Road transport unions have welcomed the Federal Government’s plan to establish 500 Compressed Natural Gas filling stations across the country, saying the initiative will reduce transportation costs and ease inflation if properly implemented.

Speaking on the development, the Deputy President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Aliyu Ore, said the distribution of the stations across the states would help bring down transport fares.

He said, “It’s a good one. And if everything goes well, it’s automatically going to come down. Because by virtue of this, at least each state will get like 20. While some commercial states will get more than that.

“But at least 20 in every state, and the transportation cost in the area will come down. If everything goes the way it’s supposed to go. 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. I’m very sure, and it’s a good one.”

Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Yusuf, described the initiative as a welcome development, saying it would reduce hardship and inflation.

Yusuf said, “We have a serious problem in the petrol and transport fields because, one, it will question the problem, and it will reduce the hardship and inflation drastically. It’s a welcome idea. You know, it has to start from somewhere. Already, the willingness and the intentions are there.

“And we are assured that, yes, these things are coming. And we believe it will come to reality. And as such, the citizens of Nigeria will enjoy the gesture of the president. By the time it’s shared with the end users, impact will be felt. I know it will reduce poverty; the drastic cost of transportation and inflation will be reduced.

“A bag of rice will be reduced in price. So that is the effect of the cost of transportation that Tinubu has done. That is what you should be expecting. The moment you can get relief from one side, it will go around.”

The operators stressed that the expected impact of the CNG stations would depend on their availability and functionality, particularly ensuring that motorists can access gas whenever they need it.

In August 2026, President Bola Tinubu directed the rollout of another 500 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.