensions pushed petrol prices up and down repeatedly.
“Price of CNG did not change over the last three, four months, whereas the price of petrol and diesel has gone up and down,” he said. “Yes, petrol price is coming down today because they signed one agreement. If they throw one bomb tomorrow, it will go back up. CNG will remain the same.”
Conversion involves fitting a kit and CNG tank onto an existing vehicle. Motorists can then switch between conventional fuel and gas. The government’s goal is to push users toward relying more on CNG because of cost savings and engine benefits.
Rivers State conversion centres and investor push
Rivers State currently hosts eight licensed and certified CNG conversion centres accredited by the National Automotive Design and Development Council. Coker said more centres are expected to come online in the next few weeks. All certified facilities are listed on the PiCNG-EV website.
The Federal Government is also building an investor-friendly environment around the initiative. Policies are in place directing ministries, departments and agencies to convert official vehicle fleets to CNG or procure new CNG-powered vehicles. Private investors are being encouraged to establish conversion centres and refuelling stations nationwide.
Opeyemi Balogun, representing the Decade of Gas Initiative, said the Port Harcourt session is part of ongoing media engagement that began in 2025 to improve public understanding of government energy programmes. He urged journalists to report accurately, noting that misinformation, including a case where a vehicle explosion was wrongly linked to CNG, has created unnecessary public fear about the fuel.
