The Commissioner for Transport in Cross River State, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham has confirmed that his ministry will begin the conversion of commercial vehicles from fossil fuel usage to Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, next week.
The state commenced the conversion processes two weeks ago.
He said the conversion became imperative due to the high costs of transportation in the state, following the hike in the price of fuel.
Cobham said the cost of a four-capacity gas cylinder will go for about N800,000, for instance, at the minimum, depending on cylinder capacity.
In an interview, Cobham disclosed that the government is meeting with commercial banks to sign an agreement on credit facilities for those who may not readily afford the high cost of the conversion.
He stated that the government will deliberately ensure that all commercial vehicles are encouraged to convert, adding that the benefits are far-reaching as transport costs will drastically reduce.
“Next week, we shall commence the conversion of commercial vehicles. This will be deliberate. Such converted vehicles will bear a mark for commuters to identify them.
“We shall strictly monitor, enforce and ensure that they comply with regulated prices.
” This is because, after conversion to Natural Gas, they will fill the cylinder with no more than N3200 which can last many days. This is way cheaper than fossil fuel. And so the profit margin they’ll make will be substantial.”
Cobham insisted that there would be no excuse for the price of the CNG to fluctuate to cause the commercial vehicle operators to raise prices.
He disclosed that the state government is presently drafting a legal framework to regulate the CNG operations, warning sternly that they will not tolerate investors coming into the State with substandard cylinders for conversion purposes.
According to him, the government conversion centre in Calabar received the first set of 500 imported kits which are being spread around the state, saying these are the ones being used for the ongoing phase of conversions.
“It will be very wrong for operators to set up conversion centres in the state without meeting our standards, else, they’ll be shut down. There are safety processes in place. There are recommended gas tanks for the conversion to avoid any risks.”
Cobham also mentioned that the conversion experts will train the first set of 20 Cross River indigenes on the conversion processes, after which they will be training subsequent ones.
He went on to explain that after conversion, the vehicle can automatically switch back to fuel once gas reduces, maintaining that CNG will effortlessly force down prices of fuel as many will soon switch to gas.
