A team of engineers from Kano State has praised the Ogun State government for pioneering the conversion of diesel and petrol engines to Compressed Natural Gas, CNG.
The Kano State team, led by the Director of Transportation in the atate Ministry of Transport, Engr. Mahmud Musa Seriki, was in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on a mission to understudy the conversion process.
Recall that the Ogun State government had embarked on the conversion of diesel and petrol engines to mitigate the effect of the recent removal of subsidy on fuel on the populace.
The move will not only reduce the cost of transportation in the state, but make living more comfortable.
Speaking during the inspection of some of the CNG-powered buses, Engr. Seriki said that Ogun State is blazing the trail in the conversion to CNG, and Kano State which also has the plan to do the same, thought it wise to understudy the process.
Seriki said that Kano State has a lot to benefit from the visit to the Gateway State, as his team had first-hand experience and interaction with the experts handling the conversion process, adding that all of these would be useful when Kano State wants to commence similar conversion process.
Seriki said, “I am thrilled by what we are seeing here, particularly the likely effect on the reduction of transport fare, which the conversion would have on commuters when the vehicles begin to ply the roads.
“We are pleased to have this first hand experience and we will go back to our state to replicate same with a view to making living more abundant for an average Kano resident.”
Addressing the team earlier, the Special Adviser to the governor of Ogun State on Revenue Assurance, Mr. Oluseyi Ogunseye, said that it made more economic sense to run engines on gas than on diesel and petrol, as it saves almost 40 percentage of funds, which could be used for some other pressing needs, while at the same time, providing a greener environment and reducing environmental pollution.
Commending the Kano State government for sending its team of engineers to understudy the Ogun State model of the CNG conversion, the SA assured that Ogun State would always be willing to assist and share its varied experiences with any state that makes such request.
He enthused that CNG should be encouraged and supported because it is lighter than air and in case of a leak, it disperses upward rather than pooling on the ground, which reduces the risk of fire outbreak.
The Director, Vehicle Inspection Services in the Ogun State Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Olugbenga Ademehin, highlighted the core advantages of the CNG over other fueling substances.
He said that CNG is composed mainly of methane, which is a primary component of natural gas.
Also speaking, Mr Millind Dekhole of NGTSL SPIRO, handlers of the conversion process, highlighted its advantages to include eco-friendliness, comparative reduced fuel consumption, non-toxicity which elongates the life span of engines among others.
He said that the partnership with the Ogun State government would facilitate the conversion of large number of vehicles to use CNG fuel, provide CNG kits and provide workspace infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Highlight of the visit was a ride in one of the CNG-powered buses to different parts of the city by the visitors and the host.
