That is correct The October 16, 2024 explosion at the NIPCO station
Benin City was a landmark event that fundamentally changed how CNG is regulated in Nigeria.
Official investigations by the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) confirmed that the disaster was not caused by the gas itself, but by gross negligence in the conversion process
The 3 Major Failures in the Benin Incident:
1. The Welded Cylinder A genuine CNG cylinder is seamless meaning it is made from a single piece of high-strength steel or carbon fiber with no joints. The cylinder in the Benin explosion was found to have welded seams A weld is a point of weakness; under the 200–250 bar of pressure required for CNG, a welded tank is essentially a bomb waiting to go off.
2. The vehicle owner reportedly took the car to a local roadside welder who fabricated a tank to look like a CNG cylinder This welder was later arrested after the technician who installed the kit turned himself in to the police.
3. The "Test Run" Error The explosion occurred during the very first "test refill" at the station. The cylinder failed almost immediately because it was built for low-pressure cooking gas (LPG) standards (about 30 bar) but was being filled with high-pressure CNG (up to 200 bar).
New Safety Measures as of 2026
To prevent a repeat of the Benin tragedy, several "hard" rules are now in place across Nigeria:
Rule Description
No Sticker, No Gas Stations are now legally barred from dispensing gas to any vehicle that does not have a verified PCNGi Safety Sticker
Visual Inspection Attendants are trained to check the cylinder for weld marks or rust before connecting the nozzle
The NGVMS App A digital monitoring system now tracks every cylinder's serial number. If a tank hasn't been "hydro-tested" or certified, the pump will not activate
Hydro-Testing Every 3 years, you are now required to take your tank to a certified center to be tested under extreme pressure to ensure it hasn't weakened.
A Critical Warning
If you see any "yellowish" rust or a visible weld line on a CNG cylinder, it is a fake. Genuine tanks are smooth, heavy, and usually come with a manufacturer's data plate engraved directly into the neck of the bottle.
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