Minister promises auto-gas conversion cheap, charges centre to make safety as priority

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva has promised that auto-gas conversion of petrol cars to use gas will be cheap in Nigeria.

This was disclosed during an inspection of the NNPC Auto gas Dispensing Station and Conversion Inspection Exercise in Abuja.

Sylva expressed satisfaction with the conversion process, also charged the conversion centers to make vehicle and user safety a priority during the process.

“The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to provide Nigerians with Auto gas to temper the effects of rising PMS costs in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ushering in the epoch of gas as a better petrol for Nigerians,” he said.

The minister disclosed that his vehicles and some in the President’s fleet would soon be converted as well.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr Abdulkadir Saidu, said that government would ensure that auto gas would be made available to people all over the country.

“Nigerians can be rest assured of the Government’s undying commitment to providing a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol, as prices have been on an upward climb in recent months following the deregulation of the downstream sector.

“Aside from the fact that auto gas is cheaper, we are also concerned about making the conversion of cars affordable so that Nigerians can indeed reap the advantage of this new policy,” he said.

The PPPRA boss, after the inspections also said that some filling stations across the country were already keying into the plan by adding Auto gas dispensers to their stations.

He urged Nigerians to embrace Auto gas, adding that gas powered vehicles were cheaper and environmentally friendly than any other fuel available in the market.

Saidu also noted that the majority of vehicles built in the last two decades were well suited to conversion for dual fuel applications

He noted that conversion was safe for all Nigerians willing to convert their vehicles.