Nigeria CNG vehicle drive gains momentum as VP Shettima urges automakers to boost CNG and electric vehicle production to meet rising clean-mobility demand

Abuja Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday charged Nigeria’s automotive manufacturers to significantly ramp up the production of Compressed Natural Gas-powered and electric vehicles, insisting that the country’s rising clean-mobility demand can no longer wait.

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His remarks came even as Nigeria continues to grapple with an inadequate spread of CNG refuelling stations, a limitation that has slowed mass adoption.

Declaring open the 25th Abuja International Motor Fair, themed Driving Nigeria’s Automotive Future: Innovation, Sustainability, and Growth, Shettima, represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, described the automotive industry as the engine of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s mobility vision rests on the pillars of Gas, Green and Growth, noting that the nation’s abundant gas reserves provide a strategic and affordable pathway for mass transit.

He said the government’s energy-transition plan is designed to soften the impact of economic reforms by deepening the use of CNG in public transportation.

According to him, strengthening the industry is crucial to reducing transport costs, stimulating economic stability and creating a foundation for long-term growth.

Underlining the administration’s shift towards new-energy vehicles, Shettima called on manufacturers to assess their readiness to meet the projected surge in demand for CNG kits, CNG-powered vehicles and electric vehicles.

He noted that the National Automotive Design and Development Council’s push for electric-vehicle infrastructure sends a clear message that Nigeria is prepared for what he described as an electric revolution.

The vice-president stressed that the challenge ahead lies in building the full ecosystem. He said Nigeria must train its youth, localise battery assembly and secure a competitive position in the global electric-vehicle supply chain if it is to become a regional leader.

He announced that the government had made twenty billion naira available through Credit Corp to help Nigerians purchase locally assembled vehicles.

Affordable financing, he said, remains essential for stimulating demand, expanding production and generating jobs.

When ordinary citizens can afford dependable vehicles, he added, the economy benefits from a virtuous cycle of growth.

Despite these interventions, Nigeria still faces a significant infrastructure gap. The country currently has fewer than fifty operational CNG compression stations, compared with nearly three thousand LPG refilling plants.

Last month, the chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, warned that the slow pace of CNG infrastructure development threatened the energy-transition agenda.

He described the gap as concerning for a country of more than two hundred million people.

Experts estimate that Nigeria needs hundreds of additional CNG stations to achieve its ambition of transitioning public transport fleets away from petrol and towards cleaner alternatives.

Also speaking at the fair, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the automotive sector through consistent policies and targeted incentives.

He highlighted the capacity of local assemblers, noting that they continue to demonstrate competitiveness in both quality and innovation.

Earlier, the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Joseph Osanipin, said the agency was pursuing full implementation of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan to revive the sector.

Nigeria, he explained, now has about thirty active vehicle assemblers, with combined investments approaching one billion dollars—a sign of strong long-term industry potential despite present challenges.

For his part, the Managing Director of BKG Exhibition Limited and co-organiser of the fair, Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, called for a functional national vehicle-financing scheme.

He argued that accessible mobility was essential for economic activity and that vehicle financing should be treated as a national priority.

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The 25th Abuja International Motor Fair remains a key platform for showcasing automotive innovation, new-energy vehicles and domestic manufacturing capabilities, reinforcing Nigeria’s ambition to build a cleaner, more competitive automotive future.