- Taxi union leader Shehu Shugaba accused some CNG centres of diverting free conversions meant for commercial drivers to private car owners.
- The government denied the claims, insisting only verified commercial vehicles qualify and targets one million conversions by 2027.
The President of Painted Abuja Taxi, Shehu Shugaba, accused some conversion centres of hijacking Nigeria’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle conversion programme. On Thursday, September 11, he alleged in Abuja that private vehicle owners, in collusion with specific centres, were accessing free conversions intended for commercial drivers.
Shugaba criticised the implementation process and urged the Federal Government to enforce transparency by directly involving registered transport unions. He noted that the prioritised initially targeted commercial drivers who provide essential public transport, but now appear compromised.
“We submitted about 200 taxis for conversion, but not all have been attended to,” Shugaba said. “Conversion centres should collect union lists so we can track the process and enforce fairness.”
He further alleged that some centres were registering private vehicles as commercial in exchange for money. “That is the challenge we face. Officials negotiate with private owners and tag their cars as commercial to benefit from free conversions,” he added.
In response, the Investment Facilitation Coordinator of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Jide Awolowo, rejected the allegations. He insisted the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring only verified commercial vehicles benefit.
“We are targeting 100,000 conversions, and the free offer is not for every car owner. Only vehicles registered with recognised unions qualify,” Awolowo said.
He explained that the initiative depends on transport unions to supply credible lists of their members, adding that union representatives remain critical to safeguarding the scheme.
Awolowo also highlighted broader goals. The Presidential CNG Initiative, he said, aims to convert one million vehicles by 2027, expand fueling stations from the current 60 to nationwide coverage, and grow conversion centres to more than 10,000.
He added that the programme will reduce petrol dependence, cut fuel costs, lower emissions, and create thousands of jobs. “We are training young Nigerians to provide the skilled labour this new sector requires,” Awolowo noted.
Despite government assurances, Shugaba maintained that loopholes persist and called for stricter oversight. “The direct involvement of unions is the only way to guarantee fairness and transparency,” he said.
However, both sides agreed that the programme’s success will depend on strong collaboration between government agencies, conversion centres, and unions.