The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and its partner, Portland, have formally opened the all-in-one Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) reverse-engineering, training, filling, and conversion center in Abuja, marking a key milestone toward a sustainable energy transition. The occasion, which was attended by dignitaries and significant stakeholders, was capped off with the President’s official commissioning.<\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, the Project Director for the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi), Abuja City Journal<\/em> delved into the details of this groundbreaking event and its implications for Nigeria’s energy sector.<\/p>\n ACJ: Good morning, sir. Can you give us a brief overview of what transpired today?<\/strong><\/p>\n Engr. Michael:<\/strong> Thank you very much. Today, we witnessed the presidential commissioning of the CNG conversion workshop, reverse-engineering laboratory, and training center established by NASENI in collaboration with Portland, one of the affiliates of the presidential CNG initiative. This center is multifaceted; it not only converts vehicles from petrol to CNG but also serves as a filling station and a training hub. Additionally, it houses a reverse-engineering laboratory where conversion kits are developed.<\/p>\n ACJ: That’s impressive progress for CNG in Nigeria. Is there current excitement about CNG adoption in the country? What measures are being taken to ensure safety and prevent the proliferation of counterfeit products?<\/strong><\/p>\n Engr. Michael:<\/strong> Indeed, there is significant excitement about CNG in Nigeria. Safety and regulation are our top priorities. We are organizing our first stakeholder cooperation workshop this Tuesday with key regulators including the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Automotive Design and Development Council, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigerian Board of Technical Education. This workshop will focus on certifying and accrediting trainees and technicians. We aim for stringent yet smart enforcement to prevent quacks from entering the market, ensuring only qualified professionals are accessible to the public.<\/p>\n ACJ: There are concerns about cabals potentially hijacking the CNG project, similar to what happened with PMS. How is the agency addressing this issue?<\/strong><\/p>\n Engr. Michael:<\/strong> The government has been clear from the start that we will not allow cartels to form in the CNG sector. Transparency and competition are our tools to prevent this. Since the sector’s opening in December, we’ve seen over $50 million in investments. We recently opened a smaller station in Lagos with NNPC Accelera, and more stations are set to open soon in Ogun State and other locations. Encouraging competition is crucial, and we are committed to preventing monopolistic control.<\/p>\n ACJ: Lastly, what is the key takeaway for Nigerians from today’s event?<\/strong><\/p>\n Engr. Michael:<\/strong> The key takeaway is that CNG is the future. In his speech, the President emphasized the importance of transitioning from diesel and PMS to cleaner, more reliable, and cost-effective CNG. Nigeria, being a gas-rich nation, must leverage this resource for industrialization and economic growth. Embracing CNG will help us move towards a more sustainable and competitive energy landscape.<\/p>\n ACJ:<\/strong> Thank you very much for your time, Engr. Michael.<\/p>\n Engr. Michael:<\/strong> Thank you. It was a pleasure speaking with you.<\/p>\n The commissioning of the NASENI CNG center marks a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s journey towards sustainable energy. With strong regulatory measures, active investment, and a focus on competition, the country is poised to embrace a cleaner and more efficient energy future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and its partner, Portland, have formally opened the all-in-one Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) reverse-engineering, training, filling, and conversion center in Abuja, marking a key milestone toward a sustainable energy transition. The occasion, which was attended by dignitaries and significant stakeholders, was capped off with the President’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-33370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33370"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33371,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33370\/revisions\/33371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}