President Bola Tinubu has commended the Kaduna State Government's Free Compressed Natural Gas Mass Transit Scheme, describing it as an exemplary people-focused intervention. The scheme, which has recorded approximately 3.2 million passenger trips, has saved commuters over ₦3.5 billion during its first year of operation. Tinubu noted that such interventions are necessary from subnational governments to reduce transportation costs and ease pressure on households.
The presidential commendation came as the Federal Government and 36 states accelerate the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme to achieve measurable reductions in transportation costs. On August 27, President Tinubu met with governors, resolving to ensure Nigerians experience substantial relief in daily commuting expenses from October 1. An implementation committee was constituted under the Nigeria Governors' Forum, led by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The committee, working with the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, state governments, and stakeholders, aims to identify priority transportation corridors, determine interventions, and establish an operational framework. The urgency of the initiative has been heightened by disruptions in global energy supplies, exerting fresh pressures on petrol and diesel prices, and driving transportation costs upwards worldwide.
Nigeria's abundant gas resources offer a credible pathway to reducing its vulnerability to international energy market fluctuations. President Tinubu has reiterated that returning to the costly petrol subsidy regime would expose the economy to international oil price fluctuations and consume resources required for development. The Federal Government intends to support states that have embraced CNG transportation and help them expand interventions delivering immediate benefits to citizens.
Kaduna State pioneered the scheme with a fleet of 100 CNG-powered buses, which has become one of the government's most consequential responses to fuel subsidy removal. Governor Uba Sani expressed Kaduna State's appreciation for the recognition, reaffirming his administration's determination to sustain policies protecting vulnerable households and widening access to essential services.
Governor Sani stated that Kaduna State continues to set national benchmarks in critical areas, including tackling out-of-school children, expanding vocational training, and pioneering CNG mass transit. Kaduna remains the only subnational government providing free CNG mass transit rides to its citizens, with the scheme saving commuters over ₦3.5 billion in the first year.
The Kaduna Free CNG Mass Transit Scheme reflects the Governor Uba Sani administration's philosophy that public policy must be judged by its discernible effect on citizens' everyday lives. The scheme has become one of the most impactful interventions in cushioning the effects of fuel subsidy removal, demonstrating how the transition to cheaper domestic energy can translate into tangible relief for ordinary citizens.
Key points
- President Tinubu commends Kaduna's Free CNG Mass Transit Scheme as a people-focused intervention.
- The scheme has saved commuters over ₦3.5 billion during its first year of operation.
- The Federal Government and states are accelerating the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme to reduce transportation costs.
