President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an additional 500 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations across Nigeria as part of efforts to reduce transportation costs and accelerate the country’s transition to cheaper alternative fuels.

The directive, announced on Thursday, increases the planned CNG refuelling infrastructure under the Federal Government’s programme to 1,000 stations nationwide.

Tinubu disclosed the development after meeting with the Governors’ Forum, saying the state governors had agreed to take immediate steps to reduce transportation costs in their respective states by expanding access to CNG-powered vehicles and electric vehicles.

In a statement personally signed and posted on his X handle, the President said the Federal Government was already investing heavily in energy transition infrastructure, including vehicle conversion centres and CNG refuelling facilities.

According to him, more than 120,000 vehicles have so far been converted to CNG nationwide under the Presidential CNG Initiative, while over 100,000 additional conversion kits are being processed.

Tinubu also disclosed that the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund was financing more than 100 gas projects across the country.

The projects include 15 CNG mother stations and 86 daughter stations, with four facilities commissioned in May across Lagos, Abuja and Owerri.

Among the commissioned projects, he said, was a 15-station CNG refuelling network in Lagos, as well as an Abuja facility capable of servicing 1,000 cars and tricycles and 50 trucks and buses daily.

The President said the latest directive would complement the 500 CNG stations previously ordered by the Fund, taking the planned network to 1,000 stations.

He said expanding the infrastructure was crucial to reducing the cost of intra-state transportation, where rising fares have continued to place pressure on households.

Tinubu said the Federal and state governments had also agreed to establish a joint committee to immediately implement measures aimed at lowering transportation costs.

He explained that vehicles powered by CNG could spend between 60 and 80 per cent less on fuel than petrol-powered vehicles, creating room for significant reductions in transport fares.

“From October 1, our goal is that Nigerians begin to partake in those savings through lower transport fares,” the President said, stressing that cheaper fuel should translate into cheaper fares.

Tinubu urged all levels of government to work together to ensure that the benefits of the energy transition are reflected directly in the cost of transportation for Nigerians.