The Kaduna State Government says its free Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered mass transit scheme has continued to reduce the burden of rising transportation costs on residents, with the programme now in its 15th month.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmad Mayaki, disclosed this in an interview with PUNCH on Sunday while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s renewed National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.
Mayaki said Kaduna introduced the free CNG bus service on July 7, 2025, shortly after President Tinubu inaugurated 100 CNG buses in the state.
According to him, the 100 buses operate on eight routes with about 200 bus stops across the state. He said Kaduna remained the only state in Nigeria providing completely free CNG-powered mass transit, while other states offered varying levels of fare subsidies.
President Tinubu had earlier disclosed that the 100 CNG buses carried about 3.2 million passengers during their first year of operation and saved commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transportation costs.
Mayaki said the initiative had reduced the financial pressure on civil servants, students, traders and artisans by eliminating transportation expenses for many residents.
“Transportation takes a chunk of people’s income. Taking that off their shoulders is reducing the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.
He added that civil servants could save between 40 and 50 per cent of their salaries that would otherwise have been spent on transportation.
The commissioner also said the scheme had contributed to improved school enrolment and retention, as students could travel to school without worrying about transport fares.
He further said the programme had improved access to healthcare, particularly for women who needed to visit hospitals, while reduced household transportation costs had eased financial pressure on families.
Mayaki also claimed that the initiative had contributed to reducing tensions within some households by leaving families with more disposable income for food, education and other needs.
He said the use of CNG had also provided environmental benefits by helping to reduce carbon emissions.
The commissioner noted that Kaduna’s free transport initiative began before the Federal Government’s latest push for a coordinated national affordable CNG transport programme.
President Tinubu announced in August 2026 that an implementation committee had been established for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The programme is expected to help reduce transportation costs from October 1, 2026.
Mayaki said the Kaduna State Government had directed that the free CNG transport service continue indefinitely.
He added that the government was compiling data on the programme’s impact since its launch and would make the findings public after the analysis was completed.
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