The House of Representatives has called for stricter regulation of electric and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle imports.

The lawmakers want the Federal Government to ensure that incentives for cleaner transport also promote local investment and infrastructure development.

They urged the government to establish a transparent licensing and approval system for companies importing the vehicles and related equipment.

They also asked the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to work with relevant agencies to set clear criteria for approving importers.

The House adopted the resolutions on Tuesday following a motion sponsored by Ademorin Aliu Kuye, representing Lagos State under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Moving the motion, Kuye said Nigeria had introduced policies to promote electric vehicles (EVs), CNG-powered vehicles, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vehicles and other cleaner transport technologies.

He explained that the policies formed part of the country’s energy transition and economic diversification agenda.

According to him, the government had introduced tax reliefs and import duty concessions to encourage investment in clean mobility.

However, he said the incentives should also support the development of charging stations, CNG refuelling facilities, maintenance centres and spare parts supply chains.

Kuye noted that Nigeria could attract more domestic investment, create jobs and encourage technology transfer by connecting import incentives to measurable commitments in infrastructure and technical capacity.

To promote transparency, the House urged the NADDC to maintain a public register of approved vehicle importers and infrastructure providers.

It also called for an open and competitive approval process that would allow every company meeting the required standards to participate without undue preference.

The lawmakers further urged the Federal Government to link tax incentives, import duty concessions and other fiscal benefits to compliance with the proposed regulatory framework.

They said the measure would encourage importers to contribute to the development of local infrastructure instead of relying solely on government incentives.

The House mandated its Committees on Industry, Commerce, Gas Resources, Environment and Legislative Compliance to monitor implementation and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.