FG unveils national standards for auto gas, electric vehicle maintenance

The Federal government on Thursday unveiled National Occupational Standards (NOS) for conversion, calibration and maintenance of Auto Gas-powered vehicles as well as the National Occupational Standards for Electric vehicles service and maintenance.

Speaking in Abuja after the unveiling, the Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh emphasised the need for the standards as a means of preventing unpleasant events within the sector.

The Minister said Nigeria sits on gas reserves that are far more than even the oil reserves that the country has, calling for the need for a regulatory mode of operation.

He stated that “it is important that the National Occupational standards are made known so people get familiar with them and get to use them. You know, there is a lot of talk about the conversion of CNG vehicles.

” So it is important that the Nigerian people and the sector players have those guidelines that are supposed to guide such conversions, just so that, we can avoid any unwarranted situations from occurring within the sector”.

Enoh further stated that the government is tirelessly working to grow expertise as well as capacity within the industry so that more people can benefit from the initiative.

“It is important to have the trained manpower and the trained skills that are required to also live up to this development, so as we introduce a lot of those developments within the industrial sector, and in this case within the auto sector, Nigeria’s auto sector for the sector to be globally competitive.

“The expected impact of this sector, even to the growth of our national economy also challenges us to have the workforce that is not just specialised, but also standardised to be able to shape up with the future that this country desires”, he stated.

Also speaking, the Director General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin said the standards will ensure that things are done the right way within the sector.

“The essence of this standard is to ensure that our people have the competence we need to upgrade the competency and the skill of the technicians so that what is done here in Abuja is done the same way across the nation”.

He said it is important for every technician to understand what it takes to maintain, convert, calibrate the CNG power vehicle and also to maintain electric vehicles.

“Nowadays, you have a lot of vehicles that are hybrid which means we have CNG as well as electric. So we must be able to train them (technicians) in order for them to be able to maintain these vehicles,” he noted.

Osanipin also explained that the unveiled information guide on CNG retrofitting applies specifically to the conversion of vehicles into hybrid fuel systems, enabling them to switch between CNG and petrol/diesel bases on availability.

The document covers the selection and installation of critical components such as fuel storage cylinders, fuel lines, pressure regulators and refuelling systems.

Other areas include assessment of engine sustainability for conversion to a hybrid system, safety protocols, quality control measures and the importance of using certified personnel for retrofitting.

It is hoped that these initiatives would give room for improved growth in the sector.

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