Kehinde Fajobi
Dr. Yusuf Aliu, a France-based Nigerian forensic investigator and management consultant, has called on the Federal Government to include agrarian states in its distribution of free Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits for commercial vehicles.
He believes this move could help reduce transportation costs and lower food prices.
In a statement titled “Need to Expand CNG Conversion to Aid Agrarian States and Reduce Food Costs,” Aliu noted that rising food prices in Nigeria are largely driven by high transportation costs.
He said that the widespread adoption of CNG, a cheaper and cleaner fuel alternative, could help address this issue.
The government is currently distributing free CNG conversion kits to one million commercial vehicles in eight states—Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna—and the Federal Capital Territory, as part of the Presidential Initiative on CNG. However, Aliu expressed concern that key agricultural states were excluded.
“While the initiative aims to promote the use of gas to power vehicles, offering significant savings for commercial drivers, especially those transporting goods, the exclusion of critical agrarian states limits its potential to address a major challenge—food security,” Aliu said.
He pointed out that states like Benue, Niger, Taraba, Kebbi, and Plateau, which are responsible for much of Nigeria’s food production, are not part of the CNG programme.
“Without extending the CNG conversion programme to these regions, the high cost of transporting agricultural produce will persist, undercutting the goal of reducing food prices nationwide,” he added.
Aliu urged the government to prioritise these agrarian states in the next phase of the CNG rollout, emphasising that doing so would support the broader goal of ensuring food security.
He also suggested that the Presidential Initiative on CNG collaborate with local governments, cooperatives, and transportation unions in agricultural zones to promote the adoption of CNG technology.
This, he argued, would improve the efficiency of Nigeria’s agricultural supply chain and support the country’s effort to diversify its economy away from oil.