The Federal Government is set to deploy 10,000 electric tricycles across Nigeria beginning in August 2026, Vice President Kashim Shettima, announced this as a broader push to overhaul the nation’s public transportation system.
Shettima disclosed this on Monday during a courtesy call by the Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 group in Abuja.
According to him, the tricycles would be initially distributed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) across the northeast region, with President Bola Tinubu having approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country through the various regional development commissions.
The VP identified the electric tricycles rollout as one component of a larger transport reform agenda, saying President Tinubu’s priority was to move Nigeria away from a fragmented transport system toward a seamless, integrated logistics chain.
““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,” Shettima said.
He said the reform agenda was anchored on the nationwide rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a transport fuel, major port upgrades, and a stronger end-to-end logistics chain -with the objective of lowering the cost of movement, connecting farms to markets, and improving conditions for transport workers across road, rail, maritime, aviation and pipeline operations.
On CNG, Shettima said early scepticism had been proved wrong. “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.
The VP highlighted progress in the maritime sector, pointing to the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Sea Port, the development of the National Single Window platform, and renewed investment in inland waterways as evidence of the administration’s commitment to making Nigerian ports globally competitive.
“Before this administration, clearing a container could become an encounter with frustration, corruption, and decay. We promised to unlock the blue economy,” Shettima said. Today, with the 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 pledged that the administration would continue to support policies promoting affordable fuel, insurable fleets, bankable contracts and dignified working conditions for transport workers.
Earlier in his remarks, the Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, Prince Segun Obayendo, said the group, which constitutes a critical engine of Nigeria’s socio-economic survival, was unanimous in its endorsement and support for the Tinubu/Shettima presidency in the 2027 presidential election.
Prince Obayendo said the group is convinced that the administration of President Tinubu has set the country on the path of positive growth hence they are prepared to mobilise the support of members of the various unions in the transport sector to ensure Mr President’s re-election in 2027.
Also speaking,, Secretary-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Oniha Erazua, expressed gratitude to the Tinubu administration for the recognition given to unions in the transport sector in his government.
He said transporters and other stakeholders are convinced that the reforms of the Tinubu administration in the sector would yield greater dividends if sustained, hence their resolve to support the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the 2027 election.
