The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has promised, since the removal of the fuel subsidies, to ease the tension thereof through the CNG initiative. The government also promised to ensure equitable distribution of resources to all the regions.
Making this known in a joint statement signed by CHRD Coordinator and Secretary Mr.Kola Sami’u and Yusufu Garba, respectively, said that ” It is noticeable that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) was launched about a year ago.”
The association then lamented that ” But sadly, thorough investigations by this centre have shown that the private firms engaged by the federal government to convey CNG to the north are either not qualified or are ill-prepared to handle this humongous project.”
“Currently, CNG is almost non-existence in nearly all the northern states including Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Niger, etc. The CNG centres under construction in the north are taking too long to take up” the association noted .
However,the organization frown that ” Comparatively, other private firms engaged by the federal government to deliver Compressed Natural Gas in the south are handling the project. We can boastfully say that CNG is almost a success in the region.”
The statement reads : ” The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unveiled the initiative as a strategic response to ease pressure on the demand for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption following the removal of fuel subsidies and it received substantial government and private investments.”
The government said it is committed to converting 150,000 vehicles within the first year and will reach one million conversions by 2027. So far, the number of converted vehicles is estimated at fewer than 100,000. Apparently, the number of converted vehicles in the north compared to the south is abysmal. This is not unconnected with the near-absence of functional CNG centres in the north.
The association then lamented that ” But sadly, thorough investigations by this centre have shown that the private firms engaged by the federal government to convey CNG to the north are either not qualified or are ill-prepared to handle this humongous project.”
Based on this lukewarm attitude of a firm handling the operational in the North ,the CHRD,then stated that “Based on this, we unequivocally call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas to, as a matter of urgency, to investigative this menace as it is fast becoming bane to social development in the north.”
The CHRD,further added that”
Failure to address this issue will further fling the region into a deeper economic crisis, thereby giving the government a bad name”.
However, the Federal Government is targeting $1 billion (USD) in annual investments for CNG conversion projects. Before expending this huge amount of money on the project that is arguably becoming a “white elephant” in the north, we urge the Federal Government to conduct a thorough assessment to avoid wastage and to align the region with its counterpart in respect of CNG distribution.
Going by the challenges of the Presidential initiative on CNG in the north, we are demanding that the Federal Government revoke the project, sack the contractors and hand the project to efficient firms, capable of delivering on time.