By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to patronise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, to support Made-in-Nigeria goods and reduce importation.
Tinubu, represented by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, stated this while commissioning NASENI-Portland Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineering and Training Centre in Abuja, at the weekend.
He said the use of CNG-powered transportation would reduce pressure on foreign exchange, save money for vehicle owners by converting fuel-emitting vehicles to CNG. He equally lauded the agency for working with private sector collaborators in the effort to establish lithium ore processing plant which will produce lithium battery for electric vehicles.
AljazirahNigeria reports that Tinubu doubles as the Chairman, NASENI Governing Board.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, said NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited, is a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.
Halilu said this facility can convert 15 cars every two hours, translating to an output of 2,700 conversions every month. “Mr President, by our calculation, if Nigeria is able to have 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”.
He urged the president to give NASENI approval to convert all the vehicles in the State House’s 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 MDA at a cost.”
