By Stanley Onyekwere
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has declared that Nigeria’s shift away from costly and polluting fuels towards the abundant and environmentally friendly natural gas has become a key pillar of the Federal Government’s vision for a sustainable transport future under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership.
Mahmoud stated this at the 2nd Annual Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conference and World Sustainable Transport Day commemoration held at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.
She noted that the shift to Compressed Natural Gas was not merely a technical upgrade, but a strategic investment driven by the need for national survival and economic transformation.
She also used the forum to point out that the Federal Capital Territory Administration, under Barrister Nyesom Wike, is setting the pace by re-engineering Abuja’s transport system to embody efficiency, sustainability, and convenience.
“The FCT Administration is committed to expanding refuelling infrastructure and enacting policies that encourage alternative fuels while discouraging high-emission transport practices”, she stressed.
Mahmoud, therefore, urged stakeholders across the private sector, technical fields, financing, and transport operators to unify with the government’s commitment, stressing that Nigeria’s future depends on swift and collective action.
She described the conference as a platform to solidify national unity in building a cost-effective, low-emission transport system fueled by Nigeria’s natural resources.
The minister, who was represented by the Special Assistant on Technical Matters. Tpl. Michael Bawa, expressed the confidence that decisions at the conference would secure a cleaner Nigeria for future generations, while underscoring the FCT’s leadership role in Nigeria’s sustainable transport agenda which align closely with federal government priorities for environmental and economic progress.
In her welcome remarks, the MD/CEO, Automotive Gas Nigeria Services Limited (Autogas Nigeria), Hajiya Maryam Salihu Ibrahim, noted that Nigeria stands at a defining moment in its energy transition journey.
She revealed that the establishment of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) was not merely a response to global climate demands; it was a strategic economic reform aimed squarely at reducing fuel costs, improving energy security, and driving inclusive growth right here at home.
Ibrahim applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for mid-wifing the Presidential CNG Initiative to drive CNG revolution to grow the Nigerian economy as an essential component of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
