President Bola Tinubu has announced the appointment of Barrister Ismael Ahmed as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi).

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, presidential media aide, on Friday noted that Ahmed will coordinate the operations of the presidential initiative, which is designed to alleviate the effects of removing fuel subsidies by offering cheaper, more affordable and cleaner energy options.

The Presidency maintained that the PCNGi is a component of the Tinubu administration’s palliative intervention programme.

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.

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.

Ahmed served as former President Muhammadu Buhari’s senior special assistant on the National Social Investment Programme between 2018 and 2022.