Ten months after the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the federal government has not rolled out electric vehicles as promised, Daily Trust can report.
Millions of Nigerians are grappling with the high cost of transportation in the aftermath of the fuel subsidy removal.
Experts say productivity in work places has reduced; while the capital of many people, whose businesses require moving around, has been depleted.
The federal government had planned to increase the percentage of electric vehicles in the country to 7.50 per cent of the total vehicles running on roads by 2025.
Petrol subsidy removal: 10 months after, FG yet to roll out electric vehicles
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This target implies that at least 7.50 per cent of the estimated 11.8 million vehicles on Nigerian roads currently will be electric.
However, the development has been very slow with very little on the ground to show the readiness of the country to embrace electric vehicles.
Officials of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) declined comment when contacted by Daily Trust on the state of progress in the country’s vehicle electrification project.
Race against time?
Some states are already exploring the vehicle electrification project as an alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy petrol, which is now almost N700 per litre.
Late last year, President Tinubu unveiled over 100 electric buses and taxis in Borno acquired by the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Tinubu at the inauguration of the electric taxis and minibuses for mass transportation in Borno said the initiative would encourage more players into the value chain and expand the frontiers of electric vehicle adoption in Nigeria.
Read more: https://dailytrust.com/petrol-subsidy-removal-10-months-after-fg-yet-to-roll-out-electric-vehicles/
