Lawmakers from northern Nigeria voiced concerns on Thursday over the absence of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion centres in the North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, a situation they described as detrimental to their constituents.

The protest took place during a House of Representatives session, while considering a motion titled “Call to establish more compressed natural gas conversion centres across Nigeria,” introduced by Aliyu Madaki, the member representing Dala Federal Constituency in Kano State.

Madaki, who also serves as the House Deputy Minority Leader, highlighted the benefits of CNG conversion, including cost reduction, environmental improvements, and longer vehicle lifespans.

“CNG burns more cleanly than Premium Motor Spirit, which means less carbon buildup in the engine, reducing the need for frequent engine repairs and prolonging the life of engine components,” he explained.

He noted that, as part of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, the Federal Government had distributed CNG conversion kits and established conversion centres in several states.

“Akwa Ibom has five centres; Delta has centres; Edo has 11 centres; Ekiti has seven centres; and Lagos has 70 centres, among others,” Madaki stated. However, he pointed out that while Kaduna in the North-West benefited from the initiative, no state in the North-East was included.

“We are worried about the exemption of other states from the initiative, as commuters of those states are not taken into consideration,” Madaki said, urging the government to expand the program to cover more areas, including Kano, Borno, Katsina, and Sokoto, which he described as commercially viable.

Sada Soli, a lawmaker from Katsina, expressed similar worries, questioning why the North-East and North-West were left out of the programme.

He pointed out that the government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative was intended to alleviate the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidies, and therefore, it was necessary to understand why numerous northern routes and urban areas were not included in the plans for CNG centres.

Ahmed Jaha, a representative for Borno State, contended that the North-East region held a strong claim for the establishment of CNG conversion centres.

He noted the complete absence of such facilities across the entire North-East. Jaha stressed the importance of the government rectifying the perceived neglect of the area, suggesting that this oversight had played a role in the insecurity and instability plaguing the nation, referencing the insurgency in the North-East as a case in point.

In contrast, Olumide Osoba, a member from Ogun State, raised concerns about the global shift away from CNG to hybrid and electric vehicles, urging the government to consider preparing for cleaner energy solutions. “Some advanced nations are already moving away from CNG to hybrid vehicles in preparation for the migration to electric vehicles,” he noted.

Lagos lawmaker Kafilat Ogbara suggested the formation of an all-inclusive ad-hoc committee to oversee the implementation of the CNG initiative.

“The committee should include members from all regions, so that we can monitor and oversee the project effectively in our constituencies,” she said.

The House of Representatives resolved to form the ad-hoc committee and urged the Federal Government to ensure the establishment of CNG conversion centres across the country in a fair and equitable manner. It also tasked the Committee on Gas Resources to ensure compliance and report back within four weeks for further action.