Nigeria: October 1 Fare Slash - Govt Hasn't Consulted Us, Transport Union Says

What the report says

Transport unions in Nigeria say they have not been consulted on President Bola Tinubu’s plan to lower intra-state transport fares by using compressed natural gas and electric vehicles, as the October 1 deadline approaches. The report, published by Leadership and carried by AllAfrica, says union leaders and other stakeholders are also questioning how practical the pledge will be without clear guidance from federal or state authorities.

According to the article, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles said the rollout would be handled in phases, with engagement at the state level rather than as a nationwide blanket order. The initiative followed Tinubu’s directive that the lower operating costs of CNG and electric vehicles should be reflected in cheaper transport for commuters. However, the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners said they were still waiting for implementation details.

Union officials argued that fare cuts would be difficult without subsidies, additional vehicles, or meetings with transport operators to agree on pricing. They also pointed to weak CNG refuelling infrastructure, describing long queues and time lost at stations in Lagos and Abuja. The article adds that, despite government conversion efforts and the deployment of CNG buses and tricycles, fares on several routes reported by Leadership had not fallen noticeably.

The broader context is that Nigeria has promoted CNG as a cheaper transport fuel since fuel subsidy reforms increased operating costs, but limited infrastructure and uneven adoption have slowed the pass-through to passengers.