By Abdulfatah Babatunde
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to patronise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
TheNewsZenith gathered that the directive aims to support Made-in-Nigeria goods and reduce importation.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, represented President Tinubu at the opening of NASENI-Portland compressed natural gas conversion, filling, reverse engineering and training centre in Abuja on Friday.
Tinubu doubles as Chairman of the NASENI Governing Board. He gave the directive to MDAs to patronise the NASENI-Portland centre.
The President noted that he was aware that NASENI is collaborating with private sector players towards commercialising its products.
He said the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi) is a way to tap into Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and attain cleaner energy.
The President further said the use of CNG-powered transportation would reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
It will also save us money for vehicle owners by converting fuel-emitting vehicles to CNG.
Tinubu lauded NASENI for working with private sector collaborators to establish a lithium ore processing plant. The plant will produce lithium batteries for electric vehicles in the country.
Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Agency, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre was a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG.
TheNewsZenith learnt that the centre is a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited.
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The centre can convert petrol vehicles into CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.
Halilu said this facility can convert 15 cars into CNG in two hours. This translates into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.
“By our calculations, if Nigeria can have 10 of this kind of facility in each state, we will be able to convert every vehicle in the country to CNG within one year,” he said.
He urged the President to give NASENI approval to convert all the vehicles in the State House fleet to CNG.
“We are asking for your approval to do this and showcase our capabilities.
“Secondly, we are offering to carry out CNG conversions for every Federal Ministry, Department and Agency, at a cost.”
Equally, Halilu said NASENI would willingly make its CNG generators available to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to test-run the lighting project on Bill Clinton Drive.
“This is to encourage the FCT Minister to purchase the Agency’s streetlights for the project.
Goodwill messages poured in from the Minister of Petroleum (Gas), Epkerikpo Ekpo; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji and many other key players in the nation’s economy.
TheNewsZenith gathered that the NASENI-Portland CNG conversion centre has the latest technology. It is also staffed with trained professionals to ensure efficient and safe conversions.
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