President Bola Tinubu has asked state governments to ensure Nigerians benefit from lower transport fares as cheaper CNG-powered transportation expands ahead of October 1.
In a statement on Saturday, Tinubu said the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, agreed with the 36 governors after his August 27 meeting with them, aims to deliver “measurable reductions in transportation costs” from October 1.
“I encourage every state to maintain the momentum towards 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 cited Borno, where CNG and electric buses charge N50 to N100 on routes where commercial fares are N300 to N600. Kaduna’s 100 CNG buses carried about 3.2 million passengers for free in their first year, saving commuters over N3.5bn.
He said CNG buses in Oyo cut Lagos-Ibadan fares from N8,000 to N3,200, while alternative-energy transport in Adamawa reduced fares by up to 50 per cent. Enugu fares fell from N2,500 to N1,500, while Plateau buses charge N200 instead of over N500.
In Abuja, CNG-converted vehicles cut fares by 40 per cent, with Area 1-Gwagwalada falling from N1,500 to N900.
“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” Tinubu said.
He said over 120,000 vehicles had been converted to CNG in three years, with more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 refuelling stations nationwide.
“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,” he said.
Tinubu added, “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.”
