There are signs that the Federal Government’s (FG) plan to switch Nigeria’s vehicle transportation service sector from using petroleum to petrol has run into serious problems. This is coming as a result of shortage in supply of the CNG product across the country.
Due to inadequate infrastructure and supply limitations, industry players told Financial Vanguard that the initial excitement has given way to frustration.
According to them, insufficient refill stations and the petrol itself have recently turned into a nightmare for investors and consumers nationwide.
The product’s scarcity coincides with a sufficient supply of fuel in every region of Nigeria, which has made gas consumers more inclined to go back to petrol for their vehicles.
In some states, the program is almost nonexistent, while in others, it is physically present through the provision of conversion kits, built-in autogas vehicles, and refill stations, but its operations are either minimal or nonexistent.
However, the office of the Presidential CNG Initiative, as well as key stakeholders, while acknowledging the existence of these challenges, said the programme has not derailed, adding that efforts are underway to restore progress.
There are more than 49 petrol stations spread out along the 38-kilometer Abuja-Keffi Road, which is known to be very busy. Unfortunately, there is only one CNG station on the same route.
Reports gathered reveal that the only CNG filling station, located in Ado, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, is currently not operational. Since CNG is substantially less expensive than petrol, it was introduced only about eight months ago with the goal of saving drivers and commuters a lot of money.
According to The Vanguard, several drivers and motorists have expressed frustration, adding that they would have switched to CNG for their cars, but they were irritated by the dearth of conversion facilities and the broken CNG filling stations.
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