Photograph — Embassy of Zimbabwe

Following recent global crude oil fluctuations and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) deregulation in Nigeria, the federal government has turned its attention towards an affordable alternative for energy. The newly introduced Natural Gas Expansion Program was unveiled in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, 1st of December, 2020.

The NGE program is simply a plan to make life easier for Nigerians with the initiation of autogas as an alternative to petrol. This means that cars and generators will no longer be powered by petrol, deepening domestic usage of natural gas in its various forms. 

In the virtual meeting, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari stated that the auto-gas initiative will enrich the trajectory of the national economic growth and development.  “I, therefore encourage everyone to embrace the gas in form of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), as an alternative fuel for autos and other prime movers,” he added. Presently the government is set to make the first choice source of cheaper and cleaner energy. 

Taking the first step, the Minister of State of Petroleum, Mr Timipre Sylva, handed over CNG-powered mass transport buses to Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), while the Federal Government Autogas program is expected to deliver 1 million vehicle conversions by the end of 2021. 

Auto-gas is notably the third most popular automotive fuel in the world with approximately 16 million of 600 million passenger cars powered by fuel. There’s no doubt that if integrated into the country’s economy and lifestyle, it will lower Nigeria’s dependence on petrol. For starters, auto-gas is 40% cheaper than petrol, it also reduces carbon dioxide exhaust emission by 15% when compared to petrol. Also, despite having a lower density, it is highly efficient. 

With the abundance of natural gas resources in Nigeria, the federal government is confident that this will not only soften the effects of the deregulation, but also create new markets and job opportunities for Nigerians. 

Most importantly, it is 100% possible and achievable to have a vehicle converted to an LPG-powered vehicle and still have its petrol tank. This way the driver can easily alternate. 

With a reserve of about 203 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) and an additional upside of 600 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF), Nigeria ranks 9th across the globe in terms of Natural Gas resources. 

By N. N. David-Duke.

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