Commuters and vehicle owners in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, continue to grapple with a severe shortage of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), leading to long queues, inflated black-market prices, and widespread frustration. Once heralded as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to petrol, CNG’s promise is being undermined by inadequate infrastructure and supply bottlenecks, leaving drivers stranded and disillusioned.
At the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) CNG filling station in Wuse Zone 1, the scene is one of exasperation. Long lines of commercial taxis and buses snake through the area, with drivers waiting hours, sometimes overnight, under the scorching sun to refuel. Moses Baseke, an e-hailing cab driver, shared his ordeal: “We are suffering. This is the one of the places we can get gas now, and we sometimes spend a whole day here. I’ve been in this queue since 4 a.m., and it’s still not my turn.”
The story is not different at the NNPC CNG gas station at National Hospital, Abuja. Mr Abubakar Muhammad, a commercial taxi driver, accused the management of the filling station of collecting bribes of N2,000 to buy N3,000 of CNG. When our reporter interviewed him, he recalled that he was number 33 in line when the CNG truck arrived, but the Manager, using some area boys led by Mr Ibro, collected as high as N2,000 to N3,000 from people not in line thereby adding to their suffering. He appealed to the Management of NNPC to look into the matter, while appearing to the Federal Government to make the gas readily available to reduce sharp practices.
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The scarcity comes despite the government’s push to promote CNG as a cheaper and cleaner fuel alternative following the removal of petrol subsidies in 2023, which caused fuel prices to soar. The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), launched in August 2023, aimed to expand CNG adoption by establishing refueling stations and offering conversion kits for vehicles. In July 2024, the NNPC commissioned 12 CNG stations in Abuja and Lagos, with six in the FCT, including locations at Airport Road, Kubwa, Gaduwa, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Zone 1, and Gwagwalada. However, many of these stations are functioning below capacity, using only 4 pressure pumps when more can be added, exacerbating the crisis.
Abdulrahman Musa, another commercial taxi driver in Gwagwalada, lamented the situation: “Gwagwalada has a station, yes, but it is barely functional. Most times, there is no gas. We are losing customers because we can’t meet up with rush hour demands.” Similarly, Peace Ojo, a ride-hailing driver in Kubwa, recounted her disappointment: “We were excited when they commissioned the Kubwa station, but it’s not enough to meet the demand. I sometimes drive to Wuse, only to wait for hours.”
The PCNGI reports that over 100,000 vehicles nationwide now run on CNG, up from just 4,000 a year ago, with projections to reach 180,000 by the end of 2025. However, the infrastructure has not kept pace with this growing demand. Energy analysts point to the limited number of functional refueling stations—approximately 60 nationwide, with only a handful in Abuja—as a critical bottleneck.
Posts on X reflect the growing discontent among Abuja residents. One user described the situation as reminiscent of the fuel scarcity days under the Abacha regime, stating, “The queue to even refill CNG in Abuja is unbearable. Sometimes, it takes eight hours to get gas, and it burns fast.” Another user expressed skepticism about CNG’s viability, noting, “It takes 24 hours to load just six full cascades. Nigeria lacks the infrastructure to sustain CNG.”
The high cost of vehicle conversion, ranging from N450,000 to over N1 million, further complicates adoption. While the government has introduced initiatives like the Credit Access for Light and Mobility Fund (CALM Fund) to provide affordable loans for conversions, many drivers remain unaware of these programs or find the costs prohibitive.
Michael Oluwagbemi, Chief Executive of the PCNGI, acknowledged the surge in demand as a sign of public interest in CNG but emphasized that the initiative is largely private sector-driven. “We understand the plight of Nigerians, but establishing CNG stations requires significant time and investment,” he said. He added that the government aims to increase the number of refueling stations to 150 by the end of 2025.
In a bid to alleviate the crisis, the NNPC recently deployed five new CNG cascades at designated stations in Abuja, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve access. However, drivers like Stephen Magbegor, a commercial taxi driver, remain skeptical. “They told us CNG is cheap and clean, but now it’s stressful and hard to access. I’m considering switching back to petrol because the sacrifice is too much,” he said.
Energy experts urge the government to prioritize infrastructure expansion and address supply chain issues. “You can’t champion a policy like CNG without enough filling stations. Big cities like Abuja should have at least 40 stations each to meet demand.” says Matthew Elugba, an Energy expert and petroleum investor.
As the government pushes for a cleaner, more affordable energy future, the persistent unavailability of CNG in Abuja is a huge gap between policy ambition and implementation. For now, drivers in the FCT continue to endure long queues and mounting frustration, hoping for a resolution to the crisis that has turned CNG from a beacon of hope into a source of hardship.
