ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria has begun deploying electric buses for federal civil servants, launching a new mass transit program aimed at cutting workers’ commuting costs while expanding the country’s shift toward cleaner transportation.
The first 37 buses were commissioned Wednesday at Eagle Square in Abuja, forming the initial phase of a planned fleet of 100 electric buses under the government’s Renewed Hope Mass Transit Programme. The remaining vehicles are expected to be deployed in phases, with the full fleet scheduled to be in service by December.
Didi Esther Walson Jack, the outgoing head of Nigeria’s federal civil service, described the buses as a welfare intervention designed to ease one of the most persistent pressures facing government workers: the daily cost of getting to and from work.
“For many civil servants, the daily commute shapes their finances, their safety, their punctuality, and ultimately their productivity,” Walson Jack said at the commissioning ceremony. She described the rollout as her “parting gift” to federal workers as she prepared to leave office.
The buses will initially operate on selected routes before the program is expanded. Officials said vehicles could eventually be assigned to federal secretariats in states across Nigeria, extending the service beyond the capital. A special purpose management structure has also been established to oversee maintenance and the long term operation of the fleet.
John Owan Enoh, minister of state for industry, trade and investment, said the project was intended to do more than provide transportation. He said it also formed part of the government’s efforts to promote new technology, support industrial development and encourage greater participation by Nigeria’s automotive sector.
According to Enoh, each bus can carry up to 200 passengers and travel at least 200 kilometers on a full charge. The government hopes the vehicles will provide workers with a safer and more affordable alternative to daily travel in petrol and diesel powered vehicles.
The rollout comes as Nigerians continue to face high transportation costs following the government’s removal of the long standing petrol subsidy in 2023. Fuel prices rose sharply after the policy change, increasing commuting expenses for workers and pushing the government to promote compressed natural gas and electric vehicles as alternatives.
Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, director general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, said the government has also been building infrastructure to support electric vehicles, including installations at about 16 universities. He said growing investment in electric mobility and compressed natural gas would make alternative transportation increasingly practical.
Nigeria’s transition to electric transportation, however, faces significant challenges. The country’s unreliable electricity supply and limited public charging network remain obstacles to widespread adoption. Nearly 4,000 electric vehicles received tax exemptions in the first half of 2026 as the government sought to encourage cleaner transportation, but charging remains difficult in many parts of the country.
Electric mobility has nevertheless gained ground in Nigeria in recent years. Locally assembled electric vehicles, buses, motorcycles and three wheelers have entered the market, while government agencies and private companies have invested in charging and battery swapping infrastructure. The rising cost of petrol has also strengthened interest in alternatives that can offer lower operating costs.
For federal workers, officials say the immediate test will be whether the new buses can provide dependable and genuinely cheaper transportation. The first 37 vehicles will serve as a pilot for a much larger ambition: using cleaner technology to ease the cost of commuting while gradually reshaping transportation in Africa’s most populous country.
