Saturday, 19th Sep; 2026

By Editor 

Your Excellency, 

I write to respectfully draw your attention to an opportunity that I believe Kano State should begin to approach not only as a transportation intervention, but also as a major youth empowerment and employment opportunity. 

The future of transportation in Nigeria is changing. With the rising cost of PMS and the Federal Government's growing investment in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Nigerians are gradually being introduced to an alternative that can reduce transportation costs while creating a new technical and commercial ecosystem around the automobile and energy sectors. 

Kano is already part of this transition. In May 2026, the Northern CNG and Electric Vehicle initiative was launched in Kano, with CNG and LNG stations commissioned and further infrastructure announced. The Federal Government has also reported that more than 1,000 commercial vehicles have been converted to CNG in Kano as the state's conversion and refuelling network continues to expand. 

But Your Excellency, there is a question we should begin asking now: Who will maintain, service and expand this new CNG ecosystem in Kano? 

My suggestion is that the Kano State Government should consider establishing a Kano State Youth CNG Conversion and Technical Empowerment Programme. 

The programme could train and certify young Kano residents in CNG vehicle conversion, installation, inspection, maintenance, diagnostics and other related technical services. Rather than seeing CNG merely as another type of fuel, Kano can see the transition as an emerging industry capable of creating mechanics, technicians, entrepreneurs, station operators, safety personnel, logistics providers and other skilled workers. 

The Federal Government itself has recognised this opportunity. In 2026, it partnered with NYSC, NADDC and Pi-CNG to train Nigerian youths in CNG retrofitting and clean-energy skills. Pi-CNG also reports that thousands of technicians have already been trained nationally. 

Kano should therefore not wait until the industry becomes fully established before preparing its young people. 

I respectfully propose that Your Excellency consider establishing state-supported CNG conversion and training centres across strategic locations in Kano, working in partnership with Pi-CNG, NADDC, relevant technical institutions, automobile associations and private-sector operators. 

These centres could serve a dual purpose: training young people and providing affordable, certified conversion services to motorists. 

The State Government could also consider a youth financing or starter-kit component for graduates of the programme. A young person who completes the required training should not simply receive a certificate and return home without equipment or an opportunity to practise. Selected graduates could be supported with tools, workshop spaces, equipment financing or partnerships that allow them to establish accredited CNG service businesses. 

There is also a need to think beyond conversion centres. 

I would respectfully encourage the Kano State Government to deepen its partnership with the Federal Government and private investors toward the expansion of CNG refuelling infrastructure across Kano State. Pi-CNG currently lists eight CNG stations in Kano, while the Federal Government has continued to expand the Northern CNG corridor. 

For CNG adoption to become normal for ordinary motorists, people must be able to convert their vehicles and confidently know where they can refuel them. 

This is why the State Government's role can be bigger than simply supporting government-owned vehicles or public transport schemes. Kano can create an environment where CNG becomes an entire economic ecosystem. 

Imagine a young Kano graduate or automobile technician who is trained in CNG conversion, certified, supported with equipment and connected to a market of thousands of motorists. That is not simply an empowerment beneficiary. That is a potential business owner and employer. 

Your Excellency, Kano has a large population of young people, many of whom already possess basic mechanical and technical skills but lack access to modern equipment, certification and emerging opportunities. The CNG transition presents an opportunity to connect these existing skills with the energy economy of tomorrow. 

And this is not about abandoning petrol overnight. 

CNG itself is not the final destination of the global clean-energy transition. Natural gas remains a fossil fuel, while electric mobility and renewable energy will continue to develop. But CNG is becoming an important part of Nigeria's present transportation transition, and the Federal Government has expanded the national initiative to include electric vehicles as part of a broader clean-mobility strategy. 

Therefore, preparing Kano's youths today means preparing them not only for CNG, but for the wider technological transformation of transportation and energy. 

Your Excellency, Kano should not merely become a state where CNG vehicles are driven. 

Kano should become a state where Kano youths build, convert, maintain and innovate around those vehicles. 

I therefore respectfully call on the Kano State Government to consider: 

• Establishing a Kano State Youth CNG Conversion and Technical Empowerment Programme. 

• Establishing or supporting state CNG conversion and training centres in strategic locations across the state. 

• Partnering with Pi-CNG, NADDC, NYSC, technical institutions and certified private operators to train and certify young Kano residents. 

• Creating financing or equipment-support mechanisms that can help qualified graduates establish accredited CNG conversion and maintenance businesses. 

• Working with the Federal Government and private investors to expand CNG refuelling stations across Kano State, particularly along major transport corridors and high-demand areas. 

• Developing a public awareness and safety campaign so that motorists understand the technology, conversion requirements, maintenance and safe use of CNG. 

The rising cost of PMS is already forcing Nigerians to rethink transportation. Rather than waiting for every increase in petrol prices to create another emergency, Kano can begin preparing its people for the alternatives. 

The Federal Government has started building the infrastructure. Kano has already entered the Northern CNG corridor. What we need now is to ensure that our youths are not left behind in the economic opportunities that come with the transition. 

Your Excellency, the question before Kano is no longer simply whether CNG will come. 

CNG is already here. 

The question is whether Kano will merely consume the new technology, or whether Kano's young people will be among those who build the industry around it. 

I respectfully urge Your Excellency to consider this proposal. 

The future of transportation is changing. Let us prepare Kano's youths for it.

Yours in nation building, 

Nworisa Michael, 

Nworisamichael1917@gmail.com