Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said that, as
an oil producing country, sale of electric cars in Nigeria should be
frustrated, “this will enable us to sell our oil,” he argued.
Ekweremadu spoke at the Plenary today as the senators
debated a bill sponsored by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP Bayelsa East ). Ben
Murray-Bruce had sponsored a bill for an Act to phase out petrol vehicles by
2035 and introduce electric cars.
In his argument, the senator had argued that electric cars
are healthy, economical and would not deplete the ozone layer.
“In no distant time,
combustible vehicles would be phased out; and the earlier Nigeria buys into the
change, the better. I own an electric car that I have been using for the past
five years. It is cheaper to maintain and durable,” the senator added.
The bill ignited debates in the hallowed chamber, as each
senator aired reasons for the rejection of the bill. In his submission, Deputy Senate
President Ike Ekweremadu commended Murray-Bruce for his “uncommon common sense
and brilliant ideas,” but noted that the ancillary to Section 41 of the 1999
Constitution grants Nigerians freedom of movement; and that there is no need to
introduce a law to mandate the use of electric cars.
Ekweremadu added, “besides, in economic sense, we are an oil
producing country. So, we should do everything possible to frustrate the sale
of electric cars in Nigeria to enable us to sell our oil.”
Senator Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano) said while electric vehicles
no doubt would be more friendly to the environment and health, making its use
mandatory was not feasible. “We have to look at individual networth. Not all
Nigerians can afford the vehicles at a given time. “We all know the importance of vehicles in
our daily activities. So, banning use of fuel cars will cause hardship,
particularly for those who may not be able to acquire electric cars.
