While the Malaysian government has announced plans to phase out Compressed Natural Gas-powered (CNG) vehicles and end the sale of natural gas vehicles by July 2025, Nigeria’s presidency insists there is no cause for concern regarding the safety of CNG vehicles, which were recently introduced in Nigeria as an alternative to petrol-powered cars.
Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, dismissed the fears in a post on X on Thursday while responding to reports on Malaysia’s plan to phase out CNG-powered vehicles by 2025.
A local media source, Free Malaysia Today reported that Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, made this announcement at a press conference on Monday. According to them, he explained that the decision was intended to protect road users and the public from the potential hazards posed by ageing CNG tanks.
Loke was quoted as saying, “These NGV tanks have a safe usage lifespan of approximately 15 years, and if they are not replaced, they become unsafe to use and may fail at any time.” From July 1, 2025, CNG-powered vehicles will no longer be registered or allowed to operate in Malaysia.
However, Onanuga clarified that Malaysia’s policy was focused on the safety of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), not CNG.
He added that Nigeria chose CNG specifically for its safety and cost-effectiveness, with plans underway to develop domestic tank manufacturing capacity.
Onanuga wrote, “Some clarification on Malaysia’s plan to phase out CNG-powered vehicles:
“The Malaysian issue relates to the safety of LPG, NOT CNG. In the original report, Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated, ‘There are also some car owners who have modified their vehicles using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, which are very dangerous.’
“NGV covers both CNG and LPG. Nigeria, in its transition, has adopted CNG ONLY, not both, due to valid safety and cost concerns regarding LPG.”
Onanuga further noted, “Malaysia’s programme for CNG-powered vehicles struggled, achieving only a 0.2% conversion rate over 15 years. By contrast, nations like India, China, Iran, and Egypt have seen considerable success.”
He added that Malaysia faced difficulties in replacing 15-year-old tanks due to limited manufacturing capacity, while Nigeria, in its first year of adopting CNG, is already addressing this.
Malaysia introduced CNG for taxis and airport limousines in the late 1990s, while Nigeria began its own CNG initiative in 2024 as an alternative transportation fuel.
Nigerians have, however, expressed fears over the safety of CNG vehicles following recent explosions involving some converted vehicles.
Many have also taken to social media to question the safety of adopting CNG vehicles, citing Malaysia’s decision to phase them out.
Ini Ekott, tweeting on X.com as #iniekott, wrote on Thursday, “Meanwhile, Nigerian rulers are putting CNG forward as a safe alternative to petrol.
Note the clear-headed and tangible provisions made by the Malaysian government to help citizens with the transition.”
#Otunbakush1 wrote, “And here is Nigeria saying people should convert to CNG… Death Race.”
#PaschalNwosu5 commented, “Malaysia introduced CNG in the 1990s; now they are stopping it in 2024, while Bola and his supporters are asking Nigerians to change to CNG. APC is taking you 34 years backwards, but some of you’re defending it.”
#SmartAtuadi similarly wrote, “Yet, here in Nigeria, they want to decimate the population by their tacit promotion and coercive campaign for Nigerians to convert their vehicles to CNG.”
#Oserume1 commented, “If CNG was a good idea, Tinubu would have converted his official luxury Cadillac Escalade from petrol to CNG!”
#PastorGreatKing wrote, “Basically, President Tinubu is telling Nigerians to buy CNG as a way of diverting our attention from constant fuel price increases. When cars start blowing up like missiles, we all run back to fuel, but then it’s too late to argue/protest about fuel prices.”
PUNCH
