President Bola Tinubu has directed all 36 states to accelerate the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, saying Nigerians should begin to see measurable reductions in transportation fares from October 1.
In a statement on Saturday, Tinubu said the directive followed his August 27 meeting with state governors, who agreed that cheaper energy should translate into lower transport costs.
To drive implementation, he said an implementation committee had been established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by Kwara State Governor and NGF Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” Tinubu said, citing existing CNG and electric transport schemes across the country.
He said CNG and electric public transport services in Borno charge between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charge ₦300 to ₦600.
In Kaduna, he said 100 CNG-powered buses provide free transportation on major routes and carried about 3.2 million passengers in their first year, saving commuters more than ₦3.5 billion.
Tinubu also cited Oyo, where CNG buses operated by Pacesetter Transport have reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200, and Adamawa, where alternative-energy transport has cut fares by up to 50 per cent.
In Enugu, he said 100 CNG buses had reduced the Enugu-Nsukka fare from ₦2,500 to ₦1,500, while government-supported buses in Plateau carry about 13,000 commuters daily for ₦200, compared with more than ₦500 charged by commercial operators.
In Abuja, CNG-converted commercial vehicles operated in partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers have reduced fares by about 40 per cent on several routes, including Area 1-Gwagwalada, where fares have fallen from ₦1,500 to ₦900.
Tinubu said the Suleja-Abuja fare in Niger had also fallen from about ₦800 to ₦550, while 40 electric buses deployed in Abia are operating with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.
The President said Nigeria’s exposure to global oil-price pressures made it necessary to expand cheaper domestic energy alternatives rather than return to petrol subsidies.
“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,” he said.
Tinubu said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted to CNG over the past three years, with more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations now operating nationwide.
He commended states that had moved ahead with CNG transport initiatives, including Edo, Kano, Delta, Kwara, Lagos and Akwa Ibom, but said greater urgency was required ahead of October 1.
“Work with transport unions and commercial operators. Support conversion and fleet deployment. Facilitate the infrastructure required. Above all, ensure that savings from cheaper energy reach Nigerian citizens through lower fares,” he said.
Tinubu pledged continued federal support for CNG infrastructure, vehicle conversion and wider private-sector participation.
“Nigeria has the gas. We are building the infrastructure. We are already seeing the savings,” he said. “Now we must move faster and scale this so that more Nigerians feel those savings in the fares they pay every day.”
