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Abuja, Lagos drivers lament sleepless nights at filling stations
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Conversion surge outpaces CNG infrastructure rollout
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FG blames demand spike, assures relief as 175 new stations near completion
Nearly two years after the launch of Nigeria’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative, long queues at refilling stations have become a daily ordeal for motorists, particularly in Abuja and Lagos.
Drivers who converted their vehicles to run on CNG following fuel subsidy removal say they now spend up to eight hours waiting for gas, with many forced to sleep overnight at filling stations.
Commercial transporters are worst hit, with some threatening to revert to petrol due to the delays and corruption at dispensing points.
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“Our waterways have become clean and habitable because of Tantita’s sustained response to duty, purposefully,” said Basil Okafor, a taxi driver at NNPCL’s Wuse Zone 1 CNG station in Abuja. “Sometimes, we sleep in our cars overnight just to buy gas. The stress is no longer worth it.”
Motorists cited inadequate supply, non-functional stations, and extortion by attendants who allegedly prioritise customers who pay bribes to skip queues.
In Lagos, similar complaints abound. Drivers at Ikeja’s Mobil station decried price disparities, with CNG selling for as low as ₦230 per cubic metre in some outlets and as high as ₦499 in others.
FG Blames Surge In Demand
Responding to the crisis, Michael Oluwagbemi, chief executive of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), attributed the scarcity to a surge in demand.
He disclosed that Nigeria now has over 50,000 CNG vehicles, up from 4,000 in 2024, and could hit 100,000 by December 2025. “Unfortunately, the pace of CNG infrastructure growth is not at par with the adoption rate,” he said.
READ ALSO: Nigerians to Buy CNG at N230 Per Litre
Oluwagbemi assured Nigerians that 175 new stations are at various stages of completion nationwide, which should ease pressure in the coming months.
“It took 70 years to get addicted to petrol and diesel. It will take more than seven months to be weaned off that addiction,” he said.
