President Bola Tinubu’s directive that transport fares must start falling from October 1 through CNG buses has not happened.
Findings across 14 states on Thursday show commuters are still paying the same – and in some places higher – fares.
President Tinubu, on September 19, after his August 27 meeting with 36 governors on the *National Affordable CNG Transit Programme*, said:
“Work with transport unions. Support conversion and fleet deployment. Ensure that savings from cheaper energy reach Nigerians through lower fares from October 1.”
But on October 1, reality was different.
States Where Nothing Changed:
Anambra: Upper Iweka to Oba still N700, Awka to Onitsha N2,000. No CNG station working.
Delta: NURTW Chairman Asaba, Emeka Okoro: “They have not given us any buses. We cannot reduce fare when fuel is still high.” Only 5 CNG-branded buses seen parked.
Imo: Owerri to Akokwa N4,500, Owerri to Awka N9,000 – up 50%. Drivers: “CNG bus is not in Imo.”
Sokoto/Kebbi: Sokoto to Kebbi N5k-N6k, Sokoto to Kano N20k. State-owned buses charge N3,500 but are very few.
Jigawa: Dutse to Kano N3,500, Dutse to Hadejia N5,000. Passenger Isa Hamisu: “I don’t know which one is a CNG bus.”
Gombe, Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Enugu: Fares unchanged. Short routes in Benin N200-N300, Jos Bukuru-Terminal N1,000, Ibadan Ojoo-Mokola N600.
Chairman of Presidential CNG Initiative, Ismaeel Ahmed, said October 1 is not a magic deadline but the start of monitoring:
“Fare reduction has already started on different routes. October 1 is not a be-all date that everything would happen at the same time.”
He listed success stories:
– Borno: EVs charging *N15 per trip* vs N200-N500 before.
– Kaduna: 100 free CNG buses, 3.2m passengers in 1 year, saving N3.5bn.
– Lagos: 20 CNG buses donated to LAMATA.
– Zamfara: 100 electric taxis with reduced fares.
– Ebonyi: Free buses for civil servants and students.
But transport unions say major problems remain: No gas refilling stations, high cost of spare parts, bad roads, and only state-owned buses benefit while private danfo/buses that carry 80% of passengers got nothing.
Edo Information Commissioner Kassim Afegbua said 50 new 52-seater CNG buses will launch next month to force private drivers to drop prices.
For now, as one Osun commissioner put it: “The Federal Government promised us CNG buses, but we have yet to get any.”
