By Tekena Amieyeofori
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, has urged the Rivers State Government to urgently develop a comprehensive Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, programme to reduce transportation costs, attract investment and maximise the state’s vast gas resources.
National President of PETROAN, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, made the call recently while speaking with newsmen in Lagos during an inspection of CNG refuelling locations.
He said Rivers State was well positioned to lead Nigeria’s transition to gas-based transportation because of its status as a leading oil and gas-producing state, its industrial base and strategic location in the Niger Delta.
“Rivers State has the resources, the industrial base and the strategic position to become a major CNG and gas-based transportation hub. We should not continue to produce gas without fully taking advantage of it to improve the lives of our people,” Dr. Gillis-Harry stated.
According to him, the state government should study, adopt and, where possible, improve upon the emerging CNG model being implemented in Lagos State. He however stressed that Rivers must not simply copy Lagos, but should develop a model suited to its own oil and gas resources, industrial capacity, transportation needs and economic opportunities.
PETROAN said greater CNG adoption in Rivers could significantly reduce transportation and operating costs for commercial transporters, including buses, taxis and other high-mileage vehicles. The association added that it would also attract investment, create employment, support local businesses, strengthen energy security and provide a comparatively lower-emission alternative to conventional petrol and diesel transportation.
To achieve this, PETROAN proposed the establishment of a Rivers State CNG Conversion and Transportation Programme. The association said the programme should cover the development of CNG conversion centres across major transportation corridors, incentives to make vehicle conversion more affordable, and partnerships with private investors and gas companies to establish refuelling infrastructure across the state.
It also called for the integration of CNG-powered buses into the state’s public transportation system and the gradual adoption of CNG-powered vehicles by government ministries, departments and agencies. PETROAN further recommended the establishment of a stakeholder framework that would bring together the Rivers State Government, gas producers, petroleum marketers, transport operators, vehicle conversion companies, financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders.
The association noted that affordable financing would be critical to enabling commercial transport operators to convert their vehicles from petrol and diesel to CNG.
On the role of petroleum marketers, Dr. Gillis-Harry said the development of CNG infrastructure should complement rather than threaten the downstream petroleum sector. He said petroleum marketers must be positioned to participate actively in the country’s transition towards a broader and more diversified energy market.
PETROAN stressed that marketers can play a major role in Nigeria’s emerging gas economy by investing in CNG infrastructure and transforming existing filling stations into multi-energy stations offering petrol, diesel, CNG and other approved energy products.
While commending the Lagos State Government for demonstrating how a subnational government can support CNG adoption through infrastructure development, vehicle conversion and public transportation initiatives, PETROAN said Rivers can build on that experience by leveraging its gas advantage.
The association also urged the Rivers State Government to work with the Federal Government’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Pi-CNG & EV, and other stakeholders to accelerate CNG development in the state.
PETROAN said Rivers has an opportunity to position itself as a national leader in gas utilisation and gas-based transportation. It also indicated its willingness to partner with the Rivers State government to enhance gas utilisation.