FG upgrades NIIT to convert petrol vehicles to CNG

The Federal Government has upgraded the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria as a centre for converting petrol-based vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), explaining that the decision would ease challenges facing the new transportation drive in the country.

Minister of Transportation, Ahmed Alkali, who was in Kaduna to declare open the Management Retreat of NITT, said in line with the commitment to innovation and sustainability, and accompanying challenges of petrol subsidy removal, NITT had been positioned as a centre for converting petrol-based vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

According to him, the institute has “engaged with the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) and has also developed and commissioned conversion centres in Abuja and Zaria, with work underway in several other states.”

He said, “This strategic move aligns perfectly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision and the changing landscape of transportation in Nigeria, and indeed globally,” noting: “We have considered it necessary to charge the NITT to commission the CNG conversion centres in the 36 states of the federation to maximise the potentials of this laudable initiative of the Tinubu-led administration.”

The minister acknowledged that implementing the Performance Management System (PMS) would not be without its challenges but expressed confidence that with “your dedication and expertise, we can create a system that is fair, transparent, and effective. The future of transportation in Nigeria will to a large extent depend on some of the decisions we make and the actions we take during and after this retreat.”

In his address, Director-General of NITT, Dr Bayero Farah, stated: “This retreat is a follow-up to the previous retreat conducted in 2019 designed to reposition the institute to face the ever-changing transportation challenges of the country.”