Despite President Bola Tinubu's directive for reduced transport fares effective October 1, 2024, commuters in at least 14 states across Nigeria are still paying the same or even higher fares. This situation arises as transport unions report a lack of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which are crucial for implementing the fare cuts.

Checks in various states, including Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun, reveal that transport fares have not changed significantly. In many cases, fares have increased. For instance, in Anambra, passengers are still paying N700 for a trip from Upper Iweka to Oba and around N2,000 from Awka to Onitsha. Commercial driver Uche Daniel highlighted the impact of poor road conditions, especially following the closure of the First Niger Bridge, which has forced vehicles onto less maintained routes.

In Delta State, Emeka Okoro, the chairman of the transport union at the Asaba Summit Motor Park, confirmed that no CNG buses had been received, making it impossible to lower fares. "We cannot reduce transport fare when the cost of buying fuel is still high," Okoro stated. Similarly, in Imo State, the fare from Owerri to Akokwa remains N4,500, while the journey from Owerri to Awka costs as much as N9,000.

The situation is mirrored in Jigawa, where commuters at Dutse Central Motor Park are still paying N3,500 to Kano and N5,000 to Hadejia. Oyo residents continue to pay N600 for the Ojoo to Mokola route, and in Ogun, passengers are still charged N3,500 from Kuto to Ijebu Ode. Even in Edo, vehicles converted to CNG have not adjusted their prices due to inadequate gas infrastructure and long queues at refuelling stations.

President Tinubu had previously urged state governors to ensure that the benefits of cheaper CNG-powered transport would be passed on to the public by October 1. This directive followed a meeting on August 27, where all 36 state governors agreed to enhance the use of alternative fuel vehicles under the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.

In response to the ongoing fare situation, Ismaeel Ahmed, chairman of the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles, clarified that October 1 was not a strict deadline but rather a starting point for monitoring fare reductions. He cited successful fare cuts in Borno, where electric vehicles charge as low as N15 per trip, compared to previous charges of N200 to N500. Additionally, he mentioned that 20 CNG buses had been donated to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority for routes including Lagos to Ibadan.

Ahmed emphasized that this is just the beginning: "What the President said is that there will be commencement of fare reduction by 1st of October and God willing, we are going to keep following that up to make sure that we deepen it."

Furthermore, the federal government is set to receive 500 new CNG refuelling stations by the end of October, which is expected to facilitate the rollout of CNG buses and potentially lead to fare reductions across more states.