Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has revealed plans by the state government to encourage the use of Liquefied Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas Bi-fuel by motorists and motorcyclists across the state.
To this end, he said the state government has concluded plans to establish Liquefied Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas Bi-fuel system conversion centres in the three senatorial zones of the state.
The governor explained that the moves was aimed at providing alternative to Premium Motor Spirit following the incessant price hikes that trailed the removal of subsidy by the federal government.
He disclosed this on Monday in Lafia, during the graduation ceremony of 50 auto-technicians recently trained in LNG/CNG Bi-fuel system conversion at the PAN Learning Centre in Kaduna State.
The governor said the move will serve a dual purpose of mitigating the suffering the people of the state are going through as a result of the increase in pump prices of petroleum products, while promoting environmental conservation through clean energy.
„We intend to build conversion centres so that the trained auto-technicians will not only be able to make their own impacts but train other people there. We are going to establish these centres, one each in the three senatorial zones of the state.
„The centres will be for repairs, maintenance and possibly manufacturing of some of the few parts that are going to be there.
„The future lies on clean energy. The future lies on Gas; LNG, CNG and electric vehicles. We are going to be starting the conversion centre in Lafia,“ he explained.
He commended the Director General of the state“s Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe-Suleiman for her efforts and that of her team in consistently contributing positively to the lives of residents of the state.
The governor charged the newly trained auto-technicians to take their jobs very seriously in order to improve their means of livelihoods and to enable them add value to the society.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Director General of the PAN Learning Centre, Kaduna, Hussaini Abubakar commended the Nasarawa State government for investing in the training of 50 auto-technicians who were selected from across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
He said the training aligned with the global shift towards clean and sustainable energy.
He noted that the training will not only serve as a milestone but also a significant step towards ensuring a brighter future for the trained auto-technicians.
On his part, the chairman of the Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association in the state, Shuaibu Abdullahi commended the state government for availing his members the opportunity to be trained on Liquefied Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas Bi-fuel system conversion.
He said the skill has open a new horizon of empowerment in the energy subsector, while promising to put the knowledge to productive use.
The Director General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe-Suleiman whose agency handled the training, said the initiative was aimed at equipping the trainees with the expertise to convert vehicles from PMS to LNG and CNG using the advanced auto gas bi-fuel system.
According to her, the system allows vehicles to switch seamlessly between fuel types, providing flexibility and cost saving for drivers while significantly reducing emissions.
„These 50 participants carefully selected from various sectors across the state have undergone comprehensive hands-on training, positioning them to serve as key drivers of this revolutionary change,“ she stated.