National CNG Summit Seeks Commitments On Stations, Conversions, Financing, Jobs

Stakeholders at the maiden National CNG Summit have called for concrete commitments on refuelling stations, vehicle conversions, financing, safety and job creation, warning that Nigeria’s compressed natural gas ambition will remain largely aspirational unless government, investors, operators and regulators translate policy into coordinated implementation.

The convener and national chairman of the National Compressed Natural Gas Forum (NCNG-F), Faruk Abdullahi, said Nigeria’s inability to fully convert its vast natural gas endowment into affordable energy, industrial competitiveness, and economic opportunity remains one of the country’s most striking paradoxes.

He noted that Nigeria has the gas resources, a large domestic market and entrepreneurial capacity, but continues to face gaps in infrastructure, financing, institutional coordination and policy consistency. According to him, the central question is no longer whether Nigeria should adopt CNG, but how quickly and sustainably the country can build an ecosystem that makes the fuel accessible, commercially viable, safe and dependable for transportation and industry.

“The question before us is no longer whether Nigeria should embrace CNG,” Abdullahi said. “It is how quickly, efficiently, and sustainably we can build an ecosystem that makes it accessible, commercial, viable, safe, and dependable across our transportation and industrial sectors.”

Human Impact of CNG Transition

Abdullahi said the CNG transition must be understood beyond vehicles, cylinders and refuelling stations. He argued that every energy policy carries a human dimension, affecting commercial drivers whose earnings are eroded by fuel costs, traders whose goods become more expensive due to transport charges, farmers who move produce over long distances, and manufacturers competing with high energy costs.

He said the programme should also be judged by its capacity to create opportunities for young Nigerians in vehicle conversion, maintenance, engineering, logistics, manufacturing and other emerging parts of the gas value chain.

“The success of CNG transition must not be measured merely by the number of vehicles converted or refuelling stations established,” he said. “It must be measured by how much it reduces transportation costs, creates employment, strengthens businesses, attracts investment, and ultimately improves the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians.”

Call for Private-Sector-Led Industry

While commending the Federal Government’s Presidential CNG and Electric Vehicle Initiative, Abdullahi said government intervention should serve as a catalyst rather than a permanent substitute for private investment. He said the long-term survival of the sector depends on private-sector participation, institutional collaboration, technical competence and investor confidence.

He warned that Nigeria must build an industry capable of surviving beyond individual programmes, administrative changes and political cycles. In his view, economic transformation becomes sustainable only when policy creates a predictable environment in which businesses can invest, expand and compete.

“Government can provide a vision that sets the policy direction and catalyse initial investment, but the long-term sustainability of this industry will ultimately depend on private sector participation, institutional collaboration, technical competence, and investor confidence,” he said.

Abdullahi explained that the NCNG-F was established to give operators across the CNG value chain a stronger platform for coordination, representation and collective engagement with government. He said the forum brings together conversion centres, CNG marketers, refuelling-station operators and other stakeholders to address common challenges and contribute to national policy.

He said the forum sees itself not merely as an association of operators, but as a partner in national development with a responsibility to help build an industry that future generations will inherit.

Investment, Financing and Infrastructure Gaps

The NCNG-F chairman identified infrastructure financing, conversion affordability, limited access to credit, gas availability, regulatory uncertainty, technical standards, safety and low public awareness as major obstacles to adoption.

He urged investors and captains of industry to see CNG as a new industrial frontier, with opportunities in refuelling infrastructure, conversion technologies, gas logistics, storage, engineering services, manufacturing and financing solutions.

He also called on banks and development finance institutions to design innovative financing models that can make vehicle conversion affordable, support infrastructure development, and help local enterprises expand.

“To our financial institutions and development finance partners, we invite you to look beyond the immediate challenges and recognise the enormous economic value of financing this transition,” Abdullahi said.

He appealed to commercial vehicle operators and transport unions to see themselves as indispensable partners rather than mere beneficiaries. He said their confidence and participation would determine whether CNG adoption delivers real economic benefits to commuters and businesses.

To regulators, he called for predictable policies, efficient regulation, transparent processes and standards capable of inspiring investor and public confidence. He also invited international partners and technology providers to support investment, technology transfer, capacity development and industrial growth.

Abia’s Experience in Green Mobility

The Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters, Emenike Onyembi, told delegates that states must play a practical role in converting national energy policy into visible infrastructure, jobs and services.

Onyembi said Nigeria’s large gas reserves should provide greater protection against the impact of petrol and diesel price movements, especially following the removal of fuel subsidy. He argued that a country with such substantial gas resources should not remain heavily exposed to imported fuel volatility.

He said the summit’s theme — moving from awareness to adoption, investment and industrial growth — captures the right sequence, but warned that awareness alone does not convert vehicles and announcements alone do not create adoption.

“Every fuel transition faces the same coordination problem,” he said. “Drivers will not convert without refuelling stations. Investors will not build stations without vehicles to convert. Each waits for the other, and nothing moves.”

He said policy must break this deadlock through deliberate sequencing, shared risk and credible long-term signals that assure drivers, investors and operators that the transition is sustainable.

Safety, Access and Local Content

Onyembi identified three conditions that must exist simultaneously for CNG adoption to succeed: a durable price advantage, unquestionable safety, and genuine access to refuelling stations.

He warned that a single avoidable accident involving a substandard cylinder or uncertified installation could damage public confidence in CNG for years. He therefore stressed the need for certified equipment, accredited conversion centres and properly trained technicians.

He also described vehicle conversion as both a technical and financial challenge. According to him, conversion requires upfront spending but delivers savings over time, making access to finance essential for commercial operators.

He further noted that imported conversion kits, cylinders and dispensers expose Nigerian operators to foreign-exchange risk. He said local manufacturing is the strongest defence against cost volatility and a key condition for protecting the economics of the national CNG programme.

“Local content is how we protect the economics of the whole programme,” Onyembi said.

Abia’s Electric and CNG Plans

Abia State presented its energy-transition strategy as an example of pragmatic planning that combines different technologies rather than relying on a single solution.

Onyembi said the state initially planned CNG buses but later opted for electric buses to achieve zero emissions at the point of use. He said the state continues to support CNG because the two technologies serve different needs and can complement each other.

He disclosed that Abia’s green shuttle fleet currently stands at 40 electric buses supplied by Coscharis Motors Group. He said terminals and charging infrastructure are being expanded under a plan to grow the fleet to 100 buses.

According to him, the buses operate on electricity supply extended across nine local government areas since February 2024. He stressed that an electric fleet is only as credible as the power infrastructure behind it.

Onyembi also highlighted Abia’s efforts to develop local industrial capacity. He said a vehicle assembly plant is being developed with capacity for up to 40,000 vehicles annually, with lines for both electric and CNG vehicles.

He further said the state has endorsed a proposed $13.1 million CNG project at the Abia Industrial and Innovation Park. The project is intended to become the first integrated CNG hub in the South-East, a region currently without a CNG mother station.

He added that Abia has also made land available for green-mobility initiatives and has trained 2,210 young people in digital skills under its technology programme.

Accountability and Measurable Outcomes

Onyembi urged gas companies, manufacturers, financiers and development partners to treat the summit as the beginning of implementation rather than the end of discussions.

He called for specific commitments on who will finance projects, who will certify and inspect installations, who will build infrastructure, and within what timeframe.

“Let us leave with specific commitments,” he said. “Who will finance what? Who will certify and inspect? Who will build where and by when? Let us measure ourselves by stations built, vehicles converted and jobs created.”

He said Abia is ready to work as a serious partner in the national effort, adding that states can help expand services, support local businesses and create skilled employment for young people.

A Pragmatic Nigerian Energy Model

Both Abdullahi and Onyembi agreed that Nigeria’s energy transition should be pragmatic, inclusive and grounded in the country’s natural resources, technological capacity and economic realities.

They said CNG and electric mobility should be treated as complementary options rather than competing alternatives. While CNG can immediately address the cost burden of petrol and diesel in commercial transportation, electric mobility offers long-term opportunities for cleaner urban transport where power infrastructure is reliable.

Abdullahi said Nigeria should not merely participate in the global energy transition, but develop a Nigerian model that is economically sensible, socially inclusive and commercially sustainable.

He urged delegates to leave the summit with stronger partnerships, shared commitments and a determination to build an industry that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of Nigerians.

“Let this summit be remembered not simply as the day Nigeria gathered to discuss its CNG potential, but as the moment we resolved to turn that potential into tangible national prosperity,” he said.