President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigerians should begin to see reductions in transportation costs from October 1, 2026, as the Federal Government and state governments intensify efforts to expand affordable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered transport.

The President disclosed this in an update on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme released on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. �

State House Abuja

Tinubu said he met with the governors of the 36 states on August 27, where they agreed on the objective of achieving measurable reductions in transport costs from October.

An implementation committee for the programme was subsequently established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, with Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as chairman.

The President said the committee, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), state governments and other stakeholders were already working to identify priority transport routes and determine the interventions required to reduce fares.

He said the urgency of the initiative had increased because of the current global energy situation and its impact on petrol and diesel prices.

Tinubu pointed to existing CNG and alternative-energy transport schemes across several states as evidence that lower energy costs could translate into cheaper fares.

In Borno, he said CNG-powered and electric public transport services were carrying passengers for between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charge between ₦300 and ₦600.

He also cited Kaduna, where 100 CNG-powered buses provide free transportation on major routes. According to the President, the buses carried about 3.2 million passengers during their first year and saved commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transport expenses.

In Oyo, the deployment of CNG buses to Pacesetter Transport reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200 during the initial deployment, while alternative-energy transport services in Adamawa reduced fares by as much as 50 per cent.

Tinubu further disclosed that CNG buses in Enugu had reduced the Enugu-Nsukka fare from ₦2,500 to ₦1,500, while government-supported buses in Plateau transport about 13,000 commuters daily at ₦200 compared with commercial fares exceeding ₦500.

The President also highlighted reduced fares on several Abuja routes through the Federal Government’s partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). He said passengers using CNG-converted commercial vehicles had received a 40 per cent fare reduction, including a drop from ₦1,500 to ₦900 on the Area 1-Gwagwalada route.

Other examples cited included reductions from ₦700 to ₦420 on the Nyanya route and from ₦400 to ₦240 on the Wuse route.

In Niger State, passengers using the Suleja-Abuja service were paying ₦550 compared with about ₦800, while Abia State had deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.

Tinubu said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted to CNG nationwide over the past three years, alongside more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations. �

State House Abuja

He urged state governments to sustain preparations ahead of October 1 by working with transport unions and commercial operators, supporting vehicle conversion and fleet deployment, and providing the infrastructure required to expand CNG-powered transportation.

The President said the priority should be ensuring that savings generated by cheaper energy are reflected in the fares paid by Nigerians.

He added that the Federal Government would continue supporting the expansion of CNG infrastructure and conversion capacity while creating an enabling environment for states, transport operators, manufacturers and private investors to participate in the programme.