The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Tuesday took delivery of 84 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered vehicles, marking a significant stride in Nigeria’s clean energy transition. The fleet comprises 20 buses, 50 Jet Lander pickup trucks, and 14 Jet Mover Executive buses.
The vehicle conversion was carried out in partnership with the Presidential CNG Initiative (P-CNGi) and was formally launched by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. During the inauguration, Matawalle described the initiative as a strategic move towards achieving energy sustainability, economic efficiency, and environmental resilience.
He noted that the deployment of the vehicles aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s broader vision of positioning Nigeria as a leader in clean energy adoption and climate-conscious governance. Highlighting Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves, the minister emphasized the importance of leveraging this resource to power transportation and reduce dependency on traditional fossil fuels.
“By transitioning military vehicles to CNG, we not only cut down operational fuel costs but also contribute meaningfully to national efforts in curbing greenhouse gas emissions,” Matawalle said.
He commended the military for spearheading the public sector’s shift to greener alternatives and called for continued investment in necessary infrastructure, including CNG refuelling stations across military installations. He also stressed the need for training personnel to ensure efficient maintenance and operation of the systems.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said the move to CNG-powered vehicles is part of the Armed Forces’ broader transformation agenda aimed at strengthening infrastructure, enhancing operational efficiency, and embracing environmentally friendly solutions in line with global standards.
According to Musa, the adoption of CNG not only supports environmental sustainability but also ensures energy security and cost-effective service delivery.
Coordinator of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, praised the military for leading the charge. He revealed that the Nigerian Army had pioneered the initiative with a pilot conversion of 30 vehicles, which has since grown to 100. He added that a training and conversion programme is underway to retrofit over 5,000 military vehicles with CNG engines.