Gas
Long queues emerge at Nigerian compressed natural gas stations amid adoption push
Motorists shifting to compressed natural gas to escape high petrol costs face lengthy delays and inadequate refueling infrastructure across parts of Nigeria, according to Punch.
Key points
- Drivers spend hours waiting at compressed natural gas stations in Lagos and Ogun states.
- Inadequate filling infrastructure causes traffic disruptions and long overnight queues.
- High conversion costs and sparse stations hinder federal transport transition goals.
Punch reported that vehicle owners who switched their automobiles to run on compressed natural gas are facing extended waiting times at dispensing outlets. With petrol retailing between N1,350 and N1,400 per litre following subsidy removal, commercial transport operators have increasingly turned to the alternative fuel to lower operating expenses. However, severe bottlenecks at filling facilities have created frustration, with drivers warning that lost hours threaten their daily earnings and echo past petroleum scarcity.
Infrastructure bottlenecks
At the NIPCO facility in Ibafo, Ogun State, motorists frequently spend the night waiting to replenish their tanks. Observations indicated that queues often spill onto the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway during late evening hours, obstructing normal traffic flow towards Mowe. Similar congestion occurs at other locations, including the Petrocam outlet near Mowe, the NNPC station in Ilasamaja, and Mobil facilities in Lagos. Commuters have expressed growing reluctance to board compressed natural gas buses due to lengthy refueling delays along common routes like Mile 2, Oshodi, and Berger.
Vehicle owners reported spending substantial sums, with some commercial operators paying up to N1.4m to retrofit their engines. Despite federal initiatives to facilitate transitions through transport unions and the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, infrastructure deployment remains constrained. Many drivers now travel long distances to peripheral towns like Ogere and Sagamu to find shorter lines.
Why it matters
The hurdles facing compressed natural gas adoption highlight structural challenges in Nigeria's domestic energy transition framework. With fuel exports accounting for 85.9 percent of merchandise exports in 2025 according to World Bank figures, redirecting domestic consumption toward gas is a vital policy objective for easing pressure on refined petroleum imports. Yet, without commensurate investments in retail infrastructure and affordable conversion financing, downstream bottlenecks risk undermining consumer confidence and preventing the promised reductions in transportation costs.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Gas is the flexible backbone of many grids and the designated transition fuel in many national plans, from LNG trade to domestic LPG and CNG. Supply security and pricing drive both power reliability and emissions.
72.9% of electricity in Nigeria came from gas in 2024Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
