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The deployment of 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mass transit buses by the Kaduna State Government under the leadership of Governor Uba Sani, CON, represents more than a transformation of urban mobility. It is also a significant practical intervention in climate action and environmental sustainability.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, recently recognised Kaduna’s CNG transport initiative as a bold innovation and a model demonstrating what subnational governments can achieve. That recognition is particularly significant from a climate perspective because the programme demonstrates how climate action can be embedded in everyday public infrastructure.
Before the introduction of the CNG buses, urban transportation in Kaduna was predominantly characterised by minibuses and tricycles. The transition to high-capacity CNG buses therefore represents a shift towards a more organised and potentially more efficient urban transport system. The 100 buses operate across major corridors, making multiple daily trips between approximately 6am and 6pm.
In their first year, the buses carried approximately 3.2 million passengers, equivalent to about 38.4 million passenger-kilometres using an average 12-kilometre journey.
From a climate perspective, the significance lies in both fuel transition and modal efficiency.
CNG combustion generally produces less carbon dioxide per unit of useful energy than conventional diesel or petrol, while modern CNG vehicles can substantially reduce particulate pollution associated with older diesel engines. More importantly, high-capacity buses can move large numbers of passengers with fewer individual vehicles, reducing the energy and emissions intensity of passenger transport.
Using indicative operational emission factors, the estimated difference between conventional diesel and CNG operation for the fleet corresponds to approximately 1,370 tonnes of CO₂e avoided annually under the stated operating assumptions.
This figure represents only the direct operational comparison. The broader climate benefit can be greater when the emissions associated with the numerous minibuses and tricycles that would otherwise transport the same passengers are considered.
The environmental benefit also extends beyond greenhouse gases.
Reducing dependence on older, higher-emitting vehicles can lower particulate matter and other transport-related pollutants, contributing to cleaner air along Kaduna’s major urban corridors. This makes the programme relevant not only to social-economy and climate mitigation but also to urban environmental quality.
There is also a longer-term climate opportunity. CNG infrastructure can potentially provide a foundation for the future adoption of compressed biogas and biomethane, including fuels produced from agricultural residues and other organic waste, of which we have abundant of it. For Kaduna, this creates a potential link between agriculture, waste management, renewable energy and sustainable transportation.
CNG is not a zero-carbon fuel, and therefore it should be understood as part of a broader transition towards cleaner mobility. Nevertheless, Kaduna’s experience demonstrates an important principle: climate action does not have to be separate from development, it can be embedded in the infrastructure that citizens use every day.
Governor Uba Sani’s CNG mass transit initiative is therefore not only moving people across Kaduna. It is moving the state towards a cleaner and more climate-conscious urban transportation system; a model for other subnationals.
Yusuf Idris Amoke,
Climate Policy Advisor,
Kaduna State
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