Tinubu’s cheaper fare promise

Less than a week before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's deadline of October 1 for cheaper transport costs across Nigeria, there are concerns that many states may fall short of the goal. Our correspondents found that while some states are taking steps to achieve this aim, several others are not making progress. In late August, Tinubu stated that governors had agreed to implement various measures to reduce transportation costs, such as adopting Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles in public transport.

However, Weekend Trust's investigation shows that many states currently have only one, two, or three CNG stations, with some having none, and a lack of CNG conversion facilities in most states. Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President, had promised to restore the fuel subsidy.

This issue became a major campaign topic, with other presidential candidates also proposing different solutions to lower fuel costs, which are blamed for the current hardship in the country. After meeting with state governors, Tinubu announced on August 27 that they had resolved to take immediate measures to reduce transportation costs, with a focus on CNG and electric vehicles.

The federal government encouraged CNG and electric vehicles as a way to manage the impact of removing fuel subsidies, which increased the price of petrol from N200 to N600 per liter and later to near N1,500 per liter. Over 120,000 vehicles have been converted nationwide under the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), with more than 100,000 additional conversion kits planned.

Tinubu also directed the establishment of another 500 CNG refuelling stations nationwide, bringing the total to 1,000 stations. According to experts, for the CNG project to succeed, governments at all levels must invest in CNG filling station centres and conversion infrastructure, especially for converting trucks and articulated vehicles that transport essential goods.

However, in Taraba, Benue, and Plateau states, there is no functional CNG refuelling station or conversion centre as the deadline approaches. Taraba State Commissioner of Transport, Yakubu Sumuila, confirmed the absence of CNG and electric vehicles initiatives in the state, citing the lack of gas pipelines and supply. Benue State Government has started work on a CNG centre in Makurdi, but currently, there is only a solar-powered vehicle station operated by the BIPC.