Through the establishment of autogas conversion workshops, the government seeks to encourage Nigerian citizens to embrace autogas as a viable fuel alternative.

By making this switch, vehicle owners can expect substantial savings on fuel costs and contribute to curbing air pollution, propelling Nigeria towards a cleaner and more prosperous future..

Speaking at the event, Dr. Bayero Salih-Farah, Director-General of NITT, revealed that the institute has been diligently working on this initiative for the past year and is now ready to kickstart the conversion process within the next two to three weeks.

The conversion project has been developed through collaborative efforts with various manufacturers of the necessary conversion kits, which will be utilized in the workshops. This partnership aims to make the transition from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to autogas more accessible and affordable for Nigerian vehicle owners.

Addressing the advantages of adopting autogas as an alternative fuel source, Dr. Salih-Farah emphasized its cost-effectiveness, environmental benefits, and overall convenience.

He pointed out that autogas is significantly cheaper than petrol, resulting in substantial savings for consumers. Furthermore, the process of refilling a tank with autogas is about 40% cheaper than using petrol, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious Nigerians.

In addition to the financial incentives, the adoption of autogas is expected to have a positive impact on environmental pollution in the country. With cleaner emissions, Nigeria can take a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to a greener future.

Dr. Salih-Farah passionately appealed to Nigerians to embrace this timely initiative and take full advantage of the opportunity to convert their vehicles to autogas. By doing so, citizens can actively contribute to both their personal financial well-being and the broader environmental sustainability goals of the nation.

On a related note, NITT is forging a collaboration with the National Information Technology Agency to share knowledge and expertise on major projects undertaken by the institute. Dr. Salih-Farah expressed optimism that this partnership would further strengthen NITT’s position as a premier transport and logistics institute in Africa.

During a meeting with the promoters of the project at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Tinubu expressed his full support for the initiative, citing its alignment with his administration’s goal of revitalizing the economy and creating employment opportunities.

The joint venture, backed by a $5 billion loan from AFRIEXIM Bank, aims to implement multiple floating LNGs in Nigeria. Julius Rone, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of UTM FLNG and leader of the delegation, emphasized that this project is groundbreaking for Nigeria as it marks the first time an indigenous company is involved in such an endeavor contributing to decarbonization efforts.

The project is expected to have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of LPG and is projected to generate 7,000 direct jobs for Nigerians.

Anticipated to be operational in the first quarter of 2026, it represents Nigeria’s inaugural floating LNG undertaking.

It added that the price for September 2022 was a 0.40 percent rise over what was received in August in its “Cooking Gas Price Watch” report, which was released on Saturday in Abuja.

The price of N4,474.48 for 5Kg of gas in September 2022 represented a rise of 86.62 percent over the price of N2,397.60 for the same amount in September 2021, according to the report.

On state profile analyses, the report stated that Kwara recorded the highest average price of N4,950 for 5kg of cooking gas, followed by Niger at N4,941.67, and Adamawa at N4,928.29.

It added that Abia recorded the lowest price at N4,044.44, followed by Anambra and Kano State at N4,100.00 and N4,109.67, respectively.

Analyses by geopolitical zones showed that the North-Central recorded the highest average retail price of N4,715.74, for 5kg cooking gas, followed by the Northeast at N4,539.41.

“The South-South recorded the lowest retail price at N4,317.92, the NBS stated.

The average retail price to refill a 12.5 kg cooking gas cylinder went up from N9,899.34 in August 2022 to N9,906.44 in September, representing a 0.07 % month-over-month rise, according to the data.

From N6,164.97 in September 2021 to the same time in September 2022, the price increased by 60.69% on an annual basis.

According to state analysis, Cross River had the highest average retail price for 12.5 kg of cooking gas at N10,937.50, followed by Kogi and Oyo at N10,760 and N10,723.75, respectively.

The lowest average price was recorded in Yobe at N8,350, followed by Katsina and Taraba at N8,545.56 and N9,025.78, respectively, the NBS stated.

Similarly, kerosene prices rose to N947.30 per litre in September, showing a 17.2 percent increase over the N809.52 for which it was sold in August 2022.

According to its “National Kerosene Price Watch”, on a year-on-year basis, the average retail price per litre rose by 118.08 percent from N434.39 recorded in September 2021 to N947.30 in September 2022.

Further analysis showed that the highest average price per litre of kerosene in September 2022 was recorded in Enugu State at N1,272.50, followed by Ebonyi at N1,263.89 and Cross River at N1,187.50.

The report showed that the lowest price was recorded in Rivers at N686.27, followed by Bayelsa at N715.15 and Nasarawa at N735.29.

Analysis by zone showed that the Southeast recorded the highest average retail price per litre of kerosene at N1,128.28, followed by the Southwest at N1,068.18.

“The Northwest recorded the lowest average retail price at N868.89 per litre of kerosene,” the NBS stated.

It added that the average retail price per gallon of kerosene in September 2022 was N3,236.27, showing an increase of 9.79 percent over the N2,947.65 recorded in August.

According to the report, on a year-on-year basis, the price increased by 110.04 percent from N1,540.82 recorded in September 2021 to N3,236.27 which was recorded in September 2022.

Analyses by states showed that Abuja recorded the highest price per gallon of kerosene at N4,200.00, followed by Abia at N4,078.57 and Enugu State at N4,052.38.

The NBS stated that Borno recorded the lowest price at N2,500 followed by Zamfara and Delta with N2,555.56 and N2,576.92, respectively.

It added that analyses by zone showed that the Southeast recorded the highest average retail price per gallon of kerosene at N3,607.38 followed by the Southwest at N3,468.42

It stated also that the Northeast recorded the lowest price of N2,803.96 for a gallon of kerosene in September 2022.

According to the Bureau’s Price Watch for August 2022, Taraba State had the highest average cost to refill a cooking gas cylinder, while Katsina State had the lowest cost.

The NBS reported that from N4,397.68 in July 2022 to N4,456.56 in August 2022, the average retail price for refilling a 5 kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (cooking gas) grew by 1.34% every month.

“On an annual basis, this increased from N2,215.33 in August 2021 by 101.17%.

“On state profile analysis, Taraba recorded the highest average price for refilling a 5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) with N4,925.44, followed by Adamawa with N4,920.00, and Lagos with N4,782.50.

“On the other hand, Katsina recorded the lowest price with N4,020.00, followed by Ogun and Yobe with N4,057.14 and N4,078.46 respectively.”

The Bureau further said the average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of LPG increased by 0.77% on a month-on-month basis from N9,824.07 in July 2022 to N9,899.34 in August 2022.

“On a year-on-year basis, this rose by 119.26% from N4,514.82 in August 2021,” it stated, adding that Ebonyi State recorded the highest average retail price for the refilling of a 12.5kg cylinder of LPG with N11,225.00 whilst Katsina State recorded the lowest average price with N8,150.00.