The Federal Government has launched the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS), designed to promote safety, accountability and environmental integrity in the country’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector.
Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, speaking at the pilot launch held at an NNPC retail station in Abuja, said the NGVMS would ensure that only vehicles converted at accredited facilities with certified kits can access CNG at approved stations.
The NGVMS is a system designed and developed by PiCNG in collaboration with key government agencies such as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Other key private sector partners that worked closely with us on the program include NNNP (NNPC Retail), NIPCO, BOVAS and many others in the CNG mobility ecosystem, including some conversion centres.
The key objective of the NGVMS is to ensure a reliable, efficient and reliable verification framework for all CNG powered vehicles in Nigeria.
The system would mitigate the actions of unlicensed and unapproved operators in the CNG mobility value chain, which, if allowed, could derail the success recorded so far in the adoption of CNG for mobility.
The Minister noted that the system would provide end-to-end oversight, from conversion to refueling, ensuring the safety of citizens and the integrity of Nigeria’s growing CNG ecosystem.
Ekpo described the initiative as a milestone under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Gas Decade Initiative, which aims to make CNG the affordable and sustainable energy option for Nigerians.
President and CEO of the Presidential Initiative on CNG (PiCNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, in his remarks, revealed that over $1 billion in private sector investments have entered Nigeria’s CNG value chain.
He added that more conversion and refueling stations will be put into operation across the country before the end of the year.
“Today, after a thorough and collaborative design and development phase of the NGVMS, which began in April 2024 with the Co-Creation Workshop by key agencies and partners, we are pleased to launch a Pilot Scheme of the programme, which will run live at some select stations in all geopolitical zones with active CNG infrastructure over a period.
“This is to ensure that the system performs optimally as designed, addressing any observed design or development errors, and aligning all necessary partners and stakeholders in its operations prior to full rollout of the NGVMS program nationwide,” he said.
Leaders of various transport unions in Nigeria, in separate speeches at the event, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for launching the PiCNG to mitigate the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023.
They said that under the initiative, members have benefited from over one million free CNG kits, buses and tricycles (Keke), which has led to a significant reduction in transportation costs and subsequently a reduction in food prices across the country.
The union leaders urged the government to prioritize commercial vehicles in the CNG project, ensuring that they are given preference.
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