To reduce climate change crisis and mitigate carbon emissions into the atmosphere, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) is set to distribute 10,000 electric vehicles in the region.
Mohammed Alkali, NEDC managing director, stated this while unveiling the plans to introduce nine-seater solar-powered tricycles, four-seater taxis and 40-seater buses to ease inter-state movement in the North-East region of Nigeria.
Alkali said that the electric vehicles would be given to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the National Association of Transport Owners (NATO) in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Borno and Yobe.
Mohammed Goni stated that the innovation was to ease the movement of people across the 112 local governments in the North-Eastern states while aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for the transportation sector.
He, however, said that the distribution of the e-vehicles would be in two phases of 5,000 vehicles per phase.
Read also: NEDC supplies Solar light to institutions in Taraba
He further disclosed that recharging points would be established in the six states to ensure the free flow of traffic. Five to ten megawatts of solar power are also to be sited along the major roads in the region.
On the training of drivers and transport owners, the NEDC boss said: “All the drivers of e-vehicles and transport owners are to be trained on maintenance and operational management of the distributed e-vehicles.
“The Commission has sought the approval of President Bola Tinubu and he has granted the go-ahead. So, we are already meeting to discuss the modalities of operation. NATO and NURTW are the major stakeholders in the road transportation system in Nigeria and as such we are committed to carrying them along”.
“We want to introduce some innovative ideas into our transportation system in the North-East. This will be done in three dimensions; the first will be nine-seater solar-powered tricycles, and the second will be four-seater solar-powered taxis and 40-seater buses.
“We want to deploy 10, 000 pieces of tricycles. The tricycles will be more than others. We believe it will go a long way in covering the entire North-East,” he said.
On his part, Ahmodu Musa, the secretary to the Borno State chapter of the NURTW, commended the initiative and emphasised the need for proper deployment of the vehicles and tricycles
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