Cng: Naseni Portland Initiates Collaboration With Fg To Provide Electricity To Healthcare Facilities

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

NASENI Portland Gas’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Folajimi Mohammed, has expressed the company’s interest in collaborating with the federal government to ensure 24-hour power supply to hospitals and primary health care centers nationwide. They plan to achieve this by using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Mohammed made these statements during a visit by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the CNG plant in Utako, Abuja, which is owned by Portland Gas, a subsidiary of NASENI.

He highlighted the fact that Nigeria is now capitalizing on its abundant natural gas reserves as a viable and cost-effective alternative to petrol following the removal of fuel subsidies by President Bola Tinubu.

Mohammed stressed the importance of understanding the current CNG landscape, including its manufacturing, transportation, and sales processes, for various sectors to effectively utilize CNG as a replacement for petrol and diesel. This knowledge is particularly crucial for the healthcare sector, as it transitions to CNG as an alternative fuel.

Furthermore, he expressed his excitement about the potential impact of CNG and eco-green generators on Nigeria’s energy landscape. He emphasized that NASENI Portland is fully committed to driving sustainable and economical energy solutions for the country.

During the minister’s visit, Mohammed showcased how CNG powers vehicles and generators, providing insights into CNG storage, refilling, and distribution. He also highlighted the fuel-to-CNG conversion process, which takes approximately two hours and thirty minutes. Additionally, he discussed the dual-fuel hybrid conversion solution, which allows users to seamlessly switch between traditional fuel and CNG.

Mohammed stated that the minister’s visit confirmed CNG’s potential as a cornerstone for future power supply solutions in Nigeria.

In other news, researchers from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, and Federal University of Technology (FUT) in Minna, Niger State showcased their research and development (R&D) products, which were funded by NASENI.

The presentation took place at the Technology Orientation Centre (TOC) at NASENI headquarters in Abuja and was witnessed by the agency’s top management, led by the research directors.

The collaboration between NASENI and the universities began in April 2023 when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with three professors.

Prof. Abass Alade from the Department of Chemical Engineering at LAUTECH focused his research on the treatment of aquaculture wastewater using waste banana and plantain stem juice composite through an integrated filtracoagulation cascade system.

Associate Prof. Jimoh Tijani from the Department of Chemistry of Federal University of Technology, Minna conducted research on the development of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-iron tungstate composite for industrial wastewater purification.

Dr. Sanusi Kolawole from the Department of Pure and Applied Physics at LAUTECH focused on the development of nano-coating green urea fertilizer for agricultural production enhancement.

NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Mr. Khalil Halilu, represented by Research Director Dr. Samuel Olusunle, expressed appreciation to the professors for effectively utilizing the funds for publishing their research works and developing the products.

In his remarks, Prof. Alade highlighted the key achievements of the projects, including the feasibility and sustainability of the agency-academia linkage, facility development including the acquisition of equipment and resources, and the development of human resources through undergraduate and postgraduate involvement in the research works.

He called on NASENI to provide funding for mass production of the products and commercialization through a tripartite relationship between NASENI, academia, and private sector operators.

Dr. Patrick Okwu, NASENI’s Research Director, thanked the researchers for their partnership and encouraged them to include production costs in their next presentations to make the information more accessible to the general public.