{"id":52713,"date":"2024-10-18T13:57:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T13:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=52713"},"modified":"2024-10-18T14:14:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T14:14:03","slug":"cng-remains-safe-fg-assures-nigerians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2024\/10\/18\/cng-remains-safe-fg-assures-nigerians\/","title":{"rendered":"CNG Remains Safe \u2013 FG Assures Nigerians"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of a recent explosion at a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) station in Benin City, Edo State, Zayyanu Yabo, the Coordinator of Regulatory Compliance and Facilitation for the Presidential CNG Initiative, has addressed growing concerns regarding the safety of CNG use in Nigeria. Appearing as a guest on Arise TV\u2019s Newsnight<\/em>, Yabo acknowledged the incident and emphasized the importance of adhering to regulations to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe commiserate with those that were injured and impacted by the incident,\u201d Yabo said. \u201cLuckily, there were no fatalities, and while two of the injured remain in serious condition, one has already been discharged from the hospital. We continue to monitor their recovery closely, and we wish them a speedy recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yabo went on to highlight that Benin City has been a pioneer in Nigeria’s CNG industry since 2012, when the country\u2019s first five pilot CNG stations were commissioned in the city. Over the past twelve years, these stations have operated without incident until now. However, with the renewed push for CNG adoption under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s administration, Yabo pointed out that the increasing interest in the sector has attracted some unscrupulous elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the launch of the Presidential CNG Initiative by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there has been a significant uptick in activity in the sector. Unfortunately, this pace of development has provided an opportunity for individuals to exploit the system by engaging in illegal practices,\u201d he explained. Preliminary reports indicate that the cylinder involved in the explosion was locally fabricated, an illegal practice that contravenes safety regulations. Both the police and regulatory agencies are now investigating the matter.<\/p>\n

Despite the unfortunate incident, Yabo reassured the public that the Presidential CNG Initiative has implemented a robust regulatory framework to monitor and control all aspects of the CNG value chain. This framework involves multiple regulatory bodies, each playing a key role in ensuring safety and compliance. The Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) all work together to oversee the manufacture, installation, and inspection of CNG kits, cylinders, and conversion centers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a long chain of gatekeepers to ensure that unscrupulous behavior doesn\u2019t get out of hand,\u201d Yabo noted. He acknowledged that the incident had heightened fears among Nigerians regarding the safety of CNG, with some already expressing reluctance to convert their vehicles to CNG. However, he stressed that these fears were based on misunderstandings of the system.<\/p>\n

Yabo offered practical advice to the public, urging them to only patronize duly accredited conversion centers. \u201cFirst and foremost, we should only patronize accredited conversion centers. You can verify their status through our various platforms,\u201d he said. \u201cDo not patronize any unauthorized person or mechanic who claims they can convert vehicles. It\u2019s dangerous, and this explosion shows the risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

To further enhance transparency and safety, Yabo revealed that the Presidential CNG Initiative is launching the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System, a web-based platform that will allow users to check the authenticity of conversion centers and verify their certifications. \u201cThis system will be available for anyone to check the veracity of conversion centers, ensuring that only licensed and safe facilities are used,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The CNG initiative, which aims to reduce Nigeria\u2019s dependence on petrol and diesel, has been a centerpiece of the government\u2019s energy transition efforts. By promoting cleaner and more affordable alternatives, the initiative hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the cost of transportation for Nigerians. However, safety remains a top priority as the sector expands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of the CNG initiative is not only to drive environmental sustainability but also to provide cost-effective alternatives for Nigerians in the face of rising fuel prices,\u201d Yabo emphasized. \u201cBut we can\u2019t afford to compromise safety in the process. That\u2019s why regulatory compliance is non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of a recent explosion at a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) station in Benin City, Edo State, Zayyanu Yabo, the Coordinator of Regulatory Compliance and Facilitation for the Presidential CNG Initiative, has addressed growing concerns regarding the safety of CNG use in Nigeria. Appearing as a guest on Arise TV\u2019s Newsnight, Yabo acknowledged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":47927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-52713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52713","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\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52716,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52713\/revisions\/52716"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}