ABUJA — Nigeria’s federal government is set to meet with state officials in Abuja on Thursday to fast-track the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles (EV), in a bid to lower soaring public transport costs across the West African nation.
The one-day summit, hosted by the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) and announced by the initiative’s Head of Brand and Communications, Onyekachi Eke, comes ahead of an October 1 deadline set by President Bola Tinubu to ease transportation expenses for citizens.
Representatives covering transport, energy, and environmental portfolios across Nigeria’s 36 states will gather at the Abuja Continental Hotel to align local transit requirements with national rollout plans for CNG-powered public transport and charging infrastructure.
The executive chairman of Pi-CNG & EV, Ismaeel Ahmed, emphasised that the focus of the meeting is to turn national policy into immediate cost savings for everyday commuters.”The savings that come from the adoption of CNG must ultimately reach the Nigerian commuter,” Ahmed said. “This requires the Federal Government, State Governments, transport operators, and other stakeholders to work together on practical implementation models that reflect the realities of each state.”
The effort falls under the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme (NACTP), an initiative aimed at leveraging Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices following recent economic reforms and fuel subsidy removals.
By replacing expensive petrol and diesel with cheaper gas and electric alternatives in public transit fleets, officials hope lower operational costs for transport operators will directly translate into reduced bus and taxi fares nationwide.
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