Nigeria’s push to wean its transportation sector off petrol and diesel takes centre stage on Thursday as senior government regulators, automobile manufacturers, investors and mobility experts gather in Lagos for the 3rd Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU 2026), a high-level forum expected to shape the next phase of the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered transportation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The summit, holding at the Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, from 10:00am, is organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC). It is themed “Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey Under the Bola Tinubu Administration.”
Confirmed speakers include Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed; Director-General of NADDC, Joseph Osanipin; Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG and EV), Ismaeel Ahmed; and Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke.
Osanipin is expected to outline the Federal Government’s automotive industrialisation agenda and clean mobility policy direction, while Okeke will address the development and enforcement of national standards for EV batteries, charging infrastructure, CNG conversion kits, cylinders and refuelling stations.
Organisers say the combined presentations by the FRSC, NADDC, SON and the Federal Fire Service are expected to produce a blueprint addressing safety, quality assurance and regulatory concerns around EVs and CNG-powered vehicles, at a time when the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to reduce dependence on petrol and diesel following the 2023 removal of fuel subsidies.
NAISU was inaugurated in June 2024 as an annual flagship platform for Nigeria’s automotive sector, with its maiden edition themed “Reviving Nigeria’s Economy through the Automotive Sector” and declared open by the then Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.
NADDC’s Osanipin served as chief host at that debut edition, which was supported by a delegation from the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers.
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This year’s edition has drawn confirmed participation from major automotive brands including Weststar Associates Limited, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Jetour Nigeria, Carloha Nigeria, Simba Group, Cedric Masters Group, Coscharis Motors and Lanre Shittu Motors.
The Chairman of the Summit Organising Committee, Rasheed Bisiriyu, has described the 2026 edition as one of the most significant gatherings of stakeholders in Nigeria’s automotive industry, coming as the government accelerates promotion of CNG and electric vehicles as cheaper, cleaner alternatives to petrol.
