The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva says government is working hard to ensure that conversion of petrol cars to use gas is cheap in the country.
Sylva disclosed this in a statement issued by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) in Abuja on Thursday.
He spoke during an inspection of the NNPC Auto gas Dispensing Station and Conversion Inspection Exercise in Abuja.
“The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to provide Nigerians with Auto gas to temper the effects of rising PMS costs in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ushering in the epoch of gas as a better petrol for Nigerians,” he said..
He expressed satisfaction with the conversion process and charged conversion centers to make vehicle and user safety a priority during the process.
The minister added that his vehicles and some in the President’s fleet would soon be converted as well.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of PPPRA, Mr Abdulkadir Saidu, said that government would ensure that auto gas would be made available to people all over the country.
“Nigerians can rest assured of the Government’s undying commitment to providing a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol, as prices have been on an upward climb in recent months following the deregulation of the downstream sector.
“Aside the fact that auto gas is cheaper, we are also concerned about making the conversion of cars affordable so that Nigerians can indeed reap the advantage of this new policy,” he said.
The PPPRA boss, after the inspections also said that some filling stations across the country are already keying into the plan by adding Auto gas dispensers to their stations.
He urged Nigerians to embrace Auto gas, adding that gas powered vehicles are cheaper and environmental friendly than any other fuel available in the market.
Saidu also noted that the majority of vehicles built in the last two decades are well suited to conversion for dual fuel applications
He noted that conversion is safe for all Nigerians willing to convert their vehicles.