By Abdullahi Yusuf
A group, Centre for Human Resource and Development(CHRD), has condemned the “near-absence” of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the North, describing it as an indication of lopsided distribution of the commodity in the country.
CHRD made the condemnation in a statement jointly signed by its Coordinator and Secretary Mr.Kola Sami’u and Yusufu Garba, respectively.
“It is noticeable that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) was launched about a year ago.But sadly, 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-existent 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 off,” it said.
According to the group, other firms engaged by the Federal Government to deliver Compressed Natural Gas in the south have almost succeeded in handling the project, adding, “we can boastfully say that CNG is almost a success in the region.”
“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.
“Based on this, we unequivocal call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President of the Senate,Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the menace as it is fast becoming
bane to social development in the north.
“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 revokes the project, sack the contractors and hand the project to efficient firms, capable of delivering on time,” CHRD added.