Photo Caption
L-R: Assistant Director, Information Unit, NADDC, Mrs. Felicia Oyebolu; Chairman, NAJA, Mike Ochonma; and Lagos State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Segun Ogungbemide
By Frank Kintum
Two critical stakeholders, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have highlighted the significance of the use of alternative fuel to drive Nigeria’s road transport industry.
Representatives of the two organisations who spoke yesterday at the 6th Annual Capacity Building Workshop of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA), agreed that Nigeria cannot be left behind in embracing greener fuels in the transport industry.
Director General of the NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, whose establishment has before now shown great commitment to driving home the electric vehicle message, stated that the government is already incorporating electric vehicles into the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP).
The DG who joined virtually reiterated that electric vehicles remains the future of automobile globally with many countries setting a target for migration into electric vehicles, saying Nigeria is also toeing similar path.
Also speaking, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, stated that the commercial use of electric vehicles in the country will not only come with health benefits as a result of the expected reduction in air pollution, but will also enhance road safety.
Oyeyemi, who spoke through the Lagos State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Commander Segun Ogungbemide, added that those electric vehicles come with a lot of advantages, there are also challenges, which according to him, are surmountable.
He said, “This migration is so important to Nigeria especially in the area of health. Many people are in the hospital in Lagos today which hitherto wouldn’t have been if our atmosphere has been so sanitized.”
The theme of the workshop was “Migration to Electric Vehicles and Gas-powered Vehicles: Opportunities & Challenges for Nigeria.” It was attended and supported by organisations such as FRSC, NADDC, Omaa, CFAO, Weststar, Toyota, Jet, Autochek and Coscharis.
it would be recalled that the NADDC has already built and commissioned two electric vehicle charging stations at the Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto and the University of Lagos, with the third one scheduled to be commissioned soon at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
