Amid reports on Malaysia’s plan to phase out CNG-powered vehicles by 2025, the Presidency has allayed fears of the safety of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered vehicles recently introduced in Nigeria as an alternative to petrol-powered cars.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the fears in a post on X on Thursday.
Recall that the Malaysian government had announced plans to phase out CNG vehicles and end sale of natural gas vehicles by July 2025.
According to local media source, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, made the announcement at a press conference on Monday.
Loke explained that the decision was with a view to protecting road users and the public from the potential hazards posed by ageing CNG tanks.
“These NGV tanks have a safe usage lifespan of approximately 15 years, and if they are not replaced, they become unsafe to use and may fail at any time,” he said.
From July 1, 2025, CNG-powered vehicles will no longer be registered or allowed to operate in Malaysia.
Onanuga clarified that Malaysia’s policy was not focused on CNG but the safety of Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
According to him, Nigeria chose CNG specifically for its safety and cost-effectiveness.
He added that plans were underway to develop domestic tank manufacturing capacity.
“Some clarification on Malaysia’s plan to phase out CNG-powered vehicles:
“The Malaysian issue relates to the safety of LPG, NOT CNG. In the original report, Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated, ‘There are also some car owners who have modified their vehicles using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, which are very dangerous.’
“NGV covers both CNG and LPG. Nigeria, in its transition, has adopted CNG ONLY, not both, due to valid safety and cost concerns regarding LPG.”
“Malaysia’s programme for CNG-powered vehicles struggled, achieving only a 0.2% conversion rate over 15 years. By contrast, nations like India, China, Iran, and Egypt have seen considerable success,” Onanuga said.
He added that Malaysia faced difficulties in replacing 15-year-old tanks due to limited manufacturing capacity, while Nigeria, in her first year of adopting CNG, is already addressing this.
Malaysia introduced CNG for taxis and airport limousines in the late 1990s, while Nigeria began its own CNG initiative in 2024 as an alternative transportation fuel.
Kindly share this report
