FG has commenced the probe of CNG Explosions amid fears from Nigerians.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has, however, allayed fears among Nigerians that the CNG is unsafe for vehicles.
This Nigerian news platform understands that FG adopted gas as its transitional fuel at a time when the world is seeking an alternative to fossil fuels.
When President Bola Tinubu came on board, he removed fuel subsidy, a decision that caused the price of petrol to rise above the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians, now at an average of N1,000 per litre.
As the economic hardship continued to bite harder, Tinubu set up the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative for the promotion of CNG as a cheaper alternative to petrol and diesel.
For months, the PCNGI intensified efforts to ensure Nigerians converted their vehicles to CNG to reduce the cost of transportation.
The Programme Director/Chief Executive of PCNGI, Michael Oluwagbemi, assured Nigerians that CNG was safe.
Speaking in a brief chat with our correspondent, Oluwagbemi noted that the owner of the car in the Edo explosion did not get his cylinder from an authorised government dealer.
He disclosed that the car owner contacted a welder, who assisted him in fabricating a fake cylinder.
“CNG is safe. We know what happened in Edo. The driver contacted a welder to get a substandard fabricated cylinder. The regulators are on it,” he said.
In a statement on Friday, Oluwagbemi said, “The Presidential CNG Initiative notes the unfortunate incident that involved an illegally modified vehicle at a NIPCO CNG Station at Ikpoba Hill in Benin City on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
“The PCNGI commiserate with those injured in this avoidable incident and is thankful that no lives were lost. The PCNGI also notes that the safe handling of all hydrocarbons is critical to their safe use.
“A close examination of the cylinder in question in Benin City shows it was welded and modified and not approved for use for CNG. The police, regulatory authorities and management of NIPCO are undertaking a painstaking investigation of the incident and we are coordinating with them,” he stated.
Oluwagbemi said the incident reiterated the impetus of the PCNGI and its partners (at SON, NMDPRA, National Automotive Design And Development Council and Federal Road Safety Corps) on the soon-to-be-launched Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System “to tackle any bad actors in the ecosystem that seek to make this safer, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable source of fuelling risky for all.”
He called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the new system of regulation and ensure full compliance.
“Only accredited conversion centres must be patronised and safe handling of CNG just like petrol ensures the safety of all,” he added.