Tinubu approves deployment of electric vehicles in six northern states
By Kunle Sanni
President Bola Tinubu has approved the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in Nigeria’s Northeast region to ease transportation and lower fares across the six states in the area.
The approval was granted on Wednesday during a meeting at the State House in Abuja with the leadership of the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC), led by Mohammed Alkali, the Commission’s Managing Director and CEO.
Alkali, speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, explained that the NEDC conducted a detailed analysis of the comparative advantages of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered vehicles in the region. Based on the findings, the Commission recommended the deployment of EVs as a sustainable solution to the region’s transportation challenges.
In addition to the introduction of EVs, the NEDC plans to establish modular solar power units across the Northeast. These units will provide backup power for the vehicles in the event of electricity outages, ensuring reliable and uninterrupted transportation services.
The initiative is expected to reduce transportation costs and improve mobility for residents across the region.
“In addition, we’re also considering establishing 5 kVA or 10 kVA solar-powered, stand-alone grids as backup for the inadequacy of power supply. We’re aware of these challenges, but with challenges come opportunities,” Alkali said.
“When we start, we may face one or two challenges, but we have already planned to supplement the usual generating plants with stand-alone solar grids to power the stations we are going to build,” he added.
Alkali emphasized that the solar grids would power a significant percentage of the EVs once deployed.
“As you may recall, the President directed that vehicles should either run on CNG or electricity. At the development commission, we conducted a thorough analysis of our region, which includes six states. We compared the advantages of CNG and electric vehicles.
“After our analysis, we concluded that while CNG vehicles are viable, EVs are a better option for the Northeast for several reasons. One of these is our plan to establish modular solar power units across the states, which will power a portion of the EV fleet,” Alkali concluded.
