Nigeria already in electric vehicle revolution race, says Aliyu

Nigeria already in electric vehicle revolution race

Director General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Engr. Jelani Aliyu has disclosed that the world is in a race on the backs of eagles, and Nigeria cannot afford to be in that race on the backs of anything less, neither a falcon nor a hawk, but on the backs of eagles.

Speaking at the recent commissioning of Nigeria’s second solar-powered electric car charging station at the University of Lagos, Engr. Aliyu said whatever advanced technology is being leveraged by developed countries around the world must also be identified, transferred and optimized by Nigeria for the betterment of its people.

He said: “We are now in the Vehicle Electrification era: cars, trucks and buses all powered by electricity. A strategic transition from fossil fuel (i.e. petrol,/diesel) to pure electric power, adding that the generational paradigm shift is important because the world can no longer afford to continue polluting the environment through the use of fossil fuel and its attendant emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane.

“That is why the NADDC, with the immeasurable support of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, is committed to promoting the adoption, development, manufacturing and usage of advanced technology in the Nigerian Automotive sector.

“And so the question now is not what are we going to do, because we have already started,” Aliyu said.

Also Speaking, Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adenayo said the solar-powered electric car charging station is another programme of the Federal Government’s initiatives designed to promote advanced technology transfer and the development of sophisticated human capital.

“For my ministry, programmes such as these are the lifeblood of everything we are trying to achieve. It is, after all, a proven fact among advanced nations, that the key to successful industrialization is strategic human capital & capacity development in state of the art technologies,” he said.

Vice President Yemi Osibanjo driving an electric car assembled in Nigeria

According to him, the charging station has been developed by the NADDC in its efforts to promote applicable local solutions for Vehicle Electrification in Nigeria.

He added that it will offer students firsthand experience with the latest innovations in mobility and renewable power technology.

It is strategized to be an effective platform for focused research and development into even more applicable Vehicle Electrification solutions for Nigeria and Africa.

Addressing the students of the University of Lagos, the Minister said; “Earlier I said that this is a ‘historic day’, but it’s not just because of what we have done, rather, because of our confidence in what you will do with it.