Long queues have gradually become the new norm in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and states for drivers who have converted their cars to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered vehicles.

This has seen many drivers spend hours on queues with many sleeping at the filling stations to get the product.

In the FCT and some states, commercial vehicle owners are the most affected because the government had distributed the conversion kits to them freely after the removal of fuel subsidy.

This is compounded by the scarcity in CNG supply as well as insufficient filling centres.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in August 2023 approved the establishment of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) to drive the implementation of CNG across Nigeria as a cleaner alternative fuel to PMS and ease the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

Also at the centre of the execution of that plan is the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

As a result, billions of naira have been channeled into providing CNG infrastructure across the country through PCNGI.

The CNG Initiative is now being welcomed in different states, but its scarcity and the non-availability of filling stations is becoming a headache for drivers who have embraced it.

Commercial drivers and owners of CNG-powered vehicles, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the situation was getting worse because more Nigerians had converted their automobiles to CNG with little or no commensurate establishment of dispensing points across states and FCT.

Motorists in Abuja have decried the worsening conditions at CNG stations, saying they now spend as much as eight hours on queues due to poor supply and corruption at dispensing points.

A commercial taxi driver, Basil Okafor, who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday said the queue was unbearable at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CNG filling station in Wuse Zone 1.

“It is not easy for us taxi drivers. Sometimes, we sleep in our cars overnight just to buy this gas. And it’s not worth it anymore. They told us CNG is the future and that it is cheap, clean and available. But now, it is stressful and hard, and we can’t access it.

“Honestly, I think I will even remove it from my car and start buying fuel because the sacrifice is way more than the benefit,” he added.

Also, Ahmad Abdullahi, who is an e-hailing driver, told Daily Trust that he spends more than five hours every day to get CNG when he is supposed to be making money.

“There are other stations in Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Zone 1, Gaduwa, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, and Airport Road, but they hardly have gas except the NIPCO in Gosa. Most CNG stations are functioning below capacity, and leave most of us stranded,” he added.

Similarly, a taxi driver, Nuhu Musa, said the situation has affected the drivers’ ability to meet rush hours, adding that after waiting for long hours, some people end up getting low pressure gas.

“Before, we just drove in and bought our gas. But now, we have to wait for hours to get gas. The number of people who have converted their cars are increasing at filling centres. Because of the large number of cars, many people end up getting low pressure,” he said.

Also speaking to Daily Trust, a taxi driver, Gana Yusuf, said on a normal day, people stay six to seven hours to get gas which makes it very stressful.

“The factors responsible for this include the fact that most of the CNG stations don’t have adequate supply. Maybe Zone 1 will have today, while others won’t have.

“Even if there is supply, the attendants embrace tipping from those not on the queue and it is a major issue. They abandon those on the queue and collect money.

“CNG is a nice initiative but the way it is being handled is not good. The government should ensure adequate supply, especially NNPCL,” he said.

At a station in Gosa, on Sunday, some drivers who spoke to Daily Trust described the experience as “stressful and inhumane.”

A motorist, Olai Danjuma, who said he came from Mpape in search of gas, noted that the queues have now become longer than those experienced during fuel scarcity.

“Although today is Sunday, it’s not been long since I came. On normal days, people spend six to eight hours on the average just to get gas,” he said. “It’s very stressful.”

He said one of the major problems is the inadequate supply of gas at most CNG stations, especially those run by NNPCL.

He added that even when there is supply, some station attendants embrace tipping from motorists who skip the queue, a practice known locally as “chwa-chwa.”

“You’ll be on the queue and people will just drive in, pay money and buy gas instantly, while you stay there for eight hours without getting anything. That’s the major thing killing this process,” he said.

Danjuma suggested that the federal government set up a task force to monitor activities at the stations and prevent abuse.

“If they monitor the stations like they do at Mobil, for instance, where the line flows naturally without tipping, then the stress will reduce,” he said.

Another motorist, who also spoke to Daily Trust, said the federal government has done well to promote the switch to gas, but the implementation has been poorly handled.

“The government tried for us, but if someone told me in the past that I’d be spending eight hours at a filling station for gas, I’d have said the person is blind,” he said. “But now, we are doing it.”

He complained that while there are many gas stations, most of them are not functional, and the few that operate cannot meet demand.

“Sometimes you’ll see five gas trucks entering town, but they disappear. We hear they go to companies that already have private arrangements,” he said.

He added that expanding operating hours at busy stations like Gosa and opening other outlets like the Tunga Maje filling station could ease the pressure.

“They should open the Shugaa market. Right now, only trucks buy there. If they allow cars too, it will help us,” he said.

He also called on the government to issue more CNG licenses to independent marketers who are financially capable of building stations.

“NNPCL has the capacity, but they don’t have gas. You’ll go there and hear ‘no gas’ every day,” he said. “Maybe they don’t want us to leave petrol, but the government has made it easy already, we just need access.”

He appealed to the federal government to step in urgently, warning that rising costs and delays are making life harder for motorists.

“People are suffering. Some families can’t even eat today because they can’t afford fuel anymore. Now, they’ve tested gas, but even that one is now out of reach,” he said.

CNG users in Lagos also lament

Motorists using CNG in Lagos also expressed concerns over the long queue at refilling stations, attributing it to a shortage of stations to meet the demand of the increasingly converted vehicles.

Daily Trust observed a long queue of vehicles waiting in turn at a Mobil filling station in Ikeja.

In an interview with some of the motorists, they said the long queue wastes their time.

Muyideen Oyeniran, who had spent 40 minutes waiting for his turn to get his vehicle refilled, highlighted the factors that lead to the long queue.

“The wait time varies. Sometimes, an hour. Sometimes, you will not meet the queue. Probably because today is Monday and this particular station doesn’t open on Sundays. By 12 noon, there may not be traffic again. Unless other stations around are not selling, which will prompt other people to come. I’ve been on the queue for about 40 minutes now,” he said.

Oyeniran, who offers booking ride services, decried the varying prices to refill, saying the prices are not the same in all stations.

“Here, they sell N230 per cubic meter, but if you go to other stations, some sell N380, while stations in Ikorodu sell as much as N499.

“We don’t really know why some sell at lower and others higher. I think that the government should pay attention to this so that people don’t end up being extorted,” he said.

Michael Abidemi agreed that long queues stemmed from shortage of refilling stations, calling on the government to come to their aid.

“As for the queues, I think it’s something they need to work on. I can see improvement though and I guess it’s just because more people are converting to CNG.”

FG speaks

Commenting on the situation, the Chief Executive of PCNGI, Michael Oluwagbemi, said the recent scarcity is due to surge in demand as more motorists are switching to CNG from fuel.

He stated that unlike 4,000 vehicles converted in 2024, Nigeria now has over 50,000 vehicles running on CNG, and could reach 100,000 by the end of 2025, adding that even the Dangote Group has moved to convert 6000 trucks from diesel to CNG.

“The latest conversions will bring it to 10,000 CNG trucks owned by the Dangote group. Unfortunately, the pace of CNG infrastructure growth is not at par with the adoption rate, causing a demand-supply imbalance,” he said.

He, however, revealed that over 175 CNG stations are in different stages of development across the country and assured Nigerians that the pressure would ease as they are completed.

Oluwagbemi added that “Nigeria is making progress with respect to CNG infrastructure but engineering takes time. It took over 70 years to get addicted to petrol and diesel; it will take more than seven months to be weaned off the addiction.” (Daily Trust)