The Federal Government will roll out 10,000 electric tricycles across the North-East in August as part of efforts to improve public transportation and reduce mobility costs in the region.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this during a courtesy visit by Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The statement said the tricycles would be distributed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for use across the North-East and beyond as part of the Federal Government’s transport reform programme.
Shettima was quoted as saying that President Bola Tinubu had approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country through the regional development commissions.
The vice president said the administration’s priority was to transform Nigeria’s transport sector from a fragmented system into an integrated logistics chain linking ports, railways, roads, airports and inland waterways to support commerce, agriculture and industry.
He noted that the electric tricycle initiative would complement the government’s broader transportation agenda, which includes the nationwide rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), port modernisation and logistics infrastructure development.
“The President has approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country by the various regional development commissions,” Shettima said.
He added that the administration was determined to build a transport economy that lowers the cost of movement, strengthens productivity and improves the livelihoods of transport operators across the country.
The vice president said the government was also pursuing reforms aimed at making Nigerian ports more efficient through initiatives such as the operationalisation of the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the National Single Window project.
According to him, the reforms are designed to create a seamless logistics chain capable of connecting producers and traders to markets across Nigeria, including commercial hubs in the North-East.
He assured transport workers of continued government support through policies that promote affordable fuel, improved infrastructure and better working conditions.
The statement added that stakeholders in the transport sector commended the administration’s reforms and pledged support for the continued implementation of its transportation policies. (NAN)
