As countries race to decarbonise transportation and attract investment into electric mobility, Nigeria faces a defining moment. While the Federal Government has rolled out incentives to encourage the adoption of electric and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles, the success of the transition will depend less on policy formulation than on effective implementation, infrastructure development and local manufacturing, BENJAMIN ALADE reports.

Nigeria’s ambition to build a cleaner transport system is gathering momentum. Still, industry leaders said the journey to widespread adoption of electric and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles would be determined more by effective policy implementation, safety, investment and collaboration.

This was the central discussion at the third Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) held in Lagos, where government agencies, regulators, safety organisations, manufacturers, and private-sector stakeholders outlined what they described as the building blocks of a successful clean mobility ecosystem.

Leading the conversation from the private sector, Chairman of the Auto and Allied Sector Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Femi Eguaikhide, said Nigeria possesses enormous opportunities to build a competitive electric vehicle (EV) and CNG industry, but warned that fragmented implementation and regulatory bottlenecks could undermine progress.

According to him, while the Federal Government has demonstrated commitment through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG&EV), stronger public-private collaboration was needed to translate policy into measurable outcomes.

He urged government institutions to work closely with manufacturers, assemblers, financiers and technology providers to eliminate barriers affecting vehicle conversion, local manufacturing, infrastructure development and investment.

Eguaikhide maintained that sustained stakeholder engagement would be critical to resolving operational challenges and ensuring that Nigeria’s clean mobility transition delivers industrial growth, employment and economic diversification.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Chairman of Pi-CNG & EV, Ismaeel Ahmed, the Initiative’s Chief Compliance Officer, Zayyanu Yabo, said the programme was established not merely to promote alternative fuels, but to build an integrated ecosystem covering infrastructure, investment, local manufacturing, vehicle conversion, technical capacity development and consumer confidence.

He explained that following the removal of fuel subsidy, the initiative was designed to provide Nigerians with a more affordable transport alternative by leveraging the country’s abundant natural gas resources.

He added: “Certified CNG conversion centres have expanded significantly, thousands of technicians have been trained, while public and private investments are driving the construction of additional refuelling stations across the country.

“Infrastructure expansion, financing, local manufacturing, technical training, research and standardisation are some of the areas requiring greater attention. Sustained collaboration among government, investors, manufacturers, transport operators, financial institutions and the media will determine long-term success.”

One of the recurring themes at the summit was that clean mobility alone could not thrive without internationally accepted standards.

The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, said standards remained the foundation upon which consumer confidence, investment and safety are built.

The SON DG, who was represented by Olalekan Omoniyi, said that SON had developed more than 80 Nigerian Industrial Standards for CNG vehicles and equipment, as well as another 87 standards and the National Nigerian Guideline governing CNG vehicle conversions.

He explained that SON was implementing conformity assessment programmes, including SONCAP, MANCAP and the proposed Vehicle Conformity Assessment Scheme being developed with the NADDC and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

According to him, standards should not be viewed as obstacles to innovation but as essential tools for protecting consumers, encouraging investment, and positioning Nigeria to compete within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

While standards address safety from a regulatory perspective, emergency responders are preparing for an entirely new category of road incidents.

Presenting a technical paper on behalf of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Chief Superintendent of Fire Badmus Abdulsamad said the increasing deployment of EVs and CNG-powered vehicles required specialised emergency response capabilities.

He explained that although electric vehicles are statistically less likely to catch fire than conventional vehicles, battery fires pose unique challenges due to thermal runaway, a self-sustaining chemical reaction that can generate extreme heat and cause batteries to reignite long after the initial fire has been extinguished.

He said: “For CNG vehicles, fire incidents are usually linked to gas leaks, damaged cylinders, faulty valves or hose failures that expose highly flammable gas to ignition sources.

“It is necessary for motorists to install only certified conversion kits, conduct routine inspections and ensure hydrostatic testing of cylinders every three years.”

Besides, Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Electric Limited, Olugbenga Obadina, observed that Nigeria already possesses several supportive policies, including the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (2023–2033), zero-rated Value Added Tax (VAT) for EVs and assembly components, zero import duty on electric vehicles, the Nigeria First procurement policy and expansion of the Presidential CNG Initiative to include electric mobility.

Obadina argued that Africa’s electric mobility transition would be led primarily by commercial fleets such as buses, logistics operators, ride-hailing services and two- and three-wheelers because of their higher utilisation rates and stronger commercial viability.

In addition, the Director-General of NADDC, Joseph Osanipin, who was represented at the occasion by the Director, Public Affairs, NADDC, Susan Taiwo, disclosed that NADDC had already certified 345 CNG conversion centres across Nigeria while continuing to monitor compliance with safety standards.
She acknowledged, however, that inadequate CNG refuelling stations and EV charging facilities were major obstacles to the initiative’s widespread adoption.

She recalled that NADDC began promoting electric mobility over two decades ago, when many questioned the relevance of electric vehicles in Nigeria, insisting that today’s global transition vindicated the council’s long-term vision.

Chairman of the Automotive Local Components Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (ALCMAN), Anselm Ilekuba, stated that no country could build a sustainable automotive industry by relying heavily on imported components.

He called on the Federal Government to strengthen local content policies, improve access to affordable financing, support research and development, invest in skills development and fully implement the Nigeria First policy to increase patronage of locally manufactured automotive components.

He said: “Nigeria’s automotive success should not be measured only by the number of assembled vehicles, but by the volume of components produced locally, the number of skilled jobs created and the extent to which indigenous manufacturers are integrated into global supply chains.”