Many injured as CNG vehicle explodes in Edo

A car powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) exploded at a NIPCO filling station on Benin-Auchi road in Edo state.

The incident occurred on Thursday in the Uhunmwonde LGA of the state.

Eyewitnesses said no fewer than three persons were rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in the aftermath of the explosion.

TheCable learnt that among the hospitalised are a passenger of another vehicle, a pump attendant, and another employee of the station.

A source at the gas station told TheCable that the explosion was caused by “the substandard conversion kits and cylinder used in the installation of the CNG on the Audi 80 salon car”.

“The driver of the car and the technician who installed the CNG kits in the vehicle had driven to the filling station to test the efficacy of the installation when the explosion occurred,” the source added.

“Some people patronise road side technicians because of the high cost of conversion.”

CNG CONVERSION DRIVE

The federal government has been persuading Nigerians to convert their gasoline-powered vehicles to CNG after President Bola Tinubu pulled the plug on the petrol subsidy regime in 2023.

The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) confirmed the Edo explosion in a statement posted on X. 

The PCNGI said the vehicle was “illegally modified” to CNG.

The agency advised that only accredited conversion centres should be used to convert petrol-powered vehicles to CNG.

“A close examination of the cylinder in question in Benin City shows it was welded and modified and not approved for use for CNG,” the statement reads. 

“The police, regulatory authorities and management of NIPCO are undertaking a painstaking investigation of the incident and we are coordinating with them.

“This incident reiterates the impetus of the PCNGI and our partners on the soon-to-be-launched Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System at SON, NMDPRA, NADDC and FRSC to tackle any bad actors in the ecosystem that seeks to make this safer, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable source of fueling risky for all. 

“We also call on all stakeholders to cooperate with the new system of regulation and ensure full compliance.

“Only accredited conversion centres must be patronized and safe handling of CNG just like petrol ensures safety for all.”