News Investigators/ President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians of measurable reductions in transportation costs from Oct. 1 through expanded use of cheaper CNG-powered transit.
Tinubu said the Federal Government was working with state governments and transport stakeholders to ensure savings from cheaper energy translate into lower fares.
The President gave the assurance in a statement personally signed by him on Saturday.
He recalled he had met with the governors of the 36 states on Aug. 27, and they agreed that more Nigerians should benefit from lower transport costs.
Tinubu said an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme was subsequently established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The committee, chaired by Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, is working with stakeholders to identify priority transport corridors and determine appropriate interventions.
He said the committee, PI-CNG & EV, states and other stakeholders were already working to put necessary arrangements in place.
Tinubu said the urgency had increased amid the current global energy crisis and its impact on petrol and diesel prices and transportation costs.
He cited existing CNG and electric transport initiatives across states as evidence that cheaper energy could translate into significant savings for commuters.
In Borno, he said CNG-powered and electric public transport services carry commuters for between N50 and N100 on routes where commercial operators charge N300 to N600.
In Kaduna, 100 CNG-powered buses provide free transportation on major routes, carrying about 3.2 million passengers in their first year.
The buses, he said, saved commuters more than N3.5 billion in transportation costs during the period.
In Oyo, CNG buses deployed to Pacesetter Transport reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about N8,000 to N3,200 during initial deployment.
In Adamawa, alternative-energy transit services have cut fares by as much as 50 per cent, from N8,000 to N4,000.
In Enugu, where 100 CNG buses have been deployed, the Enugu-Nsukka fare has fallen from N2,500 to N1,500.
Tinubu said government-supported buses in Plateau carry about 13,000 commuters daily at N200, compared with more than N500 charged commercially.
Through a partnership with NURTW, passengers on CNG-converted commercial vehicles on several Abuja routes receive a 40 per cent fare reduction.
He said fares on Area 1-Gwagwalada, Nyanya and Wuse routes had fallen from N1,500 to N900, N700 to N420 and N400 to N240, respectively.
In Niger, passengers on the Suleja-Abuja route pay N550, compared with about N800, while Abia has deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.
He commended governors and state governments that had moved quickly, but urged them to do more, assuring them of Federal Government support.
Tinubu said disruptions to global energy supplies were again putting pressure on petrol and diesel prices and increasing transportation costs worldwide.
He said Nigeria could not control global energy markets but, as a gas-rich nation, could reduce its exposure through cheaper alternatives.
Tinubu said his administration had, over the last three years, invested deliberately in building a CNG transportation ecosystem across Nigeria.
He said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted, with over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations nationwide.
The President urged states to sustain momentum towards Oct. 1 by working with transport unions and commercial operators to support conversion and fleet deployment.
“Above all, ensure that savings from cheaper energy reach Nigerian citizens through lower fares,” he told the governors.
Tinubu assured that the Federal Government would continue supporting CNG infrastructure, conversion capacity and access while creating an enabling environment for investors.
“Nigeria has the gas. We are building the infrastructure. We are already seeing the savings
“Now we must move faster and scale this so that more Nigerians feel those savings in the fares they pay every day,” he said.
NAN