Tinubu Directs MDAs To Patronise NASENI Technologies, Products

 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country to patro­nise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to support Made-in-Ni­geria goods and reduce importa­tion.

The President, represented by President of the Senate, God­swill Akpabio made the decla­ration while commissioning NASENI-Portland Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineering and Training Centre in Utako Abuja .

President Bola Tinubu, who doubles as Chairman, NASENI Governing Board, said he is aware that the Agency is in collaboration with private sector players in the commercialisation of its prod­ucts, noting that the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi), which NASENI has keyed into is the way to tap into Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and to also attain clean­er energy.

In a statement signed by Oluse­gun Ayeoyenikan, Director, Infor­mation, NASENI, Tinubu said the use of CNG-powered transporta­tion would reduce pressure on foreign exchange, save money for vehicle owners by converting fuel-emitting vehicles to CNG.

He equally approve of the Agency for working with private sector col­laborators in the effort to establish a lithium ore processing plant in the country to produce lithium batteries for electric vehicles.

Earlier in his welcome ad­dress, the Executive Vice Chair­man/CEO of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the NASE­NI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited, is a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fos­sil fuel vehicles to CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alterna­tive.

He said this facility can con­vert 15 cars every two hours, translating into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.

“Mr. President, by our calculations, if Nigeria is able to have 10 of this kind of facility in each of the 36 States and the FCT, we will be able to convert every vehicle in the country to CNG within one year,” he said.

He urged the President to give NASENI approval to convert all the vehicles in the State House fleet to CNG.

“We are asking for your approval to do this, and show­case our capabilities. Second, we are offering to carry out CNG conversions for every Ministry, Department and Agency of the Federal Government at a cost.”