CNG will create jobs, wealth for Nigerians’

The Federal Government has reiterated that diversifying the country’s energy mix to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) will create more jobs and wealth for Nigerians.

The Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Joseph Osanipin, gave the assurance at the Critique/Validation Workshop for the recently developed National Occupational Standard (NOS) in Keffi yesterday.The NOS is for the conversion, calibration and maintenance of CNG/autogas-powered vehicles and electric vehicles service/maintenance in Nigeria.

The development of the NOS you are about to discuss is a testament to the efforts the council is making to ensure skills development and upgrade in the automotive sector.“NADDC is promoting the development of CNG/Auto Gas-Powered and Electric vehicles in Nigeria and creating the enabling environment for them to thrive.

This will reduce the dependency on petrol and diesel and mitigate environmental concerns (greenhouse gas emissions).It is also a means of diversification of the Nigerian economy and will lead to more job opportunities and wealth creation for Nigerians.

According to the NADDC boss, the essence of the workshop is to ensure that inputs of all relevant stakeholders are captured in the making of this national document.He said: “It is expected that the document that will come out of these efforts will be of international standards and help to drive the auto sector to its well-deserved position globally.

When fully operational, the framework will place out-of-school children, working adults, graduates and apprentices at both formal and non-formal settings with skill acquisition and competency.“I therefore urge all of you to give this national assignment the best it deserves.”According to Osanipin, the NOS has been developed through the collaborative efforts of all relevant stakeholders in Automotive sector.