Where are the CNG stations to refill cylinders? Babachir Lawal asks. Says project another means for government officials to steal public funds
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“He [Tinubu] is putting the cart before the horse. Let’s 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? Park the car and come back to Abuja with the cylinder on my head. So, there must be filling stations along the road” – Babachir Lawal
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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal has argued the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles will not work in Nigeria until the government provides the framework for its functionality.
Abuja needs to put build infrastructure that will ensure the effectiveness of CNG vehicles or else the implementation will be catastrophic, he alerted on Trust TV, noting that President Bola Tinubu has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) convert to CNG all vehicles and generators powered by petrol and diesel.
Other critics has also pointed out that CNG vehicles will be phased out in other parts of the world in the next five years.
Tinubu explained through his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale the directive “in line with his commitment to ensure energy security, drive utility, and cut high fuel costs.”
The government said CNG-powered buses will be inaugurated on 29 May 2024 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Tinubu administration.
But Lawal warned it is not sustainable, alleging it is a means for Governors and other government officials to mismanage national resources, insisting there have to be gas stations everywhere on highways for drivers to refill their vehicle cylinders when they run out of gas.
Said he: “They will display for who? Last time they gave money to the Governors to buy buses, they called it palliatives, isn’t it?
“I’ve seen one bus in my state, in Adamawa. I’ve seen one bus plying my Mubi-Yola. I took note of the number. I saw one, I’ve not seen any other one. Sometimes, we go to provide solutions that don’t make sense.
“The 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. I spent about 75 litres of diesel on my farm. And that’s 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’m lucky.
“When I complained, he said ‘convert your tractors to CNG’. I’m an engineer, then I asked, ‘where in Adamawa will I get the gas? Or where am I going to get it if I’m going to Abuja and run out of gas? Where will I get the gas from? So the infrastructure must be on the ground.”
“Typical government. They talk, they talk grammar, and they leave out the implementation which should have seen the filling stations first. Let’s see the filling stations first. Let them be all over the place.
“He [Tinubu] is putting the cart before the horse. Let’s 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? Park the car and come back to Abuja with the cylinder on my head. So, there must be filling stations along the road.
“The argument is that it is cheaper and more efficient than … that is the argument. I’ve seen some vehicles that use gas, the Dangote trucks, they carry hefty cylinders, and even if they run out of gas in Mubi, [the drivers] run to Yola. At least that’s how they do their own.”
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