As Subsidy Removal Persist, A Quest For Gas As Alternative Increases
Due to the hardship induced by fuel subsidy removal, Nigerians are urged to shift attention to gas as alternative. With the abundance of natural gas reserves, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG) have been proposed as alternative to petrol in Nigeria.
NIPCO has already started massive investment to shift the attention of Nigerians to CNG, which enable cars to run on gas.
In a latest report, the PwC, on gas said: “This has several potential advantages, including lower cost, reduced emissions, and improved fuel efficiency.
“One of the most significant benefits of CNG is that it is considerably cheaper than petrol, which could result in substantial savings for vehicle owners.
“Additionally, the cost of CNG is more stable than the volatile price fluctuations experienced by petrol. Also, the use of CNG could reduce vehicle maintenance cost due to its cleaner burning properties, which produce fewer engine deposits that clog up the engine over time,” it stated.
It further stressed the need for government to initiate good policies and incentives to promote the use of gas. Also commenting on gas as alternative, the President, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, noted that the group is discussing with the Federal Government on the need to promote the use of gas as alternative fuel in times of subsidy removal.
According to a report, Nigeria has over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, the biggest in Africa.
Also the National President, Independent Petroleum Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Okorokwo has endorsed the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative energy source to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
“We have also discovered that by bringing an alternative that is cheaper than even firewood which is CNG will not only create relief for the government and its citizens but it is environmentally friendly.
“The CNG is abundantly available in Nigeria than anywhere in Africa. In the Niger-Delta region, billions of tonnes of gas being wasted daily, these are huge amounts that should be accruing to our GDP but we are wasting it because there is no market for it. So, we are asking the government to create the market,” he said.
He further noted that the introduction of CNG would cushion the effect occasioned by the high price of fuel currently as a litre of CNG would not cost more than N130 and it could be less.