Precious Anga
Lagos — Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Pi-CNG & EV, has warned motorists against using unauthorised or improperly converted cylinders for CNG storage after a cylinder fitted to a vehicle exploded during refuelling in Abuja.
The incident occurred on Sunday at a filling station along Airport Road, Abuja, with Pi-CNG & EV saying preliminary information from the station management indicated that the cylinder was neither designed nor certified for automotive CNG use.
Head of Brand and Communications at Pi-CNG & EV, Onyekachi Eke, said the incident demonstrated the danger posed by the use of unapproved cylinders and components in vehicle CNG conversions.
“The cylinder exploded during refuelling at the station,” Eke said, adding that the driver was subsequently apprehended and expected to face the full weight of the law for using an unauthorised cylinder.
Pi-CNG & EV said the incident should serve as another warning to motorists that cylinders intended for other purposes cannot be adapted for automotive CNG storage simply because they are capable of containing gas.
Eke said: “Cylinders designed for other purposes should not be converted, adapted or improvised for the storage of CNG. Doing so is going against approved safety standards and poses a serious risk to lives and property.”
She stressed that only cylinders specifically manufactured, tested and certified for automotive CNG use should be installed in vehicles.
The initiative warned that substandard, fabricated, expired or unapproved cylinders could endanger vehicle owners, passengers, technicians, filling-station personnel and other members of the public.
It also urged motorists not to use unqualified technicians or cheaper, unapproved components in an attempt to reduce the cost of CNG conversion, stressing that every conversion must comply with prescribed safety requirements.
“We have also repeatedly urged motorists to resist the temptation to patronise unqualified technicians or use cheaper, unapproved components in an attempt to reduce the cost of conversion,” Eke said. “The rapid growth of Nigeria’s CNG market makes compliance even more important.”
Pi-CNG & EV called on vehicle owners and commercial operators to use only National Automotive Design and Development Council-accredited conversion centres and Standards Organisation of Nigeria-certified CNG kits and cylinders. It also urged Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority-licensed refuelling stations to verify installed equipment and comply with required safety procedures before dispensing CNG.
The initiative said it would continue working with regulatory and standards agencies to strengthen compliance, public awareness and safety across Nigeria’s expanding CNG ecosystem.
