Four prominent Nigerian cultural icons – music legend Innocent Idibia (2Baba), social media influencer Waris Akinwande (Ola of Lagos), northern musician Dauda Kahutu (Rarara), and comedian Bright Okpocha (Basketmouth) – are embarking on a knowledge-sharing trip to India to explore the potential of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Organized by the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative the trip aims to showcase how India, a global leader in CNG adoption, has successfully integrated the cleaner energy source into transportation, household, and industrial systems.
In a statement released on Monday, PCNGI emphasized that the initiative is part of its efforts to promote transparency and foster meaningful conversations about the benefits of CNG. By involving high-profile personalities with wide-ranging appeal, the organization hopes to deepen public understanding and drive advocacy for CNG as a sustainable energy solution.
The delegation will undertake a comprehensive study of India’s CNG ecosystem, visiting key sites such as refuelling stations, vehicle conversion centres, gas distribution networks, cylinder production facilities, and industrial operations utilizing CNG.
This initiative, according to PCNGI, underscores its commitment to positioning CNG as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy alternative for Nigeria’s future.
“Our goal is to let the people of the country be part of the process of us fully utilising our number one resource which is gas. Nigeria cannot afford doubt in our mission to make the country energy competitive, especially the ones sowed by politics and/or subsidy barons.
“We finally have a president who was bold and courageous enough to take us on this path of economic independence and we must all pursue it together with the knowledge of what is possible without fear. I doff my hat to 2Baba, Basketmouth, Ola of Lagos and Rarara for choosing to be the eyes of the people. By using trusted voices to show the facts, we’re building confidence in the transition and empowering the public with knowledge,” the Vice Chairman of PCNGi, Toyin Subair, said.
Subair added that India’s success story serves as a practical case study, stressing that with tens of millions of vehicles running on CNG for over 15 years and a robust infrastructure in place, India demonstrates what a well-planned energy transition can achieve.
“The cultural icons and influencers will document their journey in real time, sharing insights, experiences, and takeaways with their followers online. The trip is supported by Femadec Energy and Rolling Energy-two Nigerian-based companies operating in the Compressed Natural Gas value chain with a representative of the largest commercial transportation union in Africa, the NURTW, joining in on the trip,” the statement disclosed.
The Senior Special Assistant (Digital/New Media) to President Bola Tinubu and Head of the Presidential Office of Digital Engagement, Otega Ogra, posited that “this trip is not about promoting policies blindly but about showing Nigerians what’s happening on the ground and encouraging them to ask questions, engage with the facts, and shape the national energy conservation.”
