Tinubu appoints Ismaeel Ahmed, Buhari’s ex-aide, as PCNGi chair

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Ismaeel Ahmed as the executive chairman of the presidential compressed natural gas initiative (PCNGi).

According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, the PCNGi is a component of the federal administration’s palliative intervention programme.

Onanuga said Ahmed will coordinate the operations of PCNGi, which is designed to alleviate the effects of removing fuel subsidy by offering cheaper, more affordable, and cleaner energy options.

“Ahmed, 45, is an alumnus of the University of Abuja, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 2005. He was called to the bar in 2006 after attending the Nigerian Law School, Abuja,” the statement reads.

“Thereafter, he went to Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, receiving a master’s degree in international relations, communications, and diplomacy in 2008.”

The statement added that Ahmed served as senior special assistant on the national social investment programme to former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2018 and 2022.