The Centre for Human Resource and Development (CHRD) has raised alarm over the near-total absence of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure in Northern Nigeria, describing the situation as “a looming economic disaster.”

In a joint statement signed by the Centre’s Coordinator, Kola Sami’u, and Secretary, Yusufu Garba, the group condemned the uneven distribution of CNG across the country, warning that the Northern region is being left behind.

“It is noticeable that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) was launched about a year ago,” the statement read. “But sadly, thorough investigations by this centre have shown that the private firms engaged by the federal government to convey CNG to the north are either not qualified or are ill-prepared to handle this humongous project.”

The group said while the CNG rollout in Southern Nigeria is progressing, the North is “lagging dangerously behind,” with nearly no functional centres across states like Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, and Niger.

“Apparently, the number of converted vehicles in the north compared to the south is abysmal. This is not unconnected with the near-absence of functional CNG centres in the north,” the CHRD stated.

They accused the Federal Government of engaging inefficient contractors and demanded a total overhaul of the implementation strategy.

“We are demanding that the Federal Government revoke the project, sack the contractors and hand the project to efficient firms, capable of delivering on time,” they declared.

The centre also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas to investigate the matter urgently.

“Failure to address this issue will further fling the region into a deeper economic crisis, thereby giving the government a bad name,” the statement warned.

Despite the government’s target of converting one million vehicles to CNG by 2027, CHRD says the progress has been underwhelming, with fewer than 100,000 conversions recorded so far.

“The government said it is committed to converting 150,000 vehicles within the first year… but CNG is almost non-existent in nearly all the northern states,” they noted.

The CHRD urged the Federal Government to assess the project’s impact before spending the targeted $1 billion in annual investments.

“Before expending this huge amount of money… we urge the Federal Government to conduct a thorough assessment to avoid wastage and to align the region with its counterpart in respect of CNG distribution.”