Nigerian Vehicles To Start Running on Natural Gas, As Transport Ministry Receives Report on CNG
Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye (left) receiving the CNG Report from the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani on Tuesday in Abuja.
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola A. Adegoroye has said the federal government is considering the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which the country has in abundance, to reposition the transportation sector in urban centres across the country.
The Minister stated this on Tuesday when he received the report on “Implementation-Ready Report on National Strategy Development for the Adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) based Transportation System in Nigeria’s Urban Cities”
The Minister receiving the report said that “Green House gas emissions poses health and dire environment consequences and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind considering that she is a signatory to Green House Emission Policy aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the country”.
Speaking further, the minister, while assuring that the report would be given prompt attention, appreciated his erstwhile colleague, saying: “I appreciate that the last minister who was here before, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, had the initiative to set up a committee to work on this, I think it is a wonderful Initiative.”
He, however, stated that, “I assure you that Nigerians must say something about us that when we were here, that we took steps to get things done and being in tandem with what the world wants or what the world desires at this time”
Spokesperson of the Ministry, Eric Ojiekwe, said the minister also said that green house gas emissions pose health and dire environment consequences and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind considering that she is a signatory to Green House Emission Policy aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the environment.
Earlier, while presenting the report to the minister, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, stated that the report was sponsored by World Bank and done by Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), through the Federal Ministry of Environment with highlights on strategic steps to be taken in the adoption of CNG vehicles in the transportation sector in the country.
She said, “It would help us in kick-starting the revolution in the change of the transport sector, with vehicle conversion to CNG on the adoption of CNG vehicles, for our road transport mode within the urban city to start with.”
She further stated that the “Original Equipment Manufacturers in couple of years down will probably not be supporting vehicles that are powered by diesel or gas as everyone is moving towards electric vehicles, adding that the report takes into cognizance how Nigeria can move from diesel and Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) to natural gas and in about 10 to 15 years.”
Good one, joining the league of progressive nations of the world planning a clean safe environment through strategic implementations of global best practices . diversifying from fossil fuels had long been the stratagic agenda of the league of elite nations of the world and today our dear country is part of the process ,thanks to the initiator of the former and present ministers of states for transports,I pray the report is fully implemented for the a sustainable pollution free Nigeria, “it’s better late than never”.