President Bola Tinubu has said more Nigerians should begin to experience lower transportation costs from October 1, 2026, as the Federal Government and state governments intensify efforts under the National Affordable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transit Programme. �

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Tinubu disclosed this on Saturday in an update on the programme, following a meeting with the governors of the 36 states on August 27, where he said they agreed on the objective of achieving measurable reductions in transport costs from October.

An implementation committee was subsequently established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The committee is working with the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV), state governments and other stakeholders to identify priority transport routes and determine the interventions required.

The President urged state governments to accelerate the deployment of CNG and electric-powered transport systems and ensure that savings from cheaper energy are reflected in the fares paid by commuters.

He said the need to expand the programme had become more urgent because of the current global energy crisis, which has placed additional pressure on petrol and diesel prices and transportation costs. �

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Tinubu pointed to existing examples of lower fares resulting from alternative-energy transport initiatives in different parts of the country.

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

He also cited CNG-converted commercial vehicles operating on some Abuja routes through a partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers. According to him, fares had fallen from ₦1,500 to ₦900 on the Area 1–Gwagwalada route, from ₦700 to ₦420 on the Nyanya route and from ₦400 to ₦240 on the Wuse route. �

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The President further said commuters on the Suleja–Abuja route in Niger State were paying about ₦550 instead of ₦800, while Abia State had deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.

Tinubu said similar reductions had been recorded in other states, adding that the examples demonstrated the potential of cheaper energy sources to reduce transportation costs.

He disclosed that more than 120,000 vehicles had already been converted to CNG over the past three years, while Nigeria now has more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations. �

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The President urged state governments to work with transport unions and commercial operators, support vehicle conversions and fleet deployment, and provide the infrastructure needed to expand the initiative.

He also said the Federal Government would continue supporting the expansion of CNG infrastructure and conversion capacity while creating opportunities for states, transport operators, manufacturers and private investors to participate.

Tinubu said the government must accelerate the development of alternative-energy transportation so that more Nigerians can benefit from lower fares.

“Nigeria has the gas. We are building the infrastructure. We are already seeing the savings,” the President said.