The governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has urged investors to put money into alternative energy sources, such as natural gas, as a result of the removal of subsidies, which has increased the cost of transportation.
The governor highlighted that the State has the greatest on-shore gas deposit in the nation when he made the call on Tuesday in Benin.
Data from NIPCO Gas, a joint venture between NIPCO and Nigeria Gas Company Limited (NGC), show that after the program was launched in 2007 and put into operation in 2009, more than 5,600 automobiles in Benin City run on compressed natural gas.
He said, “We are blessed with a lot of gas in Edo. There is really no reason why our tricycles and vehicles should be using petrol. We have more gas stations in Edo than any other State. We should be using more gas.
“Price levels would always go up. What we have to do is to open up the economy so that people will have more work to do. We need more manufacturing companies in Edo State.”
The gas effort was started as a result of NIPCO Plc's 2007 presentation to an inter-ministerial team of the Federal Government about rolling out a pilot program.
“NIPCO Gas has established 15 CNG running stations in Benin to provide an alternative for the Gasoline run automobiles. Presently it is in the process of constructing further 15 stations in and around Benin City. More than 5,600 vehicles have been converted to CNG for motorists in and around Benin City,” the company said on its website.
