The Nigerian Presidency has moved to calm fears over the safety of its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, following Malaysia’s announcement to phase out Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) due to safety concerns.

Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook revealed that Malaysia will stop registering and allowing CNG-powered vehicles starting July 1, 2025.
Bayo Onanuga, media aide to President Bola Tinubu, clarified that Nigeria’s transition to CNG is distinct from Malaysia’s situation.
Onanuga emphasized that Nigeria has adopted CNG only, avoiding Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) due to its valid safety and cost concerns.
“The Malaysian situation concerns LPG, which poses unique risks that don’t apply to CNG,” Onanuga stated. “In Nigeria, we chose CNG only, avoiding LPG for safety and cost reasons.” He also highlighted that Malaysia’s CNG initiative faced significant challenges, with a mere 0.2% vehicle conversion rate over 15 years.
In contrast, countries like India, China, Iran, and Egypt have reported substantial success with CNG vehicles.
Onanuga explained, “Malaysia basically had an unsuccessful transition away from costly and dirtier petrol and diesel… The end of 15-year CNG tank cycle means they need to replace tanks, and it was easier/cheaper to scrap their program and continue with their petrol than to do so if they had not built tank manufacturing capacity, which Nigeria is already developing in year one.”
Nigeria’s CNG initiative has reportedly attracted investments exceeding $200 million, with plans to establish over 1,000 CNG conversion centers nationwide ².