YEMI AROGUNDADE
Nigeria’s push for cleaner and cheaper transportation received a major boost Thursday as the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the National Youth Service Corps signed a landmark agreement to train corps members in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle retrofitting.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, will see corps members trained under the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme in CNG conversion and maintenance, one of the fastest-growing segments in Nigeria’s automotive sector.
The initiative is designed to equip Nigerian youths with practical, job-ready skills that align with the Federal Government’s aggressive transition to alternative energy and sustainable mobility solutions.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Director-General of National Automotive Design and Development Council, Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, described the partnership as a strategic intervention aimed at tackling the growing shortage of skilled manpower in Nigeria’s emerging CNG ecosystem.
According to him, NADDC will provide technical expertise for the development of a world-class training curriculum targeted at corps members with engineering backgrounds, while participants will also receive practical hands-on training and industry-recognised certification.
“The Federal Government’s shift to Compressed Natural Gas has created an urgent skills gap, and NADDC is committed to bridging that gap through structured technical training and certification,” Osanipin stated.
Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, hailed the initiative as a timely empowerment programme capable of opening new economic opportunities for Nigerian youths.
He assured that NYSC would provide the institutional backing needed for smooth implementation nationwide, stressing that the scheme remains committed to partnerships that drive entrepreneurship, employment and national development.
Also present at the event were the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives (Monitoring and Delivery), Titilope Gbadamosi; representatives of Pi-CNG, alongside top officials of NADDC and NYSC.
The three-year partnership is expected to produce a new generation of certified CNG technicians across the country, while accelerating Nigeria’s clean energy transition and boosting youth employment in the automotive value chain.
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