President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says Nigerians are already enjoying lower transportation costs as more states introduce compressed natural gas buses and other cheaper transport options.
The Federal Government says the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme is expected to bring further reductions in transport costs from October 1, following an August 27 meeting between the President and the governors of all 36 states.
Tinubu said several states are already recording major savings for commuters. In Borno, CNG powered and electric public transport services are carrying passengers for between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial fares can reach ₦300 to ₦600.
In Niger State, passengers travelling between Suleja and Abuja are paying about ₦550 instead of roughly ₦800. Abia State has also deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 percent.
In Abuja, passengers using CNG converted commercial vehicles on some routes have also benefited from fare reductions. The Area 1 to Gwagwalada fare has fallen from ₦1,500 to ₦900, while the Nyanya fare dropped from ₦700 to ₦420 and the Wuse fare from ₦400 to ₦240.
The Federal Government says more than 120,000 vehicles have now been converted to CNG, supported by more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations.
Kaduna is also operating a separate free CNG bus programme. The state government says 100 CNG buses have carried about 3.2 million passengers during their first year of operation and saved commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transport costs. The state says the free service will continue indefinitely.
The national programme is designed to expand cheaper transport across more states, with the Federal Government urging state governments to work with transport unions, commercial operators and private investors.
Tinubu has also maintained that the government should expand cheaper energy alternatives rather than return to the previous petrol subsidy system.
The administration says the immediate focus is to ensure that lower energy costs translate into lower fares for ordinary Nigerians as the October 1 target approaches.
