![\"Electric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/some-entrepreneurs-with-the-e-bikes-in-Gombe-1786772366.jpg\")
Electric motorcycle entrepreneurs in Gombe are part of a growing push towards cleaner transport solutions amid Nigeria\u2019s fuel-price crisis [Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\nGombe, Nigeria \u2013 On a weekday morning in Pantami District, Gombe, the streets fill with the familiar rush of motorcycles carrying students, workers and traders across the city. But increasingly, some pass almost silently \u2013 a subtle sign of a transport shift driven not by climate policy, but by Nigeria\u2019s soaring fuel prices.<\/p>\n
One pedestrian did not realise a motorcycle was behind him until the rider sounded its horn. Unlike the petrol-powered bikes that dominate Nigerian roads, the electric motorcycle moved almost noiselessly and produced no exhaust fumes.<\/p>\n
Electric motorcycles are gradually appearing across Gombe as riders seek relief from rising fuel costs following President Bola Tinubu\u2019s removal of Nigeria\u2019s fuel subsidy in May 2023, forcing many to rethink how they travel and earn a living.<\/p>\n
The bikes, which typically cost about 1 million naira (about $735), remain out of reach for many households. But those who have made the switch say the savings on fuel and maintenance are significant.<\/p>\n
Subsidy shock<\/p>\n
Tinubu announced the end of Nigeria\u2019s longstanding petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, triggering a sharp increase in fuel prices across the country.<\/p>\n
In Gombe, petrol now sells for about 1,365 naira ($1) per litre (0.26 gallons), compared with roughly 200 naira (15 cents) before the subsidy was removed. The increase has driven up transport costs and squeezed household budgets across Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The economic pressure has coincided with growing concern about the environmental impact of the country\u2019s ageing fleet of petrol-powered motorcycles and vehicles. According to the World Bank, road transport is a major contributor to air pollution in Nigerian cities, with vehicle emissions adding significantly to levels of harmful particulate matter.<\/p>\n
A cheaper ride<\/p>\n
For Ayuba Abubakar, a farmer and resident of Gombe, the switch to an electric motorcycle was prompted by a friend\u2019s visit earlier this year.<\/p>\n
After buying the bike, he rode from Gombe to Kumo and back and was surprised by how little battery power the journey consumed.<\/p>\n
Electric motorcycle entrepreneurs in Gombe are part of a growing push towards cleaner transport solutions amid Nigeria\u2019s fuel-price crisis [Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually spend the day moving around Gombe without charging,\u201d Ayuba told Al Jazeera. \u201cWhen I travel to remote areas, I charge it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ayuba said he has been using the bike for about three months and has so far avoided the mechanical problems that often come with petrol-powered motorcycles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy charger once burned out because I didn\u2019t use a stabiliser,\u201d he said. \u201cApart from that, I\u2019ve had no major maintenance costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He estimates that the bike has saved him about 5,000 naira ($3.7) a week in fuel expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with those savings, the price needs to come down for most Nigerians to afford it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Ahmed Aminu, another rider in Gombe, told Al Jazeera that he no longer spends money on engine oil, while Yakubu Sule, who also owns an electric motorcycle, told Al Jazeera that he chose it largely because of its quiet operation.<\/p>\n
Power constraints<\/p>\n
Despite the enthusiasm of early adopters, unreliable electricity remains one of the biggest obstacles to wider use of electric motorcycles.<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s electricity supply is notoriously inconsistent, and many households receive only a few hours of power each day. The challenge has become more pronounced under Nigeria\u2019s service-based tariff system, which classifies customers into bands according to the amount of electricity they receive.<\/p>\n
![\"Hussaini](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hussaini-Isa-an-e-bike-electrician-in-Gombe-1786772369.jpg\")
Hussaini Isa repairs electric motorcycles in Gombe, where demand for electric bikes is gradually growing amid rising petrol prices [Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n
For Muhammad Abubakar, chief executive officer of Sustenaa, a clean-energy company, the problem is fundamental.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we end up charging these bikes with generators, then what\u2019s the point?\u201d Abubakar told Al Jazeera. \u201cWe will just be moving the emissions from the exhaust pipe to the generator pipe, and we are back to square one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He argues that solar-powered battery-swap stations are a more realistic solution than relying on riders to charge their motorcycles at home.<\/p>\n
Abubakar also warned that Nigeria must plan for battery recycling as electric mobility expands. He called on the government to reduce import duties on electric-bike components, support battery-swap operators, establish recycling standards and integrate electric mobility into existing solar mini-grid projects.<\/p>\n
For now, electric motorcycles remain a niche option in Gombe. But as fuel prices remain high and battery-swap infrastructure slowly expands, the quiet motorcycles appearing on the city\u2019s streets may offer a glimpse of how economic pressure is beginning to reshape transport across Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at how many bikes are pumping out smoke daily across Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt, air pollution levels are alarming,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if we start with a fraction of the commercial bike fleets, the improvement in air quality could become visible relatively quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gombe, Nigeria \u2013 On a weekday morning in Pantami District, Gombe, the streets fill with the familiar rush…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1911,114,85,46,43,16729],"class_list":["post-586088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-africa","tag-business","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news","tag-nigeria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}