Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the rollout of an additional 500 compressed natural gas (CNG) refuelling stations nationwide, bringing the total planned under the Presidential CNG Initiative to 1,000 stations across the country. In a personally signed statement on Thursday, August 27, 2026, Tinubu said the move followed his discussion with the Nigeria Governors Forum, which resolved to take immediate measures to reduce transportation costs in their states.
The President said the Federal Government is currently financing more than 100 gas projects, including 15 CNG mother stations and 86 daughter stations, through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund. Four of these projects were commissioned in May in Lagos, Abuja and Owerri.
"I have also directed the additional rollout of another 500 CNG refuelling stations nationwide in addition to the 500 stations ordered earlier in the year by the Fund, bringing the programme to 1,000 stations across the country," Tinubu said. He added that over 120,000 vehicles have been converted to CNG nationwide, with more than 100,000 additional conversion kits in the works.
The President said the Federal and state governments have agreed to set up a joint committee to implement the measures immediately. "A vehicle running on CNG spends 60 to 80 per cent less on fuel than one running on petrol. From October 1, our goal is that Nigerians begin to partake in those savings through lower transport fares," he declared.
However, the announcement has drawn sharp criticism from the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who described the move as "panic dressed in presidential grammar". Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the President's transport announcement was a reaction to mounting pressure over the government's failure to channel fuel subsidy savings into making life better for Nigerians.
Atiku has insisted that the government has mismanaged the funds saved from subsidy removal. His camp argued that the CNG initiative has so far failed to fully kick off because of a lack of gas infrastructure in most states. The former vice president has pledged to restore a targeted petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, a proposal the Presidency has previously dismissed as evidence of "serious ignorance of governance and economy".
The clash over the CNG rollout reflects the intensifying political battle over Nigeria's energy policy and the cost of living crisis. With the 2027 elections approaching, the subsidy debate has become a central issue, with Atiku promising a return to targeted subsidy and Tinubu defending his administration's reform agenda. The President's October 1 deadline now sets the stage for a high-stakes test of whether the CNG expansion can deliver tangible relief to Nigerians struggling with high transport costs.
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