CNG vehicles
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that transportation costs will begin to reduce more significantly from October 1 as the Federal Government intensifies the implementation of the National Affordable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transit Programme.
The President said the initiative is already delivering lower transport fares in several states and will be expanded nationwide in partnership with state governments, transport unions and private investors.
In a State House press statement issued on Saturday, Tinubu recalled that he met with the 36 state governors on August 27, where they agreed to ensure that more Nigerians begin to enjoy affordable transportation from October.
He said an implementation committee chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was immediately established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to drive the programme.
“On August 27, I met with the governors of our 36 states, and we agreed on a clear objective. From October 1, more Nigerians should begin to see measurable reductions in transportation costs,” the President said.
Tinubu noted that the committee, the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV), state governments and other stakeholders were already identifying priority transport corridors and putting the required infrastructure in place.
He said the work had become more urgent because of rising global energy prices, stressing that Nigeria must reduce its dependence on expensive petrol and diesel.
The President said the impact of the CNG programme was already visible across the country.
According to him, commuters in Borno now pay between ₦50 and ₦100 on CNG-powered and electric buses on routes where commercial operators charge between ₦300 and ₦600.
He said Kaduna’s fleet of 100 CNG buses had transported about 3.2 million passengers within one year while saving commuters over ₦3.5 billion in transport costs.
Tinubu added that fares on the Lagos-Ibadan route dropped from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200 after CNG buses were introduced in Oyo State.
He also said transport fares had been cut by about 50 per cent in Adamawa, while passengers travelling between Enugu and Nsukka now pay ₦1,500 instead of ₦2,500 following the deployment of 100 CNG buses.
The President said government-backed buses in Plateau carry about 13,000 commuters daily for ₦200, compared to over ₦500 charged by commercial operators.
He further disclosed that passengers using CNG-converted commercial vehicles on selected Abuja routes now enjoy a 40 per cent reduction in fares through a partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Tinubu said similar gains had been recorded in Niger and Abia states, while Edo, Kano, Delta, Kwara, Lagos and Akwa Ibom were expanding their CNG transport programmes.
“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” he said.
The President praised governors who had embraced the programme early but urged all states to increase efforts ahead of October 1.
“I commend the governors and state governments that have moved quickly. However, I believe more still needs to be done. The Federal Government will support you to scale further,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration had invested heavily in developing a nationwide CNG transport ecosystem over the past three years.
According to him, more than 120,000 vehicles have already been converted to CNG, while over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations are now operational across the country.
He ruled out any return to the fuel subsidy regime, describing it as unsustainable.
“At a time like this, our answer cannot be to return to the ruinous petrol subsidy regime that consumed trillions of naira and left our economy exposed to every movement in international oil prices, as some have suggested.
“We must accelerate the cheaper alternatives we have been building at home,” the President stated.
Tinubu urged state governments to continue working with transport unions and commercial operators to ensure that the benefits of cheaper energy are reflected in transport fares paid by Nigerians.
He pledged that the Federal Government would continue to expand CNG infrastructure, increase vehicle conversion capacity and provide an enabling environment for private investment in the sector.
“Nigeria has the gas. We are building the infrastructure. We are already seeing the savings.
“Now we must move faster and scale this so more Nigerians feel those savings in the fares they pay every day.
The National Affordable CNG Transit Programme is one of the Federal Government’s key initiatives aimed at reducing transportation costs, promoting cleaner energy and lowering Nigeria’s dependence on petrol. The programme forms part of the broader energy transition strategy introduced after the removal of petrol subsidy, with government encouraging the adoption of compressed natural gas as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative for public transportation.
