The Federal Government has taken delivery of the first set of electric vehicles earmarked for civil servants, signaling the formal start of its push for cheaper and cleaner transportation options in the public sector. The move is also designed to give a boost to Nigeria’s automotive industry as it gradually shifts toward alternative energy mobility.

The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Mr. Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, confirmed the delivery in Abuja on Wednesday. According to him, the vehicles represent the first phase of a broader government plan to put electric cars within reach of more Nigerians, starting with workers in the federal civil service.

Osanipin said the initiative was not a one off gesture but the beginning of a structured rollout. He explained that expanding access to electric vehicles is central to the government’s transport policy, which seeks to reduce dependence on petrol and diesel while cutting running costs for government employees who commute daily.

To support the transition, the government has already deployed electric vehicle infrastructure in about 16 universities across the country. The charging points and related facilities, the NADDC boss noted, are part of efforts to build an ecosystem that can sustain alternative-energy transportation beyond government offices.

He added that the universities were chosen strategically to encourage research, skills development, and early adoption among young Nigerians. With students, lecturers and campus communities interacting with the technology daily, the council expects wider awareness and faster acceptance of EVs in the coming years.

The government is pairing its electric vehicle drive with investments in Compressed Natural Gas, CNG. Osanipin said policies around both EVs and CNG would begin to show clear results as more infrastructure comes on stream, including charging stations, maintenance hubs, and local assembly capacity.

With the first batch now in government hands, officials say attention will shift to scaling production, expanding the charging network, and creating incentives that make electric mobility affordable for more Nigerians. For the NADDC, the delivery marks a turning point in the country’s automotive story, one that ties cleaner transport to job creation and industrial growth.