ABUJA — The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has directed the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) and the Decade of Gas Secretariat to accelerate the rollout of one million vehicles powered by compressed natural gas across the country.

The minister gave the directive in Abuja while receiving progress reports from the two bodies, according to a statement from his office. He called for more investment, more CNG refuelling infrastructure and wider programmes, so that the policy leads to cheaper transport fares for Nigerians after the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The Executive Chairman of Pi-CNG & EV, Ismaeel Ahmed, said the initiative would scale up investment and vehicle conversions. He added that a joint industry market study led by the Decade of Gas Secretariat would help track progress and identify gaps.