By Anifowoshe Oladipupo
The Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, says Nigeria flares no less than one billion cubic feet of gas daily, while injecting another three billion into oil wells and exporting a further three billion to other countries.
He lamented that only 1.3 billion cubic feet is utilised domestically, with minimal use in the transportation sector; a trend the PCNGI is determined to reverse.
“Nigeria is a gas country that happens to have some oil,” Oluwagbemi stated at the official handover of five new CNG buses to the Nigerian Army on Tuesday at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
He noted that Nigeria holds an estimated 208 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves spread across 30 states.
Outlining the benefits of gas, he said it traditionally serves four key areas; power generation, cooking and heating, gas-based industries like fertiliser production, and transport.
He added a fifth emerging use: crypto mining.
“In the United States, Costa Rica and China, countries are now building crypto reserves by mining digital currency with stranded energy sources like natural gas.
“Nigeria can do the same and strengthen the naira while supporting the Army’s work,” he said.
Oluwagbemi recalled that the Nigerian Army was the first national institution to support the PCNGI pilot project when it launched about 18 months ago.
He praised the Army’s strategic foresight in embracing clean energy for its transportation operations.
He announced that in addition to the buses, the initiative would offer a full support package, including free CNG conversion kits for Army vehicles, a target to convert 5,000 personnel vehicles, the allocation of dedicated daughter stations to military bases, and skill development opportunities for soldiers and their families in the green economy.
“By adopting CNG, we are cutting operational costs, reducing emissions, promoting public health, and building a resilient, energy-diverse transport ecosystem,” he said, adding that the Army continues to lead in innovation and logistics.
