President Bola Tinubu’s directive for transportation fares to begin falling from October 1 through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered and electric buses has yet to translate into widespread reductions across Nigeria.
Checks across several states showed that commuters continued to pay existing fares, while some reported increases on certain routes despite the Federal Government’s plan to use cheaper alternative fuels to reduce transportation costs.
While some state governments have introduced subsidised, free or reduced-fare CNG and electric transportation schemes, their limited coverage means that millions of commuters still depend on commercial buses whose operators continue to contend with high fuel, spare parts and maintenance costs.
Transport operators in several states also cited inadequate CNG infrastructure, including a shortage of refuelling stations and vehicle conversion centres, as obstacles to reducing fares.
States where fares were reported to have remained largely unchanged include Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun.
Tinubu’s October 1 target
Tinubu had on September 19 urged state governments to ensure that savings from the use of cheaper CNG-powered transportation translated into lower fares for Nigerians from October 1.
The President made the call while providing an update on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, following a meeting with the 36 state governors on August 27.
He said the objective agreed with the governors was to ensure that more Nigerians experienced measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
“I encourage every state to maintain the momentum towards October 1. Work with transport unions and commercial operators. Support conversion and fleet deployment.
“Facilitate the infrastructure required. Above all, ensure that savings from cheaper energy reach Nigerian citizens through lower fares,” Tinubu said.
The President also said some states had already begun recording reductions through CNG-powered and electric buses.
Federal Government says rollout has started
Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, said several states, including Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara and Ebonyi, had begun reducing transport fares through the deployment of CNG and electric vehicles.
Ahmed, however, clarified that October 1 was not a deadline for every state to implement fare reductions simultaneously.
According to him, the date marked the beginning of Federal Government monitoring of fare reductions on routes where CNG and electric vehicles were being deployed.
“The 1st of October is not a day that everything would happen at the same time,” Ahmed said.
He explained that fare reductions had already started on some routes and that the Federal Government would continue to monitor the implementation.
Ahmed cited Abuja, where he said CNG buses had operated on high-traffic routes for several years, as an example of an area where commuters had benefited from lower fares.
He also disclosed that 20 CNG buses had been donated to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) for deployment on routes within Lagos and towards Ibadan.
According to him, Kaduna had recorded significant fare reductions through the use of CNG buses, while Zamfara had launched 100 electric taxis.
In Ebonyi, Ahmed said the government was providing free transportation for civil servants and students.
He also cited Borno State, where electric vehicles were reportedly providing transportation at fares substantially below those charged by conventional commercial vehicles.
Ahmed acknowledged that the programme had not yet reached every part of the country but said the Federal Government intended to expand the initiative.
Anambra
In Anambra State, transport fares remained unchanged on October 1.
Commuters paid about N700 from Upper Iweka to Oba, while the fare from Awka to Onitsha remained around N2,000.
Some drivers said they were unaware of the Federal Government’s CNG buses, while inadequate gas infrastructure was also cited as a challenge.