The University of Lagos commissioned eight electric buses, the first of their kind in Nigeria, on Monday.
The buses were commissioned during UNILAG’s annual media parley, and the event also marked the unveiling of the university’s correct official logo at the institution’s main gate.
The electric buses, donated by Ogata Global Resources (a group of alumni from the university) represented a significant step towards promoting sustainable transportation on campus.
These zero-emission vehicles, powered by solar energy and electricity, are aimed at reducing environmental pollution, slashing transportation costs for students, and improving mobility across the campus.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, highlighted the institution’s long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability.
She said, “When the air quality was measured in this area, UNILAG had good quality air. It was almost an oasis of clean air in the region. One of the greatest causes of pollution is emissions from cars. We made up our minds long ago to avoid contributing to air pollution. You will also find that we do not have many generators around campus.
We opted for a central generator system to minimise emissions, even though it came at a cost.”
Ogunsola emphasised that the buses were part of a broader effort to reduce the carbon output on campus.
“Reducing cars and emissions will take time, but today we are starting by collaborating with Ogata,” she added.
She also noted that the buses would benefit students by reducing transport costs by 50 per cent.
Speaking about the initiative, Co-CEO of Ogata Global Resources, Henry Eke, explained the motivation behind the donation.
“We chose UNILAG because it’s a fertile ground for technology. The university already has an existing charging station, and this donation just adds to this infrastructure. And we also want to announce UNILAG’s work-study initiative because we are going to get students to drive in some of the ways in our workforce. And we also want to reduce the cost of transport. We’ve crashed the price to n100 for students”, he said.
The event featured a demonstration ride in the electric buses from the Senate Building to the university’s main gate, where the Vice-Chancellor unveiled the official university logo.
Professor Ogunsola noted that the unveiling was necessary to address the misuse of various unofficial logos and to establish a consistent brand identity.
“We identified that the logo here at the gate was incorrect, so to address this and prevent the use of this wrong logo, and properly depict our brand, we have ensured that the University logo is uploaded on our website and we have continued advocacy to encourage stakeholders within and outside the University to use the correct logo. Today we are unveiling the official UNILAG logo at the main gate to convey a message about our brand identity to the stakeholders and public”, she explained.