Federal Govt Launches 222 CNG, EV Vehicles In Kano To Boost Northern Transport System

The federal government on Wednesday launched 222 Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (CNG/EV) transport systems in Kano as part of efforts to promote affordable transportation, strengthen energy security and accelerate clean energy transition across Northern Nigeria.

The launch, held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, featured the deployment of 15 buses comprising 10 CNG-powered buses and five bi-fuel buses, seven electric vehicles and 200 CNG tricycles under the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV).

Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, said the initiative was aimed at building a more resilient and economically competitive Nigeria.

According to him, adopting CNG and electric mobility had become necessary to reduce transportation costs and lessen dependence on expensive traditional fuel systems, despite Nigeria’s hNigeria’seserves.

“Transport”  costs affect food prices, businesses, manufacturing, logistics and ultimately the lives of ordinary Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu understood that Nigeria could not continue to depend entirely on expensive traditional fuel systems while sitting on over 200 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves,” he said.

“Hettima described Kano as the ideal location for the northern rollout of the initiative, noting that the state remained a major commercial and transportation hub linking markets across Northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

He commended the leadership of PI-CNG & EV under Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed for driving the programme and expanding its mandate to include electric vehicles in line with global transport innovation.

The vice president also disclosed that private firms, including Greenville LNG, AY Shafa, NIPCO, AA Rano, Rolling Energy, and others, were already investing heavily in gas infrastructure across Northern Nigeria.

In his remarks, Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, described the initiative as a bold intervention that would ease transportation challenges and create economic opportunities for residents.

He said Kano embraced the programme because transportation remained central to the state’s economic activities.

The Governor added that the state government had already partnered with investors and facilitated access to land for the development of gas- and electric-mobility across the state.

“Our administration will continue to provide an enabling environment for businesses to grow because we believe that economic growth and job creation remain at the centre of governance,” Yusuf stated.

Earlier, “executive chairman and chief executive officer of PI-CNG & EV, Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, said the initiative had expanded to over 28 states within 20 months, supported more than 58 refuelling stations and trained over 7,000 Nigerians in vehicle conversion and technical services.

Ahmed further revealed that the programme had attracted over $2 billion in investment commitments, adding that Kano remained a strategic hub for expanding clean mobility across the northern corridor.

“CNG and EV have arrived in Kano, and there is no going back,” he declared.