Tinubu expands CNG initiative to cover electric vehicles,

• Directs deployment of mobile refueling units

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the mandate of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG) to include Electric Vehicles (EVs), in a move aimed at repositioning the programme as the central driver of Nigeria’s clean mobility strategy.

Under the new arrangement, the initiative will now be known as the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV), with responsibility to lead and coordinate the country’s transition to cleaner transport, covering both gas-powered and electric vehicles nationwide.

According to a State House statement issued yesterday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, PiCNG & EV will continue to drive the rollout of CNG infrastructure, including Mother and Daughter Stations, Integrated Refuelling Units, CNG vehicles and equipment as well as nationwide vehicle conversion programmes. In addition, it will “anchor the development and rollout of electric vehicles, EV charging infrastructure, and related investments nationwide.”

The statement stressed that gas remains a “competitive and strategic fuel for transportation,” noting that Nigeria’s abundant gas reserves can be leveraged to lower transport costs, strengthen energy security, and conserve foreign exchange currently spent on imported fuels. The inclusion of electric vehicles in the initiative, the Presidency added, further reinforces the government’s agenda for affordable, efficient and environmentally responsible mobility.

President Tinubu also directed the Executive Chairman of PiCNG & EV to immediately put in place a coordinated process for the rapid deployment of vehicle conversion kits across the country and to ensure that such kits are available to Nigerians at prices that are not burdensome. To achieve this, the initiative is to work with CreditCorp Nigeria, financial institutions and other relevant partners to design cost-effective financing structures that will make vehicle conversions widely accessible to the motoring public.

In a further push to improve access to alternative fuels, the President ordered the accelerated deployment of Mobile Refuelling Units (MRUs) to expand access to CNG in more locations while permanent refuelling and charging infrastructure continues to scale up across the country.