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By Moses Akaigwe
President Bola Tinubu has, once again, been applauded for his 2023 Presidential Initiative on CNG (Pi-CNG), a flagship programme designed to enhance widespread adoption of compressed natural gas and electric vehicles.
The commendation was made by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Cedric Masters Group, Chief Anselm Ilekuba, while introducing electric vehicle chargers produced by one of his subsidiaries – Cedric Clean Energy Solution – to visiting motoring journalists at the group’s auto plant in Lekki, Lagos.
Describing EV as the mobility of the future, which is not only cleaner with enormous advantages over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, Chief Ilekuba said the President’s initiative has provided a lot of opportunities which has encouraged many companies like Cedric Clean Energy Solution to make investments.
He told his guests that under Cedric Clean Energy Solution, Cedric Group is assembling electric vehicle chargers in Nigeria, stating, “Right now, we are proud to say that we are the first to start this initiative in Nigeria.”
The Made-in-Nigeria electric vehicle charge stations have not only been tested satisfactorily, but are already on duty at different locations.
“Yes, the electric chargers we assemble in Lagos are already in the market,” the Cedric. Masters’ Chairman confirmed during the interaction with journalists, disclosing that members of Automotive Local Content Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (ALCMAN), an association which he heads as National Coordinator, are similarly being encouraged to make investments in EV components production.
He recalled that the Federal Executive Council recently approved the purchase of 200 units of electric vehicles, disclosing that his company has made recommendations to the appropriate quartets to the effect that the vehicles be assembled in Nigeria to help lift the local industry.
Chief Ilekuba stated, “In fact, we are calling on Nigerians to tell them: They must not import the 200 EVs. We are here assembling electric vehicle chargers. To procure these 200 electric buses, let them remember the local assemblers, both in the terms of components like the charge stations and in the other supply chain of these vehicles.
“That is the only way we would have known that this government is actually supporting the local industry. Mr. President made it clear that we have the Renewed Hope Nigeria First policy and in this regard, they should come and see what we are doing and they should come and patronise what we are doing in the interest of the policy.
“Green energy vehicles are where the world is going now. I want to use this avenue to talk to people that are saying that Nigeria has large deposits of petroleum. Why are we talking about electric vehicles? You see, the balance of life is in diversification.
“Conflict of opposite brings harmony. Go to Saudi Arabia. Go to Russia. You will see them. These are countries with large deposits of petroleum products. They are leading in this global race for green energy vehicles. We must not be left behind. That is why we have keyed into it. We went into the component part of it and from there, you will see the next.”
Chief Ilekuba announced that come 2026, Cedric Masters would launch what he described as “The EV Taxi Revolution.”
“i just want to let the cat out of the bag. In 2026, Cedric Group is coming with an EV taxi revolution. The EV taxi is going to have about 25 percent assembly input because we are not going to bring it fully knocked down.
“That is why we started the investment in our charge stations. Having done that for these 12 months, we have perfected our charge stations. By next year, when we deploy the EVs, we already have a robust platform for the charging to be done.”
