Nigeria turns to natural gas as transport prices soar after petrol subsidies were removed
Associated PressABUJA, Nigeria — When Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu ended the costly subsidies that made petrol affordable for many in Africa’s most populous country, Ahmed Halilu knew his e-hailing cab business in the capital, Abuja, was about to run into huge losses. In what they said would eventually lower transportation costs by almost 50%, Nigerian authorities in August introduced a compressed natural gas initiative to tap its huge gas reserves — Africa’s largest — and roll out CNG buses while switching petrol-powered vehicles to use it. The government aims to convert 1 million of Nigeria’s over 11 million vehicles in the next three years, but analysts say the process has been slow, pointing to poor implementation and limited infrastructure. The government understands there is still “a lot of uncertainty” around the CNG initiative and is working to correct the misconceptions and provide the needed infrastructure, said Tosin Coker, the initiative’s head of commercial matters.
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