President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG) to include electric vehicles, in a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s clean transportation strategy.

Following the approval, the programme will now operate as the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV), reflecting its broader focus.

The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the development in a statement on Thursday. He explained that the revamped initiative will oversee and coordinate the country’s transition to cleaner mobility, covering both gas-powered and electric vehicles nationwide.

Under its expanded mandate, the initiative will continue to roll out CNG infrastructure, including mother and daughter stations, integrated refuelling units, CNG vehicles, and nationwide conversion programmes. It will also spearhead the development of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and related investments across the country.

President Tinubu has directed the leadership of PiCNG & EV to immediately establish a coordinated framework for the rapid distribution of vehicle conversion kits nationwide. He emphasized that these kits must be made affordable and accessible to Nigerians.

To support this, the initiative will collaborate with CreditCorp Nigeria, financial institutions, and other partners to create financing options that make vehicle conversion more accessible to the public.

Additionally, the President ordered the accelerated deployment of mobile refuelling units to improve access to CNG while permanent infrastructure continues to expand.

The government noted that natural gas remains a strategic and cost-effective fuel option for transportation, given Nigeria’s vast reserves. It also highlighted that incorporating electric vehicles further advances efforts toward affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable mobility.

The Presidential CNG Initiative was originally launched in 2023 as part of the Federal Government’s response to the removal of petrol subsidies, with the aim of reducing transportation costs and promoting cleaner energy alternatives.

Nigeria is estimated to hold over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, positioning CNG as a cheaper alternative to petrol. The initiative has already begun establishing conversion centres and refuelling stations nationwide, with a target of converting one million vehicles to run on compressed natural gas.