The federal government, through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG), says more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,600 tricycles, popularly known as keke, are now running on compressed natural gas across Nigeria, as the country targets the conversion of one million vehicles by 2027.
Mr Zayyanu Tambari, Chief Compliance Officer of PiCNG, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja, recalling that as of 2023, Nigeria had only about 11,000 CNG converted vehicles nationwide.
“Currently, there are more than 100,000 cars that are using CNG on the Nigerian roads. Companies in the private sector and operators are refitting their fleet, especially the long haulage to move on CNG,” Tambari said.
He added that progress has also been recorded in vehicle assembly and deployment, noting that “there are more than 11,000 Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) assembled, including haulage trucks and more than 4,000 Dangote Trucks.”
Tambari further disclosed that “more than 4,600 CNG tricycles, 510 CNG/AGO/PMS buses have been deployed. Our target is to covert one million vehicles by 2027.”
According to him, the presidential mandate is not limited to vehicle conversion alone but also includes factory-fitted vehicles, locally manufactured units, and imported vehicles running on CNG by 2027.
He said that when PiCNG was inaugurated, only 11 states had CNG infrastructure, but this number has grown to more than 23 states with active CNG footprint and conversion programmes, supported by 379 conversion centres nationwide.
“By the end of 2026, we will have taken the CNG footprint to every state, if not every senatorial district in Nigeria,” he said.
Tambari also revealed major growth in refuelling and technical capacity, stating that while there were just 20 refilling infrastructure facilities in 2023, Nigeria now has 58 refilling stations and 21 CNG mother stations, with over 6,300 technicians trained.
He said the initiative has attracted over $2 billion in investments into the CNG subsector and is targeting $5 billion by 2027, driven by increasing private sector interest.
Tambari recalled that President Bola Tinubu unveiled the PiCNG programme in 2023 as part of Nigeria’s energy mix, stressing the commitment to expanding CNG stations and EV charging infrastructure for affordable mobility.
“But if you look at what we have achieved, we are now growing in exponential progression, by 2027 we will exceed this target,” he said.
Read Also: FG denies claims of suspending new tax laws
