CNG rollout: States race to cut transport fares before Oct. 1 as queues and N1 million conversion costs bite

Key Points

• President Bola Tinubu wants measurable fare reductions from Oct. 1, and the Presidency says more than 120,000 vehicles have been converted, with over 400 conversion centers and 90 refueling stations nationwide.
• Kaduna offers free CNG buses on eight routes, while Plateau charges N200 for 18 to 20 kilometers in Jos, yet Plateau has no CNG refueling station at all.
• Operators in Lagos, Gombe, Jigawa, Zamfara and Kwara cite long queues, missing stations and conversion costs of N750,000 to N1 million as barriers.

Nigeria’s states are moving at very different speeds on compressed natural gas transport ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s Oct. 1 target for measurable fare cuts, with some already running subsidized buses while operators elsewhere complain of scarce stations, long queues and steep conversion costs.

Tinubu set up an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme after meeting the 36 governors on Aug. 27, with Kwara Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as chair.

On Saturday, he urged states to work with transport unions, support conversions and pass energy savings to commuters.

According to the Presidency, more than 120,000 vehicles have been converted, backed by over 400 certified conversion centers and more than 90 refueling stations.

However, operators on the ground describe a thinner network. In Lagos, queues stretch toward the highway at the NIPCO station in Ibafo, where one driver said he had waited from 7:30 p.m. with petrol at N1,400 a liter as the only alternative.

Similar queues appear at Mowe, NNPC Ilasamaja and NIPCO Mobil on Ajegunle Road.

Cost and safety worries slow conversion

Conversion prices are a second hurdle. Lagos driver Musa Kazeem said he was quoted N800,000 to N1 million depending on cylinder size.

In Gombe, an operator put the figure at N750,000 to N800,000 and asked how many northern drivers could afford it. Moreover, some drivers in Borno and Lagos remain nervous about explosions despite government assurances.

Yusuf Othman, national president of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, acknowledged the queues cost operators time and money.

Even so, he said more stations were coming through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, and that CNG remains cheaper and cleaner than petrol. “The only problem is the queue,” he said.

Bright spots and blank spots

Kaduna stands out. The state has run free CNG buses on eight routes with about 200 stops since July 2025 and says the service will continue indefinitely.

Similarly, Plateau’s government buses charge N200 for 18 to 20 kilometers in Jos, against taxi fares of N1,000 to N1,400. Yet a Jos park chairman said the state has no CNG station, leaving some supplied buses parked.

Meanwhile, Jigawa and Zamfara have no stations at all, Kwara has converted only about 100 union vehicles, and Gombe lacks infrastructure for long-distance routes.

By contrast, Edo plans more than 50 CNG buses in October, Nasarawa is building conversion centers in each senatorial zone, Kano has procured 500 electric tricycles and Rivers will return free palliative buses next month.

The State House points to early wins: Borno fares of N50 to N100, Oyo cutting Lagos-Ibadan trips to N3,200, and Enugu-Nsukka falling to N1,500.

Ultimately, though, operators say fares will only drop broadly once stations, conversion financing and maintenance costs are addressed together.