Aregbesola Reveals Alternatives To Address Nigerian Fuel Scarcity
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, advised Nigerians on Monday to invest in gas-powered vehicles for commercial purposes to combat fuel scarcity in the country.
He stated that if Nigerians could follow Egypt’s lead and run their commercial vehicles on gas, the high demand for petrol and diesel would be reduced.
Aregbesola made the announcement during his speech at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, at the public presentation of a book titled ‘Dimensions of Energy Poverty and Rural Electrification in Nigeria.’
The book was published to commemorate the author’s 60th birthday, Dr. Yunus Akintunde, the country’s first person to earn a doctorate degree in Energy and Environment.
“But we can learn a little bit from Egypt, where its commercial vehicles, particularly taxis, are powered by gas,” said Aregbesola, the event’s chairman.
These are old Peugeot and Renault vehicles that are no longer in use in Nigeria or other parts of the world, but have been converted to run on gas and are still in use because they are well maintained.
“It’s about time we took a cue from this.” If all of our commercial vehicles run on gas, the demand for gasoline and diesel will be reduced significantly. The mechanics will learn how to do the conversion in less than a week, and all commercial vehicles will be converted within six months.
This will lower transportation costs, particularly for the general public who use public transportation.”
