Abuja: The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has expressed support for the proposed National Affordable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transit Programme (NACTP) to reduce transportation costs and cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians. The forum articulated this in a communiqu© signed by the NGF Chairman, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, following the 3rd NGF meeting held on Wednesday night in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa described the state-led initiative as a significant step toward lowering fare burdens for citizens. “The forum received a presentation on the proposed national affordable transit programme, a state-led initiative designed to translate the lower operating cost of CNG into reduced transport fares for citizens,” he stated. The proposal envisions state support for CNG vehicle conversions, fleets, and enabling infrastructure, alongside fare commitments from participating operators, with an indicative target of reducing passenger fares. Governors noted the initiative’s potential to ease transportation costs and agreed on the need to further consider its financing and implementation framework.
Diri also disclosed that the forum received a presentation from the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, on opportunities for state participation in CANEX Weekend 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027, both scheduled to be held in Lagos. The governors acknowledged the platform’s potential to showcase investment-ready projects, promote local exports and tourism, and connect state Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with African and global investors and buyers. The forum assured the minister of its support in achieving these objectives.
Fielding questions from newsmen on the NACTP initiative, Diri mentioned that the timeline for implementation would be worked out between the forum and the stakeholders who made the presentation. He explained that the NGF believed reducing transportation costs would have multiplier effects on the cost of living and several other sectors, making the positive effect of the subsidy removal felt by the common man. “The rise in the cost of every other thing is also hinged on the increase in transport. Now that the forum is going in league with the private sector to see how we can bring in CNG, this will actually reduce the costs of transportation and it will have a multiplier effect on every other sector. The impact is expected to be on our people, the very common man that we all talk about,” he said.
Diri, however, dismissed claims that governments at the sub-nationals have not been properly accountable for funds received from the removal of fuel subsidy, stating, “that cannot be true, but we’ll leave that debate for another day.”