The government of Nigeria's Lagos state says it has acquired a set of electric buses to be used for public transportation.
Lagos is Nigeria's most populous city and one of Africa's largest with an estimated population of more than 15 million.
This is the first time the authorities have acquired electric vehicles for mass transport in Nigeria.
Governor of the state Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the electric buses will ease transportation in a city notorious for chaotic traffic and will also help in transition to cleaner energy to tackle the impact of climate change.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the move will ensure ''cleaner and greener public transportation system'' in the city.
''Our new electric buses will not only reduce carbon emissions but will also increase efficiency. This means that Lagosians can say goodbye to high fuel costs and hello to cost-efficient transportation,'' the governor added in a statement.
It is not immediately clear how many buses have been acquired so far but the governor said more busses were underway to boost the fleet.
The authorities say they will start using the vehicles in the coming months through a ''pilot scheme.''
This is to enable the government gather ''sufficient data to analyse their efficiencies'' in relation to fossil fuel buses currently being used in public transport in the commercial city with the aim of improving the transport system.
People have welcomed the initiative but some are sceptical about its sustainability given the country's history of abandoning projects, its chronic power shortages and a lack of electric car charging stations in Lagos.
Others point to the chronic traffic in the city and question the durability of the electric buses.
The governor of Lagos however, says the government was planning to ''strategically place Universal Chargers at public places like malls and gas stations.''
He said ''there is no need to fear'' that the electric buses will break down while in transit because they have the capacity to travel 280km at full charge describing the newly acquired buses as ''a game-changer.''
The public transport buses known as BRT that are currently being used in the city travel for about 200km daily, he added, suggesting the new ones can withstand the rigours of Lagos' difficult terrain.
Governor Sanwo-Olu also promised to ''establish an Assembly Plant for Electric Buses in the near future.''
