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The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) on Friday in Bauchi said it was set to deploy ten thousand electric tricycles, 300 electric taxis and 30 electric buses across the six states of the North-east to reduce transportation costs, create employment opportunities and promote environmentally friendly mobility.
The initiative, being implemented in partnership with Attahir Enterprises Nigeria Limited, was unveiled at a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitisation workshop held in Bauchi state.
Speaking at the end of two day workshop, the NEDC Bauchi state coordinator, Aliyu Isiyaku, said the initiative was designed to provide affordable, safer and more environmentally sustainable transportation services to residents of the region.
Isiyaku said the engagement was necessary to ensure that relevant stakeholders understood the project and contributed to its successful implementation, particularly in reaching communities at the grassroots.
He said the initiative was expected to reduce transportation costs, generate employment for young people, and protect the environment and lower carbon emissions.
According to him, the success of the initial phase would determine the possibility of expanding the deployment of electric vehicles across the North-east.
He therefore urged stakeholders to support the project and create awareness among residents to ensure its acceptance and sustainability.
Providing details of the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of Attahir Enterprises Nigeria Limited, Gudu Umar Abacha, said the electric vehicles could travel up to 300 kilometres on a full charge and noted that the electric buses and taxis would primarily operate within urban centres, while three charging points would be established to support their operations.
Abacha added that the electric tricycles would be deployed to local government areas to extend the benefits of the initiative to rural communities, saying each electric tricycle would come with two charging units, enabling operators to charge their vehicles at home and improving convenience.
According to him, the vehicles would be handed over to the respective state governments for distribution to beneficiaries, adding that prospective beneficiaries would undergo training before being allowed to operate the vehicles.
The Bauchi state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Comrade Ismail Abubakar, commended the NEDC and the federal government for introducing the electric vehicle initiative, describing it as “a potential means of reducing transportation costs and improving the livelihoods of transport operators.”
He also called for the involvement of transport unions in the distribution process, saying working with the unions would help ensure that the vehicles reached genuine operators and were used for the intended purpose.
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