The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) have welcomed the Federal Government’s plan to establish 500 additional Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations across Nigeria, saying the initiative could significantly reduce transport fares and ease inflation.
The unions, however, stressed that the expected benefits would only be realised if the stations are evenly distributed and remain adequately supplied with gas.
Deputy President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Aliyu Ore, said the proposed stations would help reduce transportation costs if they operate effectively.
According to him, allocating at least 20 stations to each state would improve access to CNG and ultimately bring down transport fares.
“It’s a good one. And if everything goes well, it’s automatically going to come down,” Ore said, noting that commercially active states could receive more than the minimum allocation.
He, however, cautioned that the availability of filling stations alone would not be enough if motorists could not access gas.
“One thing, you may get a filling station, and there is no gas. So, if all 500 filling stations are available and function well, I assure you that the price of transportation will come down,” he said.
Similarly, the Secretary-General of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Ibrahim Yusuf, described the initiative as a welcome development capable of reducing hardship and inflation.
Yusuf said the high cost of fuel and transportation had continued to place pressure on Nigerians, adding that lower transport costs would have a wider impact on the prices of goods and services.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would translate into tangible benefits for citizens once the CNG infrastructure reaches end users.
According to him, a reduction in transportation costs would also help lower the prices of essential commodities, including food items.
The transport operators urged the government to ensure that the new CNG stations are functional and consistently supplied, saying accessibility would determine the success of the initiative.
In August 2026, President Bola Tinubu directed the rollout of 500 additional CNG refuelling stations nationwide, bringing the Federal Government’s planned network to 1,000 stations.
The directive followed a meeting with state governors on measures to reduce transportation costs and cushion the impact of rising living expenses.
(Punch)
