Precious Anga
Lagos — President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s 36 states to accelerate the deployment of compressed natural gas, CNG, and electric-powered transport, with October 1 set as the target for more commuters to begin experiencing measurable reductions in transportation costs.
The President gave the directive as renewed disruptions to global energy supplies continue to put pressure on petrol and diesel prices, stressing that Nigeria’s domestic gas resources could help reduce the transport sector’s exposure to international energy price movements.
Tinubu said the target followed his August 27 meeting with the governors, after which an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme was established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
He said the committee, PI-CNG & EV, state governments and other stakeholders were working to identify priority transport corridors, determine the interventions required and accelerate the infrastructure needed to expand cheaper-energy transport services.
According to Tinubu, some states are already recording substantial reductions in commuter fares following the deployment of CNG and electric-powered buses. In Borno, he said, CNG and electric public transport services charge between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charge ₦300 to ₦600.
In Kaduna, Tinubu said 100 CNG buses provide free transport on major routes and carried about 3.2 million passengers during their first year, saving commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transport costs. In Oyo, he said, CNG buses deployed to Pacesetter Transport initially reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200.
The President also cited Adamawa, where alternative-energy transport services have reduced fares by up to 50 per cent, from ₦8,000 to ₦4,000, and Enugu, where 100 CNG buses reduced the Enugu-Nsukka fare from ₦2,500 to ₦1,500. In Plateau, government-supported buses reportedly carry about 13,000 commuters daily at ₦200, compared with more than ₦500 charged by commercial operators.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Tinubu said a partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers had produced fare reductions of up to 40 per cent on routes served by CNG-converted commercial vehicles. He cited Area 1-Gwagwalada, where fares fell from ₦1,500 to ₦900; Nyanya, from ₦700 to ₦420; and Wuse, from ₦400 to ₦240.
He further said passengers on the Suleja-Abuja route in Niger State were paying ₦550 instead of about ₦800, while Abia had deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent. “These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” Tinubu said.
The President said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted to CNG over the past three years, while Nigeria now has more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations. He said Edo, Kano, Delta, Kwara, Lagos and Akwa Ibom were also expanding their CNG transport programmes.
Tinubu rejected calls for a return to petrol subsidies, saying the policy had consumed trillions of naira and left the economy exposed to movements in international oil prices. “We must accelerate the cheaper alternatives we have been building at home,” he said.
He directed states to work with transport unions and commercial operators, support vehicle conversion and fleet deployment, and facilitate the infrastructure required to expand the programme, while insisting that lower energy costs must translate into lower fares for commuters.
“Nigeria has the gas. We are building the infrastructure. We are already seeing the savings,” Tinubu said, urging states to move faster ahead of the October 1 target.
