Nigeria: Tinubu’s CNG Initiative Faces Growing Backlash Over Poor Infrastructure

The Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative has come under intense criticism from Nigerians and energy experts over poor infrastructure and operational failures across the country.

Launched under the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGI) on August 18, 2023, the project aimed to convert at least one million vehicles to run on CNG by 2027, establish 40,000 conversion centres to cushion the economic impact of petrol subsidy removal by offering a cheaper and cleaner alternative fuel.

However, nearly two years on, many Nigerians are experiencing a different reality. Rather than reaping the promised benefits, they are grappling with frustrating delays, limited access to refilling stations, and bottlenecks in the gas supply chain which has raised concerns about the long-term viability of the programme.

On June 3, 2025, in what was framed as a progress update, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, announced that the PCNGI had converted 50,000 vehicles so far and was on track to reach 100,000 soon. He further claimed that over 175 CNG stations were being rolled out nationwide, backed by $500 million in investments and the creation of 10,000 direct jobs.

Dare also noted the establishment of 255 new conversion centres and 53 sub stations, with additional plans to build CNG ecosystems in 20 universities across the country. According to him, major rollouts were expected in cities such as Yola, Ilorin, Port Harcourt, and Abuja within the next 60 to 120 days.

However, attempts to verify the existence of the 255 conversion centres via the official PCNGI website returned an error, raising doubts about the accuracy of Dare’s claims.

Observers have described this as a sign of poor transparency and weak leadership under PCNGI’s Chief Executive Officer and Project Director, Michael Oluwagbemi.

On social media platform X, Nigerians have voiced their frustration. One user, reacting to Dare’s comments, described the current situation as chaotic. The user pointed out that in Abuja – the nation’s capital with only seven publicly known CNG refilling stations – drivers often spend up to six hours in queues just to refill a single cylinder.

You don’t want to tell people the truth that Nigeria has no infrastructure to sustain CNG, and CNG can never be a viable alternative to fuel,” wrote another user identified as Mack

Mack cited the 24-hour loading time for a full cascade of gas from the Ajaokuta plant, which serves only six stations in and around Abuja.

Others shared videos showing long lines of vehicles at CNG stations in the capital, with some motorists reporting delays of “hours or days.” The situation has also raised safety concerns, with reports of CNG-related explosions linked to poorly executed vehicle conversions, which in some cases have resulted in fatalities.

Industry experts echo the sentiments of frustrated Nigerians. In a recent interview with Financial Vanguard, stakeholders said that the initial enthusiasm surrounding the CNG initiative had been overtaken by public disappointment. They pointed to persistent supply shortages, insufficient refilling infrastructure, and high operational costs as the key issues slowing adoption.

A report from industry advocacy group LPG in Nigeria suggested that while CNG infrastructure is slowly developing, the government would be better served by adopting a more balanced approach that incorporates Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is already more established and accessible in many parts of the country.

The report also noted that although tax incentives had been introduced to attract investors to the CNG space, the high cost of establishing mother stations and the frequent operational breakdowns at existing stations remained major obstacles to success.

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