FRSC Hails Tinubu’s CNG, EV Programme as Catalyst for Jobs, Investment

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs), describing it as a game-changing programme that will attract investment, create jobs and accelerate Nigeria’s transition to cleaner and more sustainable transportation.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the 2026 Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU), organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) in Lagos, Mohammed said the initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those aimed at promoting climate action and sustainable transport systems.

He commended President Tinubu for championing the initiative and for assigning the FRSC a strategic role in ensuring its safe implementation.

“This initiative has brought in so many investments. We have assembly plants producing electric vehicles and CNG vehicles, companies manufacturing CNG cylinders and conversion kits, and new technology that is creating opportunities for our youths,” he said.

According to the Corps Marshal, the programme is already stimulating local investment in Nigeria’s automotive industry while creating employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerians.

“Really, it is a massive investment coming into Nigeria, and it is producing massive jobs for the unemployment challenge we have,” he added.

Mohammed also linked the administration’s clean mobility agenda with ongoing investments in transport infrastructure, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, saying the projects would support the development of a safer, more efficient and sustainable transport network.

He noted that the Federal Government was working towards achieving the UN target of providing “a safe, accessible, affordable, reliable and sustainable transport system for all Nigerians by 2030.”

On road safety, the FRSC boss stressed that reducing crashes and fatalities should not be seen as the responsibility of the FRSC alone, insisting that road safety requires the active participation of governments, communities and individual road users.

“Road Safety Agenda and Road Safety Principle should not be left to the FRSC alone. It should be a collective responsibility for all Nigerians,” he said.

He explained that although the corps has sustained nationwide public enlightenment campaigns for over three decades, greater involvement from state governments, local councils, traditional institutions and community leaders is needed to change road user behaviour.

Mohammed disclosed that the FRSC has expanded its public awareness strategy beyond motor parks to grassroots town hall engagements, enabling it to interact directly with drivers, passengers and community stakeholders.

“When you see a bad driving culture, stop the person, tell him. Let him be embarrassed. It is a shared responsibility,” he stated.

The Corps Marshal expressed concern over persistent traffic violations such as speeding, overloading and conveying passengers alongside goods and animals in the same vehicle, noting that these practices remain major contributors to road crashes across the country.

He also urged passengers to speak up whenever drivers engage in dangerous behaviour, particularly excessive speeding, saying public intervention could save lives.

Mohammed commended the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) and the media for supporting the FRSC’s road safety advocacy and called for stronger collaboration with journalists in achieving the corps’ target of reducing road traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries by 50 per cent before 2030.

Speaking on the legacy he hopes to leave behind, the Corps Marshal said his administration is focused on strengthening partnerships, deploying technology to improve operations, developing personnel capacity and enhancing institutional collaboration.

“The legacy I want to leave is partnership, collaboration and bringing out the best of FRSC staff to serve Nigerians and project the image of the corps,” he said.