“It Is Not Worth It Anymore”, Motorists Stranded As Scarcity Of Fuel Spreads, Passengers Lament

• President Bola Tinubu declared the decade of Gas, stating that Nigeria would gradually transition from fuel to cleaner energy like CNG
• To cater to the transition, billions of naira have been channeled into providing CNG infrastructure across the country
• Unfortunately, the current situation shows that Nigerians are still unable to access the product for their needs easily

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Nigerians are in pain over the scarcity of Compressed Natural Gas, as it is now a story of long queues.

The most affected are the commuters and vehicle owners who switched over to CNG as their fuel because of its affordability at N200 per litre.

In the face of long queues at the stations and inflated prices in the black market, many are now forced to reconsider their decision to switch from fuel to CNG.

Reports say that at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) CNG filling station in Wuse Zone 1, the queue of private and commercial vehicles waiting under the sun to get some gas is almost endless.

While some sit idle, others were seen pacing around waiting for their turn, but what used to take a few hours to get now takes about 5 days.

Motorists lament as hours turn to days

Mr. Jude Bassey, a driver who operates with the e-hailing platforms, complained bitterly about the situation.

He said:

“We are suffering. Sometimes we sleep in our cars overnight just to buy fuel. It’s not worth it anymore. They told us CNG is the future and that it is cheap, clean and available. But now, it is stress and hardship. I’m even considering removing the gas system and going back to petrol because it is really affecting my business. The time I’m supposed to be making money, I spend it at the filling station waiting for gas.”

The motorists explained that while there are other stations in Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Zone 1, Gaduwa, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, and Airport Road, they are hardly ever functional.

The SUN reports that most CNG stations are functioning below capacity, leaving motorists and commuters stranded.

A commercial taxi driver, Abdulrahman Shehu, said that the situation has affected the drivers’ ability to meet rush hours, leaving passengers stranded.

Some of them are frustrated enough to consider switching back to petrol. One motorist, Mr. Murtala Ishola, explained to AFP that at the beginning, he had to wait for hours to get gas.

However, the situation has deteriorated, and it now takes up to five days in the queue for gas.

One gas station attendant noted that the CNG shortage in Abuja is partly due to logistics problems caused by insufficient delivery trucks and bad roads from the South-Central state of Kogi, from where supplies are drawn.

PCNGi reacts to the gas scarcity

Commenting on the situation, the Chief Executive of PCNGI, Michael Oluwagbemi, said that the recent scarcity is a result of a surge in demand as more motorists are switching to CNG from fuel.

He noted that compared to 4,000 vehicles in 2024, Nigeria now has over 50,000 vehicles running on CNG, and could reach 100,000 by the end of 2025. Even the Dangote Group has moved to convert 6000 trucks from diesel to CNG.

Unfortunately, the pace of CNG infrastructure growth is not at par with the adoption rate, causing a demand-supply imbalance.

Oluwagbemi explained that over 175 CNG stations are in different stages of development across the country, and assured Nigerians that the pressure would ease as they are completed.

He said:

“Nigeria is making progress with respect to CNG infrastructure but engineering feats take time. It took over 70 years to get addicted to petrol and diesel, it will take more than seven months to be weaned off the addiction.”

FG to train 5,000 CNG-vehicle technicians

In related news, the PCNGi has also collaborated with the Ministries of Transportation and Technology to train and build the required capacity.

Legit.ng reported that over 5,000 technicians have been trained since 2024, and are now equipped with the skills to provide maintenance services.

This is in line with plans from the Lagos state government to convert 400,000 vehicles to CNG.

Source: Legit.ng