Nigeria’s Presidency Responds As Malaysia Moves To Ban CNG Vehicles By 2025

July 1, 2025.He also mentioned that some car owners had modified their vehicles to use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, which posed significant safety risks, leading to explosions in the event of accidents.

Responding to the news, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, clarified that the Malaysian decision is more about safety concerns regarding LPG, rather than CNG. Onanuga elaborated via an X (formerly Twitter) post, explaining:

The issue in Malaysia primarily concerns the safety of LPG, not CNG. Minister Loke pointed out that certain car owners modified their vehicles with LPG cylinders, which are hazardous.

NGV refers to both CNG and LPG. Nigeria’s transition plan focuses solely on CNG due to safety and cost considerations regarding LPG.

Malaysia’s attempt to transition from petrol and diesel vehicles has not been successful. Over 15 years, they managed to convert only 45,000 vehicles—less than 0.2% of the total. This stands in stark contrast to countries like India, China, Iran, and Egypt, which have made much larger strides.

“The expiration of the 15-year CNG tank cycle means Malaysia would need to replace tanks, which is more cost-effective than continuing their program. Nigeria, on the other hand, is already in the process of building tank manufacturing capacity in its first year.”