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PCNGi: FG proposes 1m gas-powered vehicles by 2027 – project director

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The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) says the Federal Government plans to put one million gas-powered vehicles on the road by 2027.

PCNGi’s Chief Executive Officer and Project Director, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, made this known in a statement on Friday, after hosting the first-ever Compressed Natural Gas Stakeholders and Investors’ forum.

Oluwagbemi, who spoke on “A Comprehensive Overview of Nigeria’s CNG Ecosystem”, highlighted specific milestones among the bold vision and objectives of the CNG initiative.

“The Federal Government’s ambitious plan to put one million gas-powered vehicles on the road by 2027 means an average annual rate of 250,000 vehicle conversions per year.

“Other plans include the establishment of 40,000 auto gas conversion workshops and the creation of 750,000 jobs by 2027, across the emerging CNG value chain,” he said.

He said that the forum reinforced Nigeria’s suitability and commitment to transiting to a more efficient and sustainable gas-powered economy.

According to him, the high-power forum with the theme “Nigeria’s CNG Revolution: Harnessing Opportunities for a Sustainable Future”, featured presentations, panel discussions, exhibition and networking, among the attendees.

He said that the participants comprised key figures, critical stakeholders, indigenous and international experts in both public and private sectors, spanning across the energy, transportation, finance, and environment value chain.

“The occasion, among others, enabled stakeholders and investors the opportunity to assess the potentials of Nigeria’s CNG industry; evaluate the government’s ongoing efforts in advancing CNG as a sustainable fuel alternative for the nation.

“It was to also examine the regulatory framework vis-à-vis international best practices; and explore the economic opportunities that abound in the sub-sector in the committed transitioning to a gas-powered mobility system in the coming years,” he said.

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The PCNGi boss, who is an engineer, noted that given the characteristics of CNG and its benefits as a cheaper fuel, the strategic vision guiding the initiative was to alleviate the cost of living for Nigerians.

He said that CNG will significantly reduce the cost of transportation and ultimately improve the standard of living with a cleaner and safer fuel.

Oluwagbemi said: “In all of these, our strategic objectives are very clear: How do we reduce the cost of transportation for the common man? How do we make Nigeria’s gas work for him or her?

“How do we ensure that this gas working for Nigeria, gives Nigeria an economic advantage?”

Speaking further to the viability of the framework that was adopted by PCNGi for the implementation of the CNG initiative, Oluwagbemi stated the comprehensive approach covering the industry’s demand and supply sides.

He added: “We’re not just focusing on conversion centres but also incentivising investment on the supply side, taking an end-to-end approach.”

He mentioned specific collaborations with the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) and its partners to ensure sufficiency on the upstream side.

According to Oluwagbemi, the initiative is actively engaging the organised commercial transport operators’ network to integrate six million commercial vehicles into the CNG ecosystem.

Also, Toyin Subair, another member of the PCNGi, corroborated the economic advantage of Nigeria adopting CNG as an alternative fuel and reaffirmed that the transition is for the betterment of every Nigerian and the nation as an economy.

Subair said: “The good thing about this initiative is that we don’t need to subsidise or buy imported petrol.

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“We (Nigeria) have our own gas here, and the 6 million commercial vehicles (that will be converted) are ours.

“If we dive into this commercial opportunity, we’ll bring down the cost of transportation for the average Nigerians.”

On his part, Dr Armstrong Takang, CEO of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), and member of the PCNGi Steering Committee, emphasised the crucial aspect of training engineers to implement the programme successfully.

“A major part of this programme is to train as many engineers as possible who are qualified and certified.

“Then, monitor them in terms of their practice, specifically focusing on the safety of gas-powered vehicles.

“This commitment to training and safety will ensure a robust foundation for the expansion and sustainability of the CNG ecosystem in Nigeria,” Takang said.

Dr Mohammed El-Gawish, an International CNG Expert and one of the panelists, validated the potential and feasibility of Nigeria’s CNG initiative.

Drawing parallels with the success of a similar initiative in Egypt in just two and a half years, El-Gawish commended Nigeria’s plans and action points.

He said, “The roadmap or the action plans that are put in place are all very promising.”

Meanwhile, addressing concerns about converting vehicles to CNG, Oluwagbemi reassured Nigerians that costs would be minimal with emphasis on affordability.

According to him, this is to underscore the government’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of the CNG revolution are accessible to a broad spectrum of the population.

The PCNGI boss said that it would also to foster economic inclusivity and inspire a quicker and more comprehensive transition to a CNG-powered transportation landscape.

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“Other highlights of the forum included a virtual and physical exhibition; panel discussions on “Navigating the CNG Ecosystem in Nigeria; The Gas Potential; from Pricing to Availability; and International Perspectives on Regulatory Best Practices,”(NAN)

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Tinubu tasks NOUN on technology advancement

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President Bola Tinubu has assured the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) of his government’s support to ensure the advancement of its Open and Distance Learning (ODL) structure.

Tinubu gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja at the 14th convocation of the university, where the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB), were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees.

While Abbas was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Business Administrator, Adesina bagged an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

The President , who was represented by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, through Hajia, Rakiya Gambo, Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, said NOUN would be strongly supported through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund).

Tinubu said there was the need to advance technology in tertiary institutions to guarantee a robust learning especially for the ODL.

“The Federal Government under my leadership is committed to supporting education by leveraging information technology to enhance learning.

“Through strategic intervention, we are ensuring that education remains the key to our technological development.

“As such, the Federal Government through TetFund, is financing the fibre optic infrastructure at NOUN to provide seamless Internet access to substantial number of students at study centres across the go-political zones of the country.

“This initiative harnesses the power of technology to improve access to education as faster as possible.

“This university has benefitted immensely from various government intervention provided through TetFund and we remain committed to ensuring that possible financial resources are consistently provided for the advancement of education through ODL in Nigeria,” Tinubu said.

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The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olufemi Peters, said NOUN had continued to receive requests for the establishment of additional study centres from prominent individuals, community leaders and associations.

This, he said, was a testament of the essential role the educational institution had played in serving the nation.

“To meet the demand of our expanding reach, we leverage cutting-edger Information and Communication Technology to enhance instructional delivery and improve learning outcomes.

“Our global learning culture is further enriched through innovative collaborations and partnerships with institutions such as the University of South Africa, the Open University, UK, the Open University of Tanzania and so on,” he said.

According to Peters, the 14th convocation was another opportunity for NOUN to celebrate the academic achievements of its students, out of which 17,420 graduated, comprising of 10,967 undergraduates and 6,413 postgraduate students.

The Pro-Chancellor of the University, Malam Isa Yuguda, had earlier urged the Federal Government to incorporate NOUN graduates into its National Youth Service Corps programme, to encourage more youths to enrol in the ODL structure.

Yuguda also appealed to the government to allow the admission of NOUN Law graduates into the Law School, to give room for more student to enrolment into the University Law Faculty. (NAN)

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Nigeria, Others Get Hit As U.N. To Cut 20% Staff Capacity

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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has listed Nigeria and nine other countries as countries to be affected as it will cut 20% of its staff due to a shortfall of $58 million.

The U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher revealed this as he briefed staff after OCHA’s largest donor – the United States – cut funding.

“OCHA currently has a workforce of around 2,600 staff in over 60 countries. The funding shortfall means we are looking to regroup to an organization of around 2,100 staff in fewer locations,” Fletcher wrote in a note to staff on Thursday, as reported by Reuters.

OCHA works to mobilise aid, share information, support aid efforts, and advocate for those in need during a crisis. It relies heavily on voluntary contributions.

“The U.S. alone has been the largest humanitarian donor for decades, and the biggest contributor to OCHA’s programme budget,” Fletcher said, noting that its annual contribution of $63 million would have accounted for 20% of OCHA’s extrabudgetary resources in 2025.

Since returning to office in January for a second term, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has slashed billions of dollars in foreign assistance in a review that aimed to ensure programs align with his “America First” foreign policy.

Fletcher said OCHA would “focus more of our resources in the countries where we work,” but would work in fewer places.

“OCHA will scale back our presence and operations in Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaziantep (in Turkey) and Zimbabwe,” Fletcher said.

“As we all know, these exercises are driven by funding cuts announced by Member States and not by a reduction of needs,” he said. “Humanitarian needs are on the rise and have perhaps never been higher, driven by conflicts, climate crises, disease, and the lack of respect of international humanitarian law.”

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month announced a new initiative to improve efficiency and cut costs as the world body turns 80 this year amid a cash crisis.

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Explosion Kills Seven, Injures Several Commuters In Borno

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The explosion followed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram terrorists on the dilapidated and deserted road which passes through the Sambisa forest.

According to several sources, the explosion happened while cars on a scheduled military-escorted convoy were transporting passengers from Damboa to Maiduguri on Saturday leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries.

The Maiduguri-Damboa Road links Maiduguri to several local government areas in Southern Borno and has been a hotspot for Boko Haram terrorists for over a decade.

The road was closed to vehicles and commuters until the administration of Babagana Zulum opened the road for passengers to travel to Damboa, Chibok and other LGAs in southern Borno with the help of a military convoy serving as security cover for the commuters.

The convoy traverses the road two times a week after scanning for IED by the military and this has been going on for over two years now.

The injured persons whose numbers are yet to be specified have been conveyed to a hospital in Maiduguri for prompt medical attention.

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