President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated a state-of-the-art Compressed Natural Gas Daughter Booster Station in Jahi, Abuja, in what the Federal Government described as a strategic push to cut Nigeria’s dependence on petrol and harness its vast gas reserves.
The commissioning, witnessed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, is part of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places gas at the centre of Nigeria’s energy transition.
Nigeria sits on an estimated 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, yet successive governments have struggled to convert the resource into tangible relief for citizens battered by high fuel costs and inflation.
Tinubu’s administration says it is now determined to reverse that pattern, rolling out multiple gas infrastructure projects across the country, with the Jahi facility forming part of four stations commissioned simultaneously nationwide.
Ekpo, speaking at the event, said the project represents “another important milestone” in efforts to deepen gas utilisation and expand access to cleaner energy options, while strengthening the national gas value chain.
The facility was developed by Rolling Energy Limited in partnership with the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, in a public-private arrangement the government hopes will accelerate delivery of energy infrastructure.
Chairman of Rolling Energy, Mubarak Umar Dambata, said the firm is also expanding CNG and LNG infrastructure in Kaduna, Kano and Borno, as part of a wider rollout beyond the Federal Capital Territory.
He further disclosed that over 8,000 vehicles are targeted for conversion to gas-powered systems under partnerships with the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles.
At full capacity, the Jahi station is designed to dispense 1,000 standard cubic metres of gas per hour, with storage capacity of 17,000 SCM and a conversion centre capable of handling dozens of vehicles and tricycles daily.
Officials say the station currently services up to 400 vehicles daily, with projections of over 1,000 vehicles and 100 trucks as operations scale up across Abuja and surrounding areas.
Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles, Ismahil Ahmed, said the removal of fuel subsidy has created urgency for alternatives, insisting that CNG presents a cheaper and cleaner option for transport operators.
Presidential Adviser, Sunday Dare, added that 25 projects have been commissioned nationwide in line with the administration’s third anniversary rollout, with energy transition projects taking a central stage.
But while government officials project optimism, the real test remains whether the CNG drive will translate into affordable energy for ordinary Nigerians still grappling with harsh economic realities.