The MoU establishes a partnership between OCEL and Lagos
State in her journey to becoming a sustainable city via the rollout of electric
mass transit buses, supporting charging infrastructure and service centres (EV
Infrastructure Ecosystem).
According to a statement sent to the Nigerian Exchange
Limited (NGX) by Oando, the oil firm will support the electric bus initiative
with the deployment of charging infrastructure and service centers (EV
Infrastructure Ecosystem) across Lagos.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday,
and revealed in the statement obtained from the Nigerian Exchange Limited
(NGX).
The company was however silent on when the buses will be
rolled out.
The announcement followed last week’s meeting organised by
interstate transport firm, GIG Mobility, among stakeholders in the transport
industry.
GIG’s logistics arm has already commenced the usage of
electric buses across the country.
In his remark during the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between the state government and Oando, the state’s
Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, said: “With an
understanding that transportation is a key emitter of greenhouse gases in
Nigeria, we developed a strategy to cut greenhouse gases by 50%.
“A key component of this strategy was identifying and
developing a more robust mass transit system for Lagos that would include rail
and waterways amongst others. Using electricity to power mass transit is a step
in the right direction, and from there we would gradually transit to private
cars.”
On her part, the Managing Director, Lagos State Metropolitan
Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, added: “We began this
journey late last year, and for us, this has been rapid development.
“It speaks to the energy and zeal of both organizations, and
that is commendable. Oando Clean Energy came to us with a comprehensive
solution that went beyond electric mass transit buses to include supporting
infrastructure, and this was key for us, as the full remit of an EV support
ecosystem is the only way to achieve success.”