President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given an update on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, saying Nigerians should begin to see measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
In a Statehouse press statement issued on September 19, 2026, the President said the target was agreed at a meeting with the 36 state governors on August 27.
According to the statement, an implementation committee for the programme has been established under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and is chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
President Tinubu said the committee, alongside the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV), states and other stakeholders, are working to identify priority transport corridors and put necessary arrangements in place.
He said the work has become more urgent amid the current global energy crisis.
The President cited examples of CNG-powered transport already reducing fares across the country:
– Borno: CNG and electric buses moving commuters for N50 to N100 on routes where commercial operators charge N300 to N600.
– Kaduna: 100 CNG-powered buses providing free transportation on major routes, carrying about 3.2 million passengers in their first year and saving commuters over N3.5 billion.
– Oyo: Lagos-Ibadan fare reduced from about N8,000 to N3,200 following deployment of CNG buses to Pacesetter Transport.
– Adamawa: Fares cut by up to 50 per cent, from N8,000 to N4,000.
– Enugu: 100 CNG buses deployed, with Enugu-Nsukka fare reduced from N2,500 to N1,500.
– Plateau: Government-supported buses carrying about 13,000 commuters daily at N200, compared to over N500 commercially.
– Abuja: Through partnership with the NURTW, 40 per cent fare reduction on CNG-converted commercial vehicles. Area 1 to Gwagwalada fell from N1,500 to N900, Nyanya from N700 to N420, and Wuse from N400 to N240.
– Niger: Suleja-Abuja fare at N550 compared to about N800.
– Abia: 40 electric buses deployed with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.
“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” President Tinubu said.
He commended governors who have moved quickly but said more needs to be done, assuring that the Federal Government will support scaling.
Tinubu noted that while disruptions to global energy supplies are pressuring petrol and diesel prices worldwide, Nigeria, as a gas-rich nation, can reduce its exposure by accelerating cheaper alternatives.
He disclosed that in the last three years, his administration has built a CNG transportation ecosystem with over 120,000 vehicles converted, over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations across the country.
“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.
The President also highlighted ongoing expansion in other states: Edo with 50 CNG buses in active service; Kano with over 1,000 commercial vehicles converted; Delta, Kwara and Lagos expanding CNG-supported services; and Akwa Ibom taking delivery of 50 CNG buses ahead of commercial operations.
He urged states to maintain momentum towards October 1, work with transport unions and commercial operators, support conversion and fleet deployment, and ensure savings from cheaper energy translate to lower fares.
“The Federal Government will continue to support the scaling of CNG infrastructure and access, expand conversion capacity, and create the enabling environment for states, transport operators, manufacturers and private investors to participate,” Tinubu said.
“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.”
