Gombe, Nigeria – On a weekday morning in Pantami District, Gombe, the streets fill with the acquainted rush of bikes carrying college students, staff and merchants throughout the town. However more and more, some cross nearly silently – a delicate signal of a transport shift pushed not by local weather coverage, however by Nigeria’s hovering gas costs.
One pedestrian didn’t realise a motorbike was behind him till the rider sounded its horn. Not like the petrol-powered bikes that dominate Nigerian roads, the electrical motorbike moved nearly noiselessly and produced no exhaust fumes.
Electrical bikes are regularly showing throughout Gombe as riders search reduction from rising gas prices following President Bola Tinubu’s elimination of Nigeria’s gas subsidy in Might 2023, forcing many to rethink how they journey and earn a residing.
The bikes, which generally value about 1 million naira (about $735), stay out of attain for a lot of households. However those that have made the swap say the financial savings on gas and upkeep are vital.
Subsidy shock
Tinubu introduced the tip of Nigeria’s longstanding petrol subsidy throughout his inauguration on Might 29, 2023, triggering a pointy improve in gas costs throughout the nation.
In Gombe, petrol now sells for about 1,365 naira ($1) per litre (0.26 gallons), in contrast with roughly 200 naira (15 cents) earlier than the subsidy was eliminated. The rise has pushed up transport prices and squeezed family budgets throughout Nigeria.
The financial stress has coincided with rising concern concerning the environmental influence of the nation’s ageing fleet of petrol-powered bikes and automobiles. In line with the World Financial institution, street transport is a significant contributor to air air pollution in Nigerian cities, with automobile emissions including considerably to ranges of dangerous particulate matter.
A less expensive journey
For Ayuba Abubakar, a farmer and resident of Gombe, the swap to an electrical motorbike was prompted by a pal’s go to earlier this 12 months.
After shopping for the bike, he rode from Gombe to Kumo and again and was shocked by how little battery energy the journey consumed.
“I often spend the day transferring round Gombe with out charging,” Ayuba advised Al Jazeera. “After I journey to distant areas, I cost it.”
Ayuba stated he has been utilizing the bike for about three months and has thus far averted the mechanical issues that usually include petrol-powered bikes.
“My charger as soon as burned out as a result of I didn’t use a stabiliser,” he stated. “Aside from that, I’ve had no main upkeep prices.”
He estimates that the bike has saved him about 5,000 naira ($3.7) per week in gas bills.
“Even with these financial savings, the worth wants to return down for many Nigerians to afford it,” he added.
Ahmed Aminu, one other rider in Gombe, advised Al Jazeera that he not spends cash on engine oil, whereas Yakubu Sule, who additionally owns an electrical motorbike, advised Al Jazeera that he selected it largely due to its quiet operation.
Energy constraints
Regardless of the passion of early adopters, unreliable electrical energy stays one of many greatest obstacles to wider use of electrical bikes.
Nigeria’s electrical energy provide is notoriously inconsistent, and lots of households obtain just a few hours of energy every day. The problem has turn out to be extra pronounced below Nigeria’s service-based tariff system, which classifies prospects into bands in accordance with the quantity of electrical energy they obtain.
![Hussaini Isa repairs electric motorcycles in Gombe, where demand for e-bikes is gradually growing amid rising petrol prices. [Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hussaini-Isa-an-e-bike-electrician-in-Gombe-1786772369.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C580&quality=80)
For Muhammad Abubakar, chief govt officer of Sustenaa, a clean-energy firm, the issue is prime.
“If we find yourself charging these bikes with mills, then what’s the purpose?” Abubakar advised Al Jazeera. “We are going to simply be transferring the emissions from the exhaust pipe to the generator pipe, and we’re again to sq. one.”
He argues that solar-powered battery-swap stations are a extra real looking answer than counting on riders to cost their bikes at dwelling.
Abubakar additionally warned that Nigeria should plan for battery recycling as electrical mobility expands. He known as on the federal government to scale back import duties on electric-bike parts, assist battery-swap operators, set up recycling requirements and combine electrical mobility into current photo voltaic mini-grid tasks.
For now, electrical bikes stay a distinct segment choice in Gombe. However as gas costs stay excessive and battery-swap infrastructure slowly expands, the quiet bikes showing on the town’s streets could supply a glimpse of how financial stress is starting to reshape transport throughout Nigeria.
“Once you have a look at what number of bikes are pumping out smoke every day throughout Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt, air air pollution ranges are alarming,” he stated. “Even when we begin with a fraction of the business bike fleets, the development in air high quality may turn out to be seen comparatively rapidly.”
