Atiku Asks Tinubu to List Routes Where Cheaper Fares Took Effect on October 1

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to make public the routes and fare figures behind the cheaper transport promise that was meant to take effect from October 1, saying commuters deserve to see where the reductions are actually happening.

Atiku made the demand on Thursday, October 1, 2026, several hours after Tinubu's Independence Day broadcast, in which the President defended his economic reforms and said Nigerians had "made hard decisions together."

Responding to the President in a national broadcast of his own, Atiku asked whether the October 1 transport-fare target had produced any relief that commuters could feel.

"Before I forget, you promised Nigerians lower transport fares from October 1. Today is October 1. Did your promise miss the bus?" Atiku said.

The former vice president also faulted Tinubu for not giving enough detail on how the promised fare cuts would be carried out.

"In your Independence Day speech, you found time to attack my plan to make life affordable. But you did not tell commuters which additional routes became cheaper today, what the fares were before, what they cost now, or how many people can use them," he said.

Atiku said cuts on particular routes would be welcomed, but maintained that they would not on their own solve the broader transport problems Nigerians face.

He asked the administration to release the list of affected routes, the old and new fares, and the number of commuters who stand to gain.

"Bola, publish the routes, the fares and the number of people benefiting. Show Nigerians the cheaper journey you promised," he said.

The criticism follows Tinubu's September 19 directive to state governments to speed up the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme before October 1.

The President said at the time that the Federal Government and the 36 state governors had agreed on a target for "more Nigerians" to start feeling measurable cuts in transport costs from October 1. He asked states to work with transport unions and commercial operators so that savings from cheaper energy would reach commuters.

Tinubu also pointed to fare reductions already in place in some states. He said CNG-powered and electric public transport in Borno was charging between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charged between ₦300 and ₦600. He said Kaduna's 100 CNG buses had offered free transport on major routes, while CNG buses in Oyo had brought the Lagos–Ibadan fare down from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200 when they were first deployed.

The President further cited cuts on selected routes in Abuja, including Area 1–Gwagwalada, where he said the fare had dropped from ₦1,500 to ₦900; Nyanya, from ₦700 to ₦420; and Wuse, from ₦400 to ₦240. He also mentioned reductions in Enugu, Adamawa, Plateau and Niger State.

On October 1, however, reports indicated that high transport costs were still a concern in parts of the country, with limited CNG availability, inadequate refuelling infrastructure and high operating costs identified as obstacles to wider fare reductions.

In his Independence Day address on Thursday, Tinubu did not announce a fresh list of routes or fares. He said instead that his administration's priority was to bring down the cost of living by cutting the cost of producing and moving goods, and he described the economic reforms carried out since 2023 as necessary steps towards prosperity.

The President also said Nigerians had "travelled through difficult years together" and that "we have made hard decisions together," before urging citizens to look forward to what he called an emerging era of prosperity.

Atiku, however, rejected the idea that the reforms amounted to a shared national journey.

"My dear Bola, you said the people 'cannot wait for tomorrow.' On that, I agree with you. Yet almost every answer in your address was about tomorrow," he said.

"But Nigerians are hungry today. They pay transport fares today. They need jobs and safety today."

He also dismissed Tinubu's claim that Nigerians took the difficult decisions together, arguing that citizens had largely carried the consequences of the government's policies.

"No, Bola! You made the decisions alone, not with Nigerians. The people have only paid the price for your reckless decisions," Atiku said.

The exchange has pushed the October 1 transport-fare target to the centre of the ongoing political argument over the effects of Tinubu's economic reforms, especially the administration's push to use compressed natural gas and electric vehicles to bring down public transport costs.

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