FG to Roll Out 10,000 Electric Tricycles as Shettima Unveils Nationwide Transport Reform Plan
The Federal Government is set to deploy 10,000 electric tricycles as part of a wider strategy aimed at improving public transportation and enhancing mobility across Nigeria.
PulseNets learnt that the electric tricycles will be distributed by the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) in August 2026 for operation across the North-East region and other parts of the country.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by The Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 group, noting that President Bola Tinubu had approved the expansion of the initiative nationwide through the various regional development commissions.
According to a statement obtained by PulseNets from the spokesman of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the administration’s priority is to transform Nigeria’s transportation network from a fragmented system into a fully integrated logistics chain connecting ports, railways, CNG-powered trucks, inland waterways, airports and feeder roads to drive commerce, agriculture, industrial growth and national unity.
The Vice President explained that the Federal Government’s transport reform programme is built around the nationwide implementation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), major upgrades to port infrastructure and the strengthening of the country’s logistics value chain.
He noted that the reforms are designed to improve the welfare and working conditions of transport workers operating in the road, rail, maritime, aviation and pipeline sectors.
Shettima maintained that the Tinubu administration remains committed to developing a transport economy that reduces movement costs, minimises delays at ports, links farmers to markets, boosts national productivity and creates a more rewarding environment for transport operators.
“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 said.
The Vice President stated that the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNG-i) is already demonstrating Nigeria’s ability to utilise domestic gas resources to reduce transportation costs, particularly for heavy-duty vehicles, while efforts continue to address technical and infrastructure challenges affecting smaller 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.
Shettima further disclosed that the administration is pursuing key reforms in the maritime sector through the operationalisation of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the development of the National Single Window platform and renewed investment in inland waterways, with the goal of making 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 also assured transport stakeholders that the Federal Government would continue implementing policies that encourage affordable fuel, insurable fleets, bankable contracts and improved working conditions for operators across the sector.
“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 PulseNets that the transport sector remains a critical pillar of Nigeria’s socio-economic development and that stakeholders across the industry had unanimously endorsed the Tinubu/Shettima administration ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obayendo said leaders of transport unions spanning the aviation, maritime, rail and road sectors had carried out extensive consultations and expressed confidence in the administration based on what they described as achievements recorded across multiple sectors of the economy.
He stated that members of the transport community believe the current administration has positioned Nigeria on a path of sustainable growth and are prepared to mobilise support across their various unions for President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
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Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Oniha Erazua, expressed appreciation to the Tinubu administration for recognising the role of transport unions and industry stakeholders in governance.
Erazua said transport operators and other stakeholders are convinced that the reforms being implemented by the administration will deliver greater benefits if sustained, explaining that this conviction informed their decision to back the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the 2027 presidential election.
