In an effort to mitigate the hardships caused by the removal of fuel subsidy, the federal government on Friday, launched the Conversion Incentive Programme of the Compressed Natural Gas Initiative in Abeokuta, Ogun State
Speaking at the flag-off, Michael Oluwagbemi, the CEO and Program Director of the Presidential CNG project, stated that the goal of the project was to convert one million automobiles for free.
Oluwagbemi said to fulfil the President’s promise, the program would work with four conversion centres signed up in the state.
He said, “What we are doing here now is to flag off the incentive programme that the President announced in his last speech to the nation where he talked about the difficulties of all Nigerians.
“He mentioned that a million vehicles are going to be converted for free. We are here to fulfil the President’s promise here in the city of Abeokuta.
“We are going to be working with the conversion centres partners, we signed up four of them here in Ogun State today.”
Oluwagbemi said commercial drivers, as well as members of NATO, RTEAN, and NURTW, would receive the conversion kits.
“It’s going to be the 60th we’ve signed across Nigeria for the programme. The idea is that this conversion centre will get the conversion kit that the Federal Ministry of Finance has purchased for free.
“Fifty nominees from each of the three major unions will be utilising not just this facility but the three facilities to ensure that conversion starts.
“When that conversion starts, we will be able to fuel in any of the CNG refueling stations that are also present in Ogun State,” he added.
In his remarks, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Energy, Jide Onakoya, said the programme would be a game-changer for the state and help to reduce pollution by a significant amount.