From left to right; Luqman Mamudu, Former DG, NADDC; Chinedu Oguegbu, Managing Director, OMAA; Nobuhle Renqe, Head of SSA Business Development, Hyundai Motor MEA, Olayinka Rufai, Strategic Project Advisor, PiCNG & EV during the closing-day panel at the 2026 West Africa Automotive Show in Lagos.
The conversation around cleaner mobility in Nigeria has moved past whether the transition should happen. The harder question now is how fast it can happen — and what's standing in the way.
That question framed the closing-day panel at the 2026 West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS) in Lagos, where OMAA Managing Director Chinedu Oguegbu joined automotive leaders, policy advisors and industry operators for a session titled "Preparing For Change: Is West Africa Ready For EV & CNG Adoption?"
The takeaway was direct: the resource base is there, the policy direction is right, but five barriers are still slowing the shift to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) — financing, policy inconsistency, a shortage of skilled technicians, weak infrastructure, and affordability.
Nigeria's gas advantage is not in doubt
Speaking on the panel, Oguegbu reminded the room of something easy to forget when the debate gets tangled in logistics: Nigeria isn't short on the raw resource needed for this transition.
"We are blessed with about 206 TCF of proven gas reserves in Nigeria. We have almost 100 times more gas than crude oil. In Africa, Nigeria is number one and globally Nigeria is number nine."
With roughly 206 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, Nigeria is the largest gas holder on the continent and the ninth largest globally — a position consistently confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). That endowment is the foundation any serious CNG transition can be built on — and it's also why OMAA has spent years building local capacity around dual-fuel and gas-powered vehicles, including Nigeria's first locally assembled dual-fuel bus. You can see the current line-up across our F Series, U Series, H Series and T Series.
Progress is real — but stations are still not enough
Oguegbu acknowledged that earlier gas transition programmes existed long before the Presidential CNG & EV Initiative (PiCNG & EV), but credited the current administration with accelerating investment and infrastructure deployment.
He confirmed that over 75 CNG stations are already operational across several states — a meaningful jump from where the country was just a few years ago. But he was honest about the gap:
"There have been several programmes before PCNGI. Today, many stations even in Benin, Edo State are dispensing gas. We still do not have enough stations but we are making progress."
For OMAA, the practical implication is clear: while EVs will become highly competitive over time, CNG remains the most realistic transition fuel for heavy-duty transport and logistics today. As Oguegbu put it, "For heavy prime movers, CNG makes the most sense and we need to benefit from it." It's a view consistent with global guidance from bodies like the International Energy Agency, which positions natural gas as a credible transition fuel for heavy-duty applications.
The five barriers stakeholders agreed on
Across the panel, a consistent picture emerged of what's slowing adoption:
1. Financing. Olayinka Rufai, Strategic Project Adviser for the PCNGI — representing Executive Chairman Ismaeel Ahmed — pointed to financing as the single biggest obstacle for fleet operators wanting to convert. With borrowing costs running between 20% and 30%, the maths simply doesn't work for many logistics and transport companies. "The scale we need to drive this revolution is such that many of the people we are bringing on board will have financial challenges," he said.
2. Affordability. Dr. Femi Eguaikhide, Chairman of the Auto and Allied Sector Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), highlighted that the absence of affordable auto credit continues to push middle-income earners toward imported used vehicles — the so-called "Tokunbo" market. "Elsewhere, auto credit is available at single-digit interest rates, but in Nigeria the lowest you can get is about 26 to 30 per cent. That is prohibitive."
3. Policy consistency. Stakeholders repeatedly stressed that long-term private investment depends on predictable, stable policy signals — particularly from the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), which OMAA has previously partnered with to train technicians in CNG conversion.
4. Skilled technicians. Cleaner mobility doesn't just need vehicles — it needs the workforce to convert, service, and maintain them safely at scale. It's part of why OMAA continues to invest in careers and technical training across the value chain.
5. Infrastructure. Refuelling and charging networks need to grow faster than vehicle adoption, not the other way around. OMAA's certified service network is part of building that capacity on the aftersales side.
The Chairman of the Conference, Mr. Mamudu Luqman, summarised the call to action: Nigeria needs a dedicated financing scheme purpose-built to drive mass adoption of CNG and EV mobility.
Where OMAA stands
The conversation at WAAS 2026 reflects exactly the work OMAA has been doing on the ground — building factory-fitted dual-fuel vehicles, supporting CNG conversions, and pushing for the local capacity Nigeria needs to manufacture, not just import, the next generation of clean-mobility solutions. From our assembly facility in Umunya, Anambra State, we now serve customers across Nigeria and Ghana through a growing partner network. (Read more about OMAA or explore our vehicles.)
The natural gas is here. The policy momentum is here. The remaining work is in financing models that meet operators where they are, in training the technicians who will keep these fleets running, and in expanding refuelling infrastructure ahead of demand rather than behind it.
The transition isn't a question of if. The conversation at WAAS 2026 made clear it's a question of how quickly we can unblock the path.
Read the full Daily Trust report: Stakeholders list challenges to CNG, EV adoption at WAAS 2026
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OMAA is an indigenous Nigerian energy and automotive firm focused on harnessing Nigeria's natural gas resources for cleaner, more affordable transportation across Africa. Get in touch or partner with us.