Earlier this month, filling stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) hiked the fuel price to about N1,030 per litre in the country.
President Bola Tinubu has again boasted that his administration has provided Nigerians with workable solution to the hike in the fuel price.
Earlier this month, filling stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) hiked the fuel price to about N1,030 per litre in the country.
This new increment came barely one month after the state-owned company hiked the fuel price to over N850 per litre from N670.
Consequently, transportation and food item prices have skyrocketed, triggering severe inflation.
Shortly after the fuel price increment, the government announced the opening of an application portal for Nigerians who desire to convert their vehicles from Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
However, a press statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) on Tuesday night stated that President Tinubu’s belief is that investment in CNG will make Nigerians to forget about the fuel price hikes.
The statement said Tinubu thanked the Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCO) Plc for its prompt investment in the energy transition, saying the company’s investment aligns with his administration’s energy security and economic diversification strategy.
The statement reads: “He emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in driving the transition to cleaner and more affordable energy solutions for Nigerians.
“The President lauded NIPCO’s efforts in promoting and supporting the “Switch to CNG” campaign, which has been instrumental in boosting public awareness and providing affordable CNG conversion kits even before the official kickoff of the Presidential CNG Initiative.
“He highlighted the significance of this initiative in reducing the nation’s reliance on petrol and cutting down fuel costs for consumers.
“CNG, being a cleaner and more affordable fuel, reduces the carbon footprint and saves consumers significant fuel costs.”
“Nigeria’s motorists can buy petrol at N1,000 per litre or equivalent gas per Standard Cubic Meter at N200. We have also introduced incentives for commercial motorists to convert from petrol to gas” free of cost,” President Tinubu was also quoted as saying.
It continued: “President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for private sector investments and expanding Nigeria’s CNG infrastructure to enhance energy efficiency and economic growth.
“He further encouraged NIPCO to continue its innovative approach to CNG expansion while supporting the government’s broader goals in the energy sector.
“Mr Ramesh Kasangra, NIPCO director, who led the delegation, thanked President Tinubu for his steadfast support of the CNG sector.
“He expressed NIPCO’s commitment to furthering the partnership with the government to ensure Nigeria’s energy transition remains on track.
“He assured the president that the company was ready to invest in infrastructure to make CNG more accessible nationwide.
“According to him, NIPCO has been a key player in various sectors of Nigeria for over four decades and will continue to believe in Nigeria for the long term.”