Council Begins Training Of 1,000 Corps Members For CNG Sector

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has commenced a three-year training for between 900 and 1,000 youth corps members annually for skills development in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle retrofitting and other areas of the emerging CNG value chain.

NADDC director-general, Mr Joseph Osanipin, disclosed this in Abuja during the inauguration of the CNG Retrofitting Training Programme, implemented in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) under its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative.

Osanipin said the programme was designed to develop the technical manpower required to support Nigeria’s transition from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) to CNG.

He said the shift to CNG had created a need for young Nigerians who understand the technology, vehicle conversion processes and other opportunities within the emerging CNG ecosystem.

“Because CNG is new, we have to train our youths to understand how CNG works, understand the dynamics, and then be able to convert vehicles. And not only that, to understand every other thing, the value chain within that ecosystem,” he said.

The NADDC boss said the first phase would train 300 corps members across six locations in Abuja, Adamawa, Kano, Lagos, Edo and Enugu states, with 50 participants selected from each centre.

He said the programme would subsequently expand, with the council targeting between 900 and 1,000 trainees annually.

Osanipin said the three-year programme would be reviewed after its first phase to incorporate lessons from implementation and emerging developments in the CNG industry.

He stressed that the initiative was not designed as a one-off intervention, noting that the involvement of NADDC, NYSC, the Ministry of Youth Development and the Special Adviser to the President on Youth Initiatives would help ensure its sustainability.

“It’s not going to be one-off, and that’s why we have Ministry of Youth Development, Special Adviser to the President, DG NYSC and NADDC coming together so that we are able to work together and make sure that it’s sustainable,” Osanipin said.

According to him, the training would go beyond vehicle conversion to expose participants to technical services, maintenance, technology, ICT, entrepreneurship and other opportunities within the CNG value chain.

He said participants who perform well and show interest in further development could receive additional support, including employment opportunities, entrepreneurship guidance and access to further training.

Osanipin cited previous youth-focused programmes as examples of how skills development could translate into employment and business opportunities.

“Some youths were employed. Even one of the training experts that we are using today employed some of them,” he said.

He also recalled a programme conducted in Oyo State last year, where about three or four participants secured employment while six others received seed funding to establish businesses.

The NADDC director-general said similar opportunities could emerge from the CNG programme as participants are assessed and guided towards areas of the value chain that match their interests and capabilities.

“We identify those that perform well and need to progress. They want to take different courses because you may be converting. Other people may want to do different things within the ecosystem,” he said.

He added that the CNG sector offered opportunities beyond vehicle conversion, including technology and ICT-related services.

“If you want to focus on the technological part of it, provide the platform, ICT, then it’s there for you. So whatever they want to do, we are there to support,” Osanipin said.

The NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, said the programme aligned with the Corps’ efforts to equip young Nigerians with practical skills that could improve their employment prospects.

Nafiu said the pilot phase would focus particularly on graduates of mechanical, electrical and mechatronics engineering, while the programme would later be expanded to accommodate other interested corps members.

“As we progress, we will expand the net and absorb other interests. Our goal is to ensure our youths become gainfully employed,” he said.

The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, said the initiative demonstrated the importance of complementing academic qualifications with practical and employable skills.

“Certificate alone cannot do it. The only way unemployment can go is for government to provide an enabling environment for young people to thrive,” Olawande said.

Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Badamosi, said the 300 beneficiaries would undergo continuous practical training during their service year through placements at accredited CNG conversion centres.

She said the initiative supports the government’s “One Youth, Two Skills” agenda and broader efforts to tackle unemployment, poverty and economic vulnerability among young Nigerians.

The programme is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s pool of skilled personnel for the expanding CNG sector while creating pathways for young Nigerians to secure employment and establish businesses within the automotive and alternative-fuel industries.