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Subsidy Removal: Tinubu Directs Rollout Of Additional 500 CNG Stations
President Bola Tinubu has directed the rollout of an additional 500 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling stations nationwide as part of efforts to reduce transportation costs following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Tinubu issued the directive on Thursday after meeting with state governors, who he said had agreed to take immediate measures to reduce transport fares in their respective states by leveraging cheaper energy sources, including CNG and electric vehicles.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Tinubu said the additional stations would bring the Federal Government’s planned CNG refuelling network to 1,000 stations nationwide.
“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,” he said in the statement on his X handle on Thursday night.
The President said the immediate objective was to ensure that Nigerians begin to benefit directly from the lower operating costs associated with CNG-powered vehicles.
According to him, vehicles running on CNG spend between 60 and 80 per cent less on fuel than those powered by petrol.
He said the Federal Government and the governors had agreed to establish a joint committee to begin implementing measures aimed at reducing transport costs.
“From October 1, our goal is that Nigerians begin to partake in those savings through lower transport fares. “We have agreed that cheaper fuel should result in cheaper fares!” Tinubu said.
The President said “intra-state transportation” was where Nigerians experienced the impact of high transport costs most directly, adding that state governments were therefore central to delivering relief to commuters.
“I am encouraged that our Governors are moving to bring these benefits closer to the people they serve,” he said.
Over 120,000 Vehicles Converted
Tinubu said the Federal Government was already investing significantly in the transition from petrol-powered transportation to CNG and other alternative energy sources.
He said more than 120,000 vehicles had so far been converted to CNG nationwide, while more than 100,000 additional conversion kits were in the works.
The government is also expanding vehicle conversion centres and CNG refuelling infrastructure across the country.
Through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, the President said more than 100 gas projects were currently being financed nationwide, including 15 CNG mother stations and 86 daughter stations.
He noted that he commissioned four of the projects in Lagos, Abuja and Owerri in May, including a 15-station refuelling network in Lagos and a CNG facility in Abuja capable of serving up to 1,000 cars and tricycles and 50 trucks and buses daily.
The President said the Federal Government and state governments must continue to work together to ensure that the benefits of cheaper energy reach Nigerians.
“Each tier of government must keep doing its part and work together for the benefit of every Nigerian,” Tinubu said.
Fuel Subsidy Removal, CNG Push
The latest expansion is part of the Tinubu administration’s response to the economic effects of the removal of petrol subsidy.
Tinubu announced the end of the subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, declaring that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
The decision immediately triggered a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to higher transportation costs, with knock-on effects on food prices and the wider cost of living.
The administration subsequently launched the Presidential CNG Initiative as a major component of its effort to provide cheaper alternatives to petrol and cushion the impact of the subsidy reform.
The CNG programme has since expanded from vehicle conversions to the development of refuelling infrastructure and gas projects intended to support mass adoption of CNG-powered transportation.
The economic impact of the subsidy removal has also become a major political issue ahead of the 2027 general election.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, recently said the subsidy reform generated an estimated ₦15.8 trillion in resources for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
The Federal Ministry of Finance says the figure represents estimated subsidy savings shared across the Federal Government, states, local governments and other statutory recipients.
Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has meanwhile pledged to restore a targeted petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Atiku has maintained that the removal of the subsidy has worsened hardship for Nigerians and argued that government policy should focus on restoring purchasing power.
“On the question of subsidy, my position has not changed and will not change: I will restore it!” Atiku said in a recent statement.
The contrasting positions have placed the future of petrol subsidy and the government’s economic reforms at the centre of the emerging 2027 political debate.
For the Tinubu administration, however, the expansion of CNG infrastructure is being positioned as a key part of its strategy to reduce energy and transportation costs.
This is Chukuku, along Kuje – Gwagwalada road, Kuje Area Council of the FCT.
Wike don reach here.
Watch:
The husband of a woman accused of killing their two-year-old son stood by her in court on Thursday as she pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge.
Corie Walsh, 40, appeared briefly before a judge on September 24 during a preliminary hearing in the case involving the death of her son, Barrett Walsh.
Walsh appeared in a bright red jail uniform with her hair tied back during the roughly three-minute hearing. She stood beside her attorney, who told the court that the defence had subpoenaed her treatment records from the jail.
The records, attorney Andrea Lyon later said, were requested to determine whether Walsh was receiving the mental-health treatment she needs.
The defence is also seeking to have Walsh released before trial to a hospital for treatment, despite a judge rejecting an earlier request this month.
Walsh’s husband, Michael Walsh, sat in the public gallery during Thursday’s hearing alongside an elderly couple who appeared visibly emotional.
As Walsh was led from the courtroom after the hearing, she made eye contact with her husband.
Outside the courthouse, friends comforted Michael, with one supporter telling him, “She will get through this, she’s strong.”
Michael was later heard telling another supporter that he had been “packing up” the family home.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Lyon said Walsh’s family remained firmly behind her.
“Her whole family is here today — her husband, mother, mother’s best friend,” the attorney said.
“They love her and this is not — she’s never been violent… she was psychotic. They all know that and want her to get better. This is not who she is,” Lyon added.
According to court documents, Walsh’s two older children discovered Barrett with a rope around his neck and his feet off the ground in the basement of the family’s home in Frankfort, a suburb about 30 miles southwest of Chicago.
The children reportedly ran to a neighbour’s house for help.
The neighbour called 911 and attempted CPR on the toddler, but he had no pulse and was cold to the touch. Barrett was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined that the child, affectionately known as “Bear,” died from “asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck,” according to court records.
Police later found Walsh fully clothed in a bathtub containing bloodied water. Investigators allege that she had attempted to kill herself by cutting her wrists and thighs with a dull kitchen knife.
Court documents further allege that Walsh confessed to killing her son and described him as the “anti-Christ” and “devil.”
The case has drawn particular attention because prosecutors allege Walsh had become intensely focused on the high-profile case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children.
Clancy’s defence argued that she suffered from postpartum psychosis and was legally insane when she fatally strangled her children with exercise bands. Her trial ended in a hung jury and mistrial.
According to Walsh’s defence team, she had discussed the Clancy case with neighbourhood friends shortly before Barrett was found.
During an earlier hearing, defence attorney Robert Kerr said Walsh had sent several “confusing” and “out of character” messages about the Clancy case.
Kerr told the court that Walsh had initially expressed one view about Clancy’s case before suddenly changing her position.
A witness reportedly described Walsh as abruptly saying that Clancy was “100% not guilty”, prompting friends to question whether she was okay and whether someone should check on her.
Walsh’s lawyers have argued that she was “severely mentally ill” and experiencing a psychotic episode when Barrett died.
The defence has also rejected suggestions that Walsh deliberately copied Clancy.
“Describing Corie to have copied Lindsay is to take an easy bait,” Kerr said during a previous hearing, according to a transcript.
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has raised concerns about his personal safety ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying he is not certain he will be alive when Nigerians go to the polls.
Obi made the remarks during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, where he discussed the political environment ahead of the election and called for a peaceful and democratic process.
The former Anambra State governor said he had been subjected to petitions and investigations in different places, adding that he remained uncertain about what could happen to him before the election.
“As I speak to you, I have also petitioned, I’ve been investigated everywhere. I still hear that I’m not even sure whether I’ll still be alive at the end of this,” Obi said.
He said he was relying on God for protection, while expressing uncertainty over the circumstances surrounding him.
“I’m praying to God for His protection because at this stage, I’m not sure what is happening,” he added.
Obi also appealed to political actors, particularly state governors, to create an environment where presidential candidates and other contestants can campaign freely ahead of the 2027 polls.
According to him, governors have the right to support candidates of their choice, but should not prevent candidates from opposing parties from carrying out their campaigns.
“Some of them will be campaigning for presidency tomorrow. They will be campaigning for other offices tomorrow. Let’s have peace,” he said.
The NDC candidate recalled his tenure as governor of Anambra State, saying he allowed politicians from other parties to campaign in the state, including those supporting candidates who were opposed to him.
Obi’s comments come amid increasing political activity and debate over the conduct and security of the 2027 elections. He has repeatedly called for a peaceful, credible and issue-based electoral process, while urging political actors to avoid actions that could undermine democratic participation.
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