The Kaduna State Government has said its free Compressed Natural Gas-powered mass transit scheme has continued to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs on residents, with the programme now in its 15th month.

The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmad Mayaki, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s renewed National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.

Mayaki said Kaduna had keyed into the CNG transport initiative ahead of the Federal Government’s latest intervention, adding that the state commenced its free bus service on July 7, 2025, shortly after President Tinubu inaugurated 100 CNG buses in the state.

PUNCH Online reported that Tinubu, on September 19, 2026, disclosed that the 100 CNG-powered buses operating on major routes in Kaduna carried about 3.2 million passengers in their first year and saved commuters more than N3.5bn in transport costs.

According to Mayaki, Kaduna remained the only state providing free CNG-powered mass transit services to its residents, while other states had adopted different levels of fare subsidies.

“Kaduna is the only state offering free services in the whole of Nigeria. Other states offer different forms of subsidised costs; some offer 50 per cent, while others offer certain percentages.

“Even the FCT, where the Federal Government is partnering with the NURTW, is not offering it free. Kaduna is the only state providing free services to students, civil servants, traders, artisans and the entire citizens of the state,” he said.

The commissioner said the state operated the scheme through eight routes with 100 CNG buses and about 200 bus stops.

He said the initiative had reduced the financial burden on residents, particularly civil servants, students, traders and artisans, by freeing up money previously spent on transportation.

“Transportation takes a chunk of people’s income. Taking that off their shoulders is reducing the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy.

“Instead of spending the money on transport, they have more money for their families, feeding and the education of their children. It has significantly improved the productivity of our civil servants because they can save between 40 and 50 per cent of their salaries that would ordinarily have gone into transportation,” Mayaki stated.

He added that the scheme had also contributed to school enrolment and retention by making transportation more affordable for students.

“Some students drop out or miss some days of school because of the cost of transportation. But with this transport scheme, it has improved school enrolment and retention,” he said.

Mayaki further said the scheme had improved access to healthcare, particularly for women who needed to visit hospitals, while the reduction in household transportation expenses had, according to him, eased pressure on families.

He also claimed that the scheme had contributed to reducing domestic tensions in some households by leaving families with more disposable income.

“Funny enough, somebody said it has helped in the reduction of divorce and broken homes because men now have more money to take care of their families.

“Instead of spending the money on transport, they have more money for the upkeep of their families and to save for the education of their children,” the commissioner said.

Mayaki said the environmental benefits of the initiative were also significant, claiming that the switch to CNG had helped reduce carbon emissions in the state.

He noted that the Kaduna programme preceded the latest Federal Government push for a coordinated national affordable CNG transport programme.

Tinubu, after a meeting with the 36 state governors on August 27, 2026, announced the establishment of an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

The President said the initiative was aimed at ensuring measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1, 2026, while urging states to work with transport unions and commercial operators to expand CNG-powered transportation.

inubu specifically cited Kaduna as an example of what could be achieved through cheaper energy and subsidised public transportation.

“In Kaduna, 100 CNG-powered buses are providing free transportation on major routes across the State. In their first year of operation, the buses carried about 3.2 million passengers, saving commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transport costs,” the President stated.

The President had earlier inaugurated the 100 CNG buses in Kaduna on June 19, 2025, alongside other projects in the state.

Mayaki said the Kaduna State Government had directed that the free transport service should continue indefinitely.

“The government has directed that these free services should continue indefinitely. There is no window and there is no stopping; it is indefinite,” he said.

He added that the state government was currently compiling data on the impact of the programme since its commencement in July 2025.

“We are concluding the data and analysing it. We are going to make it public on how we have done in the last 15 months.