President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC governors have agreed on measures to reduce transportation costs across the country by expanding the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles, Peak Newspaper reports.
Following a meeting at the State House in Abuja, Tinubu said the governors had agreed to take immediate steps to bring down transport fares in their states. He announced that a joint Federal and State committee would begin implementing the plan, with the goal of having Nigerians benefit from lower fares from October 1.
According to the President, vehicles powered by CNG can spend 60 to 80 per cent less on fuel than petrol-powered vehicles. He said the government is therefore working to ensure that the savings from cheaper fuel are passed on to commuters through reduced fares.
Tinubu also announced plans to increase the number of CNG refuelling stations nationwide from the previously planned 500 to 1,000. He said more than 120,000 vehicles have already been converted to CNG, while over 100,000 additional conversion kits are in the pipeline.
The initiative is expected to support cheaper intra-state transportation and reduce the burden of rising transport costs on workers, businesses and families. However, the success of the plan will depend on the speed of CNG infrastructure expansion, vehicle conversions and whether transport operators actually pass the savings on to passengers.
