Nigeria’s accelerating shift towards cheaper and cleaner automotive fuels is creating a new opportunity for young Nigerians, as the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have launched the technical phase of a major CNG vehicle retrofitting training programme.
The initiative, being implemented under the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, began yesterday at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Lagos, with corps members receiving hands-on training designed to prepare them for emerging opportunities in Nigeria’s growing compressed natural gas (CNG) and clean-mobility sector.
The programme is coming at a time when the growing adoption of CNG is creating fresh demand for vehicle conversion specialists, maintenance technicians, diagnostic experts and entrepreneurs.
Representing NADDC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, the Council’s Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Okoha, said the initiative was designed to take participants beyond theoretical knowledge and equip them with practical skills capable of translating into employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the corps members are being trained in the identification and functions of CNG components, installation procedures, fuel-system integration, electrical and electronic connections, leak detection, system testing, calibration, diagnostics and maintenance.
But NADDC has sounded a strong warning: CNG conversion is not a job for amateurs.
Osanipin stressed that participation in the training or possession of a certificate alone does not qualify anyone to undertake vehicle conversion without the necessary competence and practical experience.
He warned that poor workmanship, improper connections and inadequate testing could create serious safety risks, stressing that every conversion must comply with approved standards and procedures.
“CNG is a safe and reliable automotive fuel when properly installed, handled and maintained in accordance with approved standards and procedures,” he said.
The NADDC boss said the objective was not simply to produce more certificate holders, but to develop a new generation of competent automotive technicians and entrepreneurs capable of supporting Nigeria’s emerging CNG economy.
He urged the corps members to take the practical sessions seriously and understand the technical reasons behind every installation procedure, as well as the consequences of poor workmanship and incorrect system integration.
According to him, Nigeria’s transition to CNG is opening opportunities for technicians, installers, maintenance specialists, diagnostic personnel, trainers and entrepreneurs.
He encouraged the participants to see the training as more than a temporary NYSC skill programme, but as an opportunity to acquire expertise that could become the foundation for sustainable careers and businesses after their service year.
The partnership between NADDC and NYSC could therefore prove significant beyond the immediate beneficiaries, as Nigeria’s CNG transition will require a large pool of properly trained professionals capable of keeping converted vehicles safe, efficient and reliable.
Osanipin reaffirmed NADDC’s commitment to working with NYSC and other stakeholders to develop the skilled workforce needed to support the safe expansion of CNG and Nigeria’s broader clean-mobility ecosystem.
©Copyright MOTORING WORLD INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. Materials, photographs, illustrations and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written permission from Motoring World International
Contact: editor@motoringworldng.com
