Nigeria’s House seeks service and safety conditions for EV and CNG vehicle imports

Nigeria’s House of Representatives adopted a motion in Abuja on 27 October urging the federal government to set transparent approval rules for companies importing electric and compressed natural gas vehicles. The proposed conditions would require importers to support vehicles after sale, a step lawmakers say is needed as the country encourages cleaner transport. The motion is a request for government action; the proposed rules are not yet in force.

What importers would have to provide

Ademorin Kuye, the Lagos lawmaker who moved the motion, called for a licensing and approval framework covering commercial imports of electric vehicles, CNG vehicles and related equipment, Premium Times reported. He said Nigeria had adopted policies promoting these technologies, alongside liquefied petroleum gas vehicles, as part of its energy transition and economic diversification agenda.

Those requirements would put local repair capacity and support for owners alongside approval to bring vehicles into the country. The Eagle Online reported that lawmakers raised concerns about vehicles arriving without adequate technical support or safety safeguards. The motion seeks to address that risk through conditions on importers, rather than relying on the sale of cleaner vehicles alone.

How approvals and incentives would work

Lawmakers also called for an open, competitive and non-discriminatory process, under which any company meeting the requirements could seek approval. The Guardian Nigeria reported that the House proposed a public register of approved importers and infrastructure providers, so buyers and other market participants could identify companies that had met the criteria.

The House urged the government to link tax incentives, import-duty concessions and other fiscal benefits to compliance with the proposed framework. Kuye said such incentives had already been introduced to encourage clean-mobility investment. Lawmakers want companies receiving those benefits to contribute to infrastructure and technical capacity in Nigeria, according to The Guardian Nigeria.

House committees on Industry, Commerce, Gas Resources, Environment and Legislative Compliance were tasked with monitoring implementation and reporting back within four weeks for possible further legislative action, The Guardian Nigeria and The Eagle Online reported. Whether the government or the named agencies will adopt the proposed criteria was not immediately clear.