Cross River acquires 720 electric vehicles

…to roll out affordable transport scheme

The Cross River State Government has acquired electric vehicles as part of efforts to reduce transportation costs in the state, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive that Nigerians should begin to experience measurable reductions in transport fares from October 1, 2026. However, the initiative is yet to translate into a fully operational mass transit scheme for commuters.

The presidential directive, announced on September 19 after a meeting with the 36 state governors, urged states to accelerate the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles, support commercial transport operators and ensure that savings from cheaper energy were passed on to passengers through reduced fares.

As part of its response, Cross River was listed among the states that had acquired alternative-energy vehicles under the Federal Government’s transportation intervention programme. A progress report by the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles indicated that the state had rolled out 720 electric vehicles, including buses and motorcycles, ahead of the October 1 deadline.

However, checks by Nigerian Tribune found that the electric buses procured by the Governor Bassey Otu administration were still parked at the premises of the state-owned Construction and Fabrication Academy of West Africa, along Murtala Mohammed Highway, Calabar, with commercial operations yet to commence.

The delay has coincided with rising transportation costs across Calabar and neighbouring local government areas. Further checks indicated that fares at Atimbo Road junction had increased to as much as N800 from N600, while mini-buses operating between Eight Miles and the University of Calabar were reportedly charging between N800 and N1,000. Some commercial drivers attributed the increases to petrol prices exceeding N1,400 per litre and rising vehicle maintenance costs.

Reacting to the concerns, the then Commissioner for Transport, Kingsley Egumi, said the government had adopted a Public-Private Partnership arrangement for the management and operation of the electric buses and was concluding agreements with its preferred investor. He explained that the arrangement involved digital revenue management, operators responsible for managing the infrastructure and the government providing the necessary facilities.

Egumi also disclosed that charging infrastructure was being installed, with some components already delivered to the fabrication academy, while mobile charging stations had been ordered. He added that two Cross River indigenes had undergone three months of training in China to acquire the technical skills required to maintain the electric buses and train other personnel.

According to him, the vehicles would operate on intra-city and inter-local government routes when deployed.

The state government’s electric mobility plan had earlier been presented as a major intervention to reduce the financial burden on commuters.

In January 2026, the former Commissioner for Transportation, Ekpenyong Cobham, told journalists that the government had commenced the procurement of electric mobility platforms, including tricycles, cars and buses, with a projection that transport fares on some major routes could fall substantially. In July, he also projected that a journey from Eight Miles to Watt Market, which cost about N600, could eventually be reduced to between N150 and N200 under the electric transport scheme.

Beyond vehicle procurement, the state government has also commenced a six-month electric vehicle repairs, maintenance and assembly training programme for 1,000 youths through the Cross River State Youth Empowerment Scheme, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education and Shema Energy Limited. The initiative is expected to develop local technical capacity to support the state’s transition to electric mobility and create employment opportunities in the emerging green energy sector.

Meanwhile, the NNPC petrol-price intervention remains a separate component of the Federal Government’s efforts to cushion transportation costs. NNPC introduced a N66-per-litre petrol discount on October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. On October 8, the Federal Government announced an additional 30-day intervention under which NNPC Retail agreed to forgo its retail profit margin to support public transport operators and vulnerable households. The extent to which commercial transport operators in Cross River accessed the discount and translated any savings into lower passenger fares remains a subject requiring clarification.

Although the Otu administration has made investments in electric mobility and technical training, the delay in deploying the vehicles for public transportation has raised questions about the initiative’s immediate impact on commuters. With passengers still contending with high fares, residents will be looking to the state government for a definite commencement date, operational routes and affordable fare schedules that will turn its transportation investments into tangible relief from the rising cost of living.