The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has officially commenced the rollout of 240 electric tricycles across 12 selected public universities nationwide. The project, which kicked off at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Monday, is part of the Federal Government’s E-Tricycle Deployment Programme.
In a disclosure on Monday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, he explained that the project aims to provide clean, affordable and reliable transformation for tertiary education students across the country. He added that the initiative is part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This is Renewed Hope in action – practical, measurable, and impactful for our students,” he added.
In addition to the scheduled 240 E-Tricycles across 12 selected universities, the federal government, through TETFund, will deploy 12 solar-powered charging stations across the campuses, one for each University.
During the official launch at UNILAG, the minister noted that the Student Union Government (SUG) of each University will own and manage the e-tricycles. Aside from this, they’ll be in charge of setting affordable fares and long-term sustainability.
For UniLag, the use of electric vehicles is not a new development. In January, the institution recorded a breakthrough in sustainable transportation after rolling out electric vehicles in partnership with Ogata Global Resources and Chart Eco Global Service.
According to the university, the initiative began with an initial fleet of just 10 buses, covering more than 102,000 kilometres and achieving a reduction of 16.78 metric tons of CO₂. Later on, it expanded the fleet by 20 electric vehicles, bringing the total to 30 with a projected mileage coverage of 700 kilometres.
The expansion positions UNILAG to achieve a projected reduction of 124 metric tons by the end of 2025. The project marks one of many green steps the university is taking to reduce transportation costs, carbon emissions, and build a healthier campus.
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E-tricycle: TETFund intervention plans
As part of its plans to reduce the risks and expenses faced by Nigerian students during their movement on campus, TETFund announced plans to roll out e-tricycles. In November, the agency explained it’s an intervention plan to alleviate mobility challenges across tertiary institutions.
Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono stated that electric vehicles have lower transportation costs, helping ease the cost of living and ensuring affordability for students. He maintained that students themselves will manage the vehicles to ensure accountability and sustainability.
The project is also part of the federal government’s intervention to address power supply, accommodation, and learning infrastructure across Nigerian tertiary institutions. The plan comes within its effort to improve the quality of tertiary education and support through the National Student Loan Scheme administered by NELFund.
Aside from the e-vehicles, TETFund aims to introduce investment support for learning equipment. This will see increased support for research laboratories, digital learning systems, and sustainable power projects to strengthen the quality of higher education.
