- NADDC has trained hundreds of NYSC members in CNG vehicle conversion to help them gain practical skills and business opportunities
- The training covers CNG installation, vehicle conversion, testing, maintenance and safety, with emphasis on producing skilled technicians
- The also plans to provide free certification and one year of practical experience for participants who want to start their own businesses
Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade’s experience covering energy, MSMEs, technology, banking and the economy.
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has urged corps members receiving training in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle conversion to explore the growing opportunities in Nigeria’s clean mobility industry.
The council’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Osanipin, gave the advice during the technical commencement of the NADDC-National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) CNG Retrofitting Training Programme at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Lagos on Monday.
Source: UGC
The initiative is being implemented under the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Programme and has attracted hundreds of corps members.
It is designed to provide participants with hands-on skills required to convert petrol-powered vehicles to run on CNG.
Training to produce skilled technicians, entrepreneurs
Represented at the event by Ikechukwu Okoha, Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Osanipin said the programme goes beyond issuing certificates to participants.
He explained that the goal is to develop competent automotive technicians and entrepreneurs who can play a meaningful role in Nigeria’s expanding CNG ecosystem.
According to him, the corps members will be trained in areas including CNG components, installation techniques, fuel-system integration, electrical and electronic connections, leak detection, testing, calibration, diagnostics and vehicle maintenance.
The NADDC boss also emphasised the importance of safety, cautioning participants against carrying out conversion work until they have acquired the required technical competence.
FG targets jobs through CNG initiative
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, also encouraged the corps members to take advantage of the Federal Government’s CNG conversion programme.
She said the initiative could open up substantial employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young Nigerians as demand for cleaner and more affordable vehicle fuel options grows.
Gbadamosi disclosed that Osanipin had pledged to certify, at no cost, corps members who are prepared to establish their own CNG conversion workshops. She said the move would help reduce the financial and technical barriers facing young people seeking to enter the sector.
Source: Getty Images
Corps members to gain 1-year practical experience
Gbadamosi further revealed that after completing their orientation programme, young engineers would be posted to accredited CNG conversion centres for a year of practical training.
She urged the participants to take the opportunity seriously, noting that the skills acquired could serve as a pathway to establishing successful businesses in the emerging clean mobility market.
“You can become a billionaire and set up your own workstation,” she told the corps members.
Source: Legit.ng