Tinubu’s Transport Fare Reduction to Begin October 1

The reduction in transport fares promised by President Bola Tinubu is expected to begin on October 1, 2026, the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Ismaeel Ahmed, has said.

Ahmed said the number of CNG refuelling stations in Nigeria had increased significantly since Tinubu launched the initiative, noting that there were fewer than 10 stations before 2023.

He said the initiative was backed by private investors, while the role of the Pi-CNG was to create an enabling environment for investment and expansion.

Ahmed also said Nigerians had begun adopting CNG and electric vehicles as alternatives to petrol-powered transport.

“What we are going to be seeing, starting tomorrow (October 1, 2026), is hopefully a reduction of transport fares in certain routes,” he said.

“If you jump on a CNG bus today from Gwagwalada to Abuja, you will be paying nothing less than 40 per cent cheaper than what you should be paying.”

Ahmed said more than 120,000 vehicles had already been converted to CNG, although the agency was still compiling the data.

He added that the conversion of 100,000 vehicles under a programme announced in March was almost complete.

“Now, of the 100,000 conversion kits that I announced in March as a result of the instruction given by the President, we are converting those as well; that one has almost finished,” he added.

“We are taking stock of it; people are converting in droves, especially because we are entering new areas that we have not entered before. In the last one year, there was no single CNG station. Now, there are 10 refuelling stations in Kano.”

The development followed Tinubu’s September 19 directive to states to accelerate the implementation of the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, with the aim of reducing transportation costs from October 1.

The President said an implementation committee had been established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and chaired by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

In August, Tinubu also called for the rollout of an additional 500 CNG refuelling stations nationwide as part of efforts to reduce transportation costs following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

He said state governors had agreed to take immediate measures to reduce transport fares in their respective states by adopting cheaper energy sources, including CNG and electric vehicles.

Tinubu added that the additional stations would bring the Nigerian Government’s planned CNG refuelling network to 1,000 stations nationwide.