Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government will roll out 10,000 electric tricycles in August 2026 as part of a broad plan to ease public transportation across Nigeria, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has announced. The tricycles will be distributed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) initially for use across the northeast region, after which the initiative will be replicated nationwide through other regional development commissions.
Shettima disclosed the plan on Monday, 15 June 2026, during a courtesy call by the Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 group at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in a State House statement issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha. The Vice President said President Bola Tinubu had approved the expansion of the electric tricycle initiative to other parts of the country, describing it as part of a wider transport reform agenda aimed at transforming Nigeria’s mobility and logistics ecosystem.
The Vice President framed the tricycle rollout as one component of the administration’s broader vision to move Nigeria from a fragmented transport system to an integrated logistics chain where ports, railways, CNG-powered trucks, inland waterways, airports and local feeder roads work together to support commerce, agriculture, industry and national integration. “Our vision is an unbroken logistics chain, where a container moves from a deep‑sea port to a rail wagon, then to a CNG‑powered truck, then to a trader in Ariaria Market or Maiduguri, without delay or policy failure,” Shettima said.
The Vice President said the administration’s transport reform agenda is anchored on the nationwide rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), major port upgrades, and the strengthening of the country’s logistics chain, all aimed at improving working conditions for transport workers across the road, rail, maritime, aviation and pipeline sectors. “The President has approved the replication of the electric tricycle initiative in other parts of the country through the various regional development commissions,” Shettima said.
Shettima highlighted the progress of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, noting that it has already demonstrated the viability of using Nigeria’s domestic gas resources to reduce the cost of transportation, particularly for heavy‑duty vehicles. “We said CNG could cut fuel costs by over 60 per cent, and many called it fantasy. Today, heavy‑duty trucks run on Nigerian gas, proving sceptics wrong and returning money to your pockets,” he stated.
He also pointed to ongoing reforms in the maritime sector, including the operationalisation of the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the development of the National Single Window project, as efforts to make Nigerian ports more efficient and globally competitive. “Before this administration, clearing a container could become an encounter with frustration, corruption, and decay. We promised to unlock the blue economy. Today, with Lekki Deep Sea Port operational, the National Single Window taking shape, and inland waterways receiving attention, our ports are preparing to compete with the world’s best,” he said.
The Vice President assured transporters that the Federal Government would continue to support policies that promote affordable fuel, insurable fleets, bankable contracts and dignified working conditions. “This administration shall continue to stand with the Nigerian transporter. We shall continue to fight for affordable fuel, insurable fleets, bankable contracts, and dignified working conditions. We shall build roads that last, rails that stretch across this great nation, ports that breathe, and airports that reflect our pride,” he added.
Earlier, the Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, Prince Segun Obayendo, told the visiting group that transport unions across the air, maritime, rail and road sectors had consulted widely and were unanimous in endorsing and supporting the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2027 presidential election. The Secretary‑General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Oniha Erazua, expressed gratitude to the Tinubu administration for recognising transport unions in government and reaffirmed that transporters are convinced that the ongoing reforms would yield greater dividends if sustained.
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