CNG TRANSITION CUTS TRANSPORT FARES BY UP TO 50% ON SOME NIGERIAN ROUTES
Read Time:2 Minute, 59 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
Some public transport routes participating in the Federal Government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) transition programme have recorded fare reductions of between 15 and 50 per cent, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV) has said.
The initiative disclosed this during a media engagement organised in Kano on Thursday by the Decade of Gas Secretariat in collaboration with PI-CNG & EV, where officials presented updates on Nigeria’s gas development and cleaner transportation programmes.
The Chief Operating Officer of PI-CNG & EV, Tosin Coker, said CNG adoption could help reduce transportation costs, strengthen energy security and support Nigeria’s transition to cleaner mobility.
“CNG can help reduce transportation costs and support Nigeria’s transition to cleaner mobility, but safety must remain a priority. Vehicle owners should use certified conversion centres, approved equipment and ensure proper vehicle maintenance,” Coker said.
According to the initiative, 670 CNG buses had been deployed nationwide, with 285 operating commercially across 13 states and another 302 allocated to transport unions, students and government agencies.
It added that hundreds of additional CNG buses and tricycles were on order as part of efforts to expand access to cleaner and more affordable public transportation.
However, the presentation did not clarify the status of the remaining 83 buses or establish whether the commercial and allocation categories overlapped.
The initiative said routes participating in the National Affordable CNG Transition Programme had recorded fare reductions ranging from 15 to 50 per cent, although it did not identify the specific routes or provide comparisons of fares before and after the transition.
On refuelling infrastructure, PI-CNG & EV disclosed that plans were underway to establish 127 additional CNG refuelling stations across 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory to improve access to the fuel and accelerate nationwide adoption.
Kano State was identified as a strategic hub for cleaner mobility in Northern Nigeria, with seven operational CNG refuelling stations and 17 others at various stages of completion.
The initiative also reported deploying an additional 25 buses in Kano to complement earlier commercial deployments, citing opportunities to expand affordable transportation, attract investment and promote industrial development along the northern gas corridor.
Speaking at the engagement, the Workstream Lead for Infrastructure and Demand at the Decade of Gas Secretariat, Taofeek Balogun, said Nigeria’s proven gas reserves had increased from 208.83 trillion cubic feet in 2023 to 215.19 trillion cubic feet as of January 2026.
He added that average gas production had risen from 6.86 billion cubic feet per day to approximately 7.5 billion cubic feet per day, while domestic gas supply had exceeded two billion cubic feet per day.
Balogun said four major gas projects had attracted $3.5 billion in committed investments, adding that the OB3 Gas Pipeline had been completed while the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline was about 95 per cent complete.
He further disclosed that N671 billion in public infrastructure funding had attracted approximately N1.6 trillion in private investment.
According to him, the Federal Government’s liquefied petroleum gas programme was targeting five million households by 2030.
Speaking on behalf of participating journalists, the Chairman of the Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, described the engagement as informative and beneficial.
He called for more frequent capacity-building sessions to strengthen journalists’ understanding of developments in the gas sector and cleaner transportation initiatives.
The Decade of Gas Secretariat and PI-CNG & EV reaffirmed their commitment to media engagement, stakeholder collaboration and public education as Nigeria pursues its gas development agenda.
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