President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said more Nigerians will begin benefiting from reduced transportation fares from October 1, as the Federal Government and state governments intensify efforts to expand cheaper CNG and electric-powered public transport.
Tinubu disclosed this following an August 27 meeting with the 36 state governors, where they agreed to achieve measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
He said an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme was subsequently established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and chaired by Kwara State Governor and NGF Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The committee, alongside PI-CNG, state governments and other stakeholders, is identifying priority transport routes and putting interventions in place ahead of the October 1 target.
Tinubu cited existing fare reductions in several states. In Borno, CNG and electric buses charge N50–N100 on routes where commercial fares range from N300–N600. In Oyo, CNG buses reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about N8,000 to N3,200 during initial deployment, while Adamawa recorded reductions of up to 50%.
In Enugu, CNG buses cut the Enugu-Nsukka fare from N2,500 to N1,500, while government-supported buses in Plateau charge N200 compared with over N500 commercially.
In Abuja, CNG-converted vehicles have reduced fares by 40%, with Area 1-Gwagwalada dropping from N1,500 to N900, Nyanya from N700 to N420 and Wuse from N400 to N240. The Suleja-Abuja fare in Niger also fell to N550 from about N800, while Abia deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50%.
Tinubu said more than 120,000 vehicles have been converted to CNG, with over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations now available nationwide.
He urged states to accelerate vehicle conversion, fleet deployment and infrastructure development while ensuring savings from cheaper energy are passed on to commuters through lower fares.
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