By Olubunmi Omoogun – The President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu noted that Nigeria can be an African hub of the global Electric Vehicle revolution.
The President who was represented by the president of the Senate, His Excellency Sen. Godswill Obot Akpabio made this remark on Friday while commissioning the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Reverse Engineering Training, Filling and Conversion Centre in Abuja, facilitated by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
President Tinubu speaking through the President of the Senate said, “We can and will make Nigeria an African hub of the global Electric Vehicle revolution. Fortunately for us, Nigeria is blessed with abundant deposits of lithium, a key mineral in the development of Electric Vehicle batteries.
“We have put in a lot of work on the way to the full implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PiCNG), and this commissioning today is testament to the success of our efforts.
“NASENI’s contribution to the development of technical and human capacity for converting engines to CNG demonstrates that we are a government that not only points out where we are headed, but also strives to lead by example.
“As Chair of the Governing Board of NASENI, I will continue to provide the oversight and overall leadership for the attainment of NASENI’s Strategic Launchpad aspirations.
“Our administration’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PiCNG) is a flagship program by which we are actively supporting a private-sector-led rollout of critical gas infrastructure to drive innovation and industrialization in Nigeria.
“It is also a major contribution to our vision of fully harnessing Nigeria’s immense gas resources, as a transition fuel on the journey to net-zero, as envisaged by our Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
“Let me say that we are equally focused on the full range of energy options for powering Nigerian transport sector. So in addition to gas, electric vehicles are a major plank of our overall strategy.”
President Tinubu further said that he was aware that NASENI is championing efforts in this area, with an ambitious plan to develop and build lithium batteries in Nigeria, working with foreign partners.
“We will transform this agency into a model of public sector excellence and of public-private partnership,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khali Halilu said the CNG Center was developed in partnership with Portland and Kia, demonstrating NASENI’s collaborative approach, and to leverage on existing infrastructure to achieve the agency’s mandate.
He said the facility commissioned could convert 15 cars every two hours, translating into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.
“Mr. President, by our calculations, if Nigeria is able to have ten (10) of this kind of facility in each of the 36 States and the FCT, we will be able to convert every vehicle in the country to CNG within one year.
“The reverse engineering work that will be done here will depend as much as possible on locally-sourced components. Our goal, as always, is to minimize capital flight, conserve foreign exchange, grow the local production economy, and create sustainable jobs and skills for Nigerians.
“I am proud to say that these are still early days for us at NASENI – there is so much more that we are working on and will be rolling out in the months ahead, in line with our Strategic Launchpad, and the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Welcome to the New NASENI!
“With this new Center, NASENI is very well positioned to meet the demand for CNG-powered vehicles, and CNG generators in Nigeria,” Halilu said.
The agency was established in 1992 by the Federal Government to conduct developmental work in the area of manufacturing.
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