Energy
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu says the Federal Government will accelerate the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme to reduce transportation costs for Nigerians.
Tinubu disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying the initiative followed an Aug. 27 meeting with governors of the 36 states.
He said the governors agreed that more Nigerians should begin to experience measurable reductions in transportation costs from Oct. 1.
The president said an implementation committee had been established under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara.
He said the committee, PI-CNG and EV, states and other stakeholders were identifying priority transport corridors and determining appropriate interventions.
Tinubu said the urgency of the programme had increased amid the current global energy crisis and pressure on petrol and diesel prices.
He cited several examples of reduced fares following the deployment of CNG-powered and electric transport services across the country.
He said in Borno, CNG-powered and electric public transport services carried commuters for between N50 and N100 on routes where commercial operators charged between N300 and N600.
In Kaduna, Tinubu said 100 CNG-powered buses provided free transportation on major routes, carrying about 3.2 million passengers in their first year.
He said the buses saved commuters more than N3.5 billion in transportation costs during the period.
The president said CNG buses deployed to Pacesetter Transport in Oyo reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about N8,000 to N3,200 during the initial deployment.
He said alternative-energy transit services in Adamawa reduced fares by as much as 50 per cent, from N8,000 to N4,000.
According to him, 100 CNG buses deployed in Enugu reduced the Enugu-Nsukka fare from N2,500 to N1,500.
He said government-supported buses in Plateau transported about 13,000 commuters daily at N200, compared with more than N500 charged by commercial operators.
Tinubu said, through the partnership with the NURTW, passengers using CNG-converted commercial vehicles on several Abuja routes enjoyed a 40 per cent fare reduction.
He cited the Area 1-Gwagwalada fare, which fell from N1,500 to N900, Nyanya from N700 to N420, and Wuse from N400 to N240.
He said passengers on the Suleja-Abuja route in Niger paid N550 compared with about N800, while Abia had deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.
“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” the president said.
Tinubu commended governors and state governments that had moved quickly, but urged them to do more to scale the initiative.
He said the Federal Government would support states to expand CNG-powered transportation amid disruptions to global energy supplies.
“Over the last three years, my administration has deliberately invested in building a CNG transportation ecosystem across Nigeria.
“Today, more than 120,000 vehicles have been converted; we have over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations across the country,” he said.
Tinubu said the figures were increasing daily, adding that Nigeria could reduce its exposure to global energy market pressures as a gas-rich country.
He rejected calls to return to the petrol subsidy regime, describing it as costly and exposing the economy to international oil price movements.
“We must accelerate the cheaper alternatives we have been building at home,” he said.
The president said Edo had 50 CNG buses in active service, while Kano had converted more than 1,000 commercial vehicles and was expanding its conversion and refuelling network.
He added that Delta, Kwara and Lagos were expanding CNG-supported transport services, while Akwa Ibom had received 50 CNG buses ahead of commercial operations.
Tinubu urged all states to sustain preparations towards Oct. 1 and work with transport unions and commercial operators.
He called for support for vehicle conversion, fleet deployment and infrastructure development, stressing the need for savings from cheaper energy to translate into 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,” he said.
“Now we must move faster and scale this so more Nigerians feel those savings in the fares they pay every day.”
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