Follow Us on Google
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Federal Government will roll out 10,000 electric tricycles in August 2026 as part of a broader plan to ease public transportation and strengthen Nigeria’s logistics chain, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima said on Monday.
In a State House statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President disclosed the plan during a courtesy call by Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 at the State House, saying the tricycles will be distributed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for use across the northeast and beyond. He added that President Bola Tinubu has approved replicating the initiative through other regional development commissions nationwide.
“The President has approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country by the various regional development commissions,” Shettima said. “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.”
He framed the tricycle rollout as one component of the administration’s transport reform agenda, which he said is anchored on a nationwide rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), major port upgrades and the development of a stronger logistics chain linking ports, rail, inland waterways, airports and local feeder roads.
“This administration is determined to build a transport economy that lowers the cost of movement, reduces delays at ports, connects farms to markets, strengthens national productivity and gives transporters a more dignified place in the country’s development process,” he said.
On CNG, the Vice President said the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative is already demonstrating that Nigeria can tap domestic gas to cut transport costs, 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,” Shettima said.
Other News
He also pointed to reforms in the maritime sector — including the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Sea Port and the development of the National Single Window — 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 transport workers of continued government support for policies promoting affordable fuel, insurable fleets, bankable contracts and improved working conditions. “This administration shall continue to stand with the Nigerian transporter. We shall build roads that last, rails that stretch across this great nation, ports that breathe, and airports that reflect our pride,” he said.
Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, Segun Obayendo, told the visiting group that executives from air, maritime, rail and road unions were unanimous in endorsing and supporting the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2027 election.
Obayendo said the transport unions had consulted widely and were convinced the current administration has placed the country on a path of positive growth.
Secretary-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Oniha Erazua, expressed gratitude to the Tinubu administration for engaging unions and recognised the gains from ongoing reforms. He said transport stakeholders were prepared to support the Tinubu/Shettima ticket if reforms are sustained.
