*‘Nigerians Need Delivery, Not Another ‘Animal Farm’ Promise
FORMER vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in next year’s general elections, Atiku Abubakar, said his targeted subsidy plan would ensure the production of cheaper fuel, and in turn, lead to cheaper transport fares.
Atiku insisted that his proposed innovative subsidy would not only ensure the production of cheaper fuel, but would also reduce the cost of transportation and food, as well as support Nigerian production, protect consumers and put more purchasing power in the hands of Nigerians.
In his reaction to President Bola Tinubu statement on Thursday, August 27, that because “cheaper fuel must mean cheaper transport fares,” he had reached an agreement with state governors to “cut transport fares nationwide” by leveraging CNG and electric vehicles, Atiku, in a statement by his media office, on Friday, August 28, faulted the proposal, describing it as another ‘Animal Farm’ promise.
He stated that the plan by Tinubu to work with state governors by leveraging CNG and electric vehicles raises more questions than answers, wondering: “Is the government announcing a fully operational programme or merely announcing a target for a programme whose implementation framework is still being developed?”
The former vice president noted that while Tinubu has said that the Federal Government and state governors have agreed to begin implementing measures to reduce transport fares, with the goal of Nigerians benefiting from lower fares from October 1, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), in its communiqué, read by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, following its meeting on August 26, said that the proposed National Affordable CNG Transit Programme still requires further consideration of its financing and implementation framework.
According to Atiku: “That means Nigerians deserve clarity; what exactly will be operational on October 1?
“The government says more than 120,000 vehicles have already been converted to CNG and additional conversion kits are being deployed. But Nigerians need more than a headline figure.
“It is pertinent to know how many of those vehicles are commercial passenger vehicles. How many are currently operating on CNG every day? How many passengers are actually benefiting from reduced fares? In which states and on which routes?
“These are the figures that matter.”
He said “a station that has been announced, ordered or planned is not the same as a station that is operational, supplied and accessible to commercial transport operators, urging the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government to publish the locations, status and commissioning timetable of these stations.
Most importantly, he said, there must be a transparent system for ensuring that the savings reach commuters, adding: “If government supports vehicle conversion, provides financing, supplies fleets or subsidises infrastructure, then participating operators should have clearly defined fare obligations.
“There should be a published baseline fare; a published reduced fare; identified routes and participating operators; transparent details of government support; a clear implementation timetable; and an enforcement mechanism for operators who receive public support, but fail to pass the savings to passengers.”
He stated that the government’s own previous CNG experience demonstrates that enforcement matters, recalling that in 2025, the Federal Government announced a 40 per cent fare reduction on CNG-serviced routes in Abuja and deployed a task force to monitor compliance.
Yet, reports at the time also highlighted problems with CNG availability and ability of converted vehicles to access adequate supplies.
To him: “The lesson is clear: A fare reduction announced in Abuja is not the same as a nationwide transport solution.
“Nigeria is a large country with very different transport systems and levels of CNG infrastructure.
“A commuter in Lagos, Abuja or another major city may have access to CNG infrastructure that is unavailable to commuters elsewhere.
“So, when the government says Nigerians nationwide will benefit from cheaper fares, Nigerians are entitled to ask for a state-by-state implementation plan.”
The ADC presidential candidate said October 1 should therefore not be another political deadline; it should be a measurable delivery deadline, noting: “By October 1, Nigerians should be able to ask: How much has my fare actually fallen?”
These questions, he stated, should have clear answers, because Nigerians have endured an extended cost-of-living crisis, saying: “Transport costs do not merely affect commuters; they affect the price of food, goods and services, because everything has to be moved from one location to another.”
Atiku charged the federal and state governments to publish the numbers of how many vehicles, routes and states, as well as how much funding, what fare reduction, what enforcement mechanism and what happens where CNG infrastructure is not yet available.
He said government must demonstrate that principle in practice, because Nigerians do not pay their transport fares with policy statements, but with money they have earned, and do not commute on announcements, but on buses.
Atiku said on October 1, the only announcement that will truly matter to the ordinary Nigerian is the one made at the bus stop, that the fare has come down.
