Media mogul and founder of the Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, has called on Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) to pivot to electric vehicles (EVs) as its core product line to position Nigeria at the forefront of the global green transport transition.
Murray-Bruce made the plea via a post on X, commending IVM founder Innocent Chukwuma for establishing the nation’s premier indigenous car manufacturing plant in Nnewi, Anambra State.
“My good friend Chief Innocent Chukwuma, you did what nobody else dared,” Murray-Bruce stated. “You built a car company in Nnewi and put Made-in-Nigeria vehicles on our roads. I still drive Innoson with pride.”
Pointing out that IVM has already entered the EV space with its EX02 model and a dedicated facility in Nnewi, Murray-Bruce urged Chukwuma to treat electric transport as the company’s primary enterprise rather than a secondary project.
The former senator argued that shifting economic conditions, notably escalating petrol prices and Nigeria’s abundant solar potential, make electric mobility financially compelling for domestic consumers. He stressed that EVs drastically reduce family maintenance bills while curbing the national foreign exchange spent on fuel imports, noting that petrol now exceeds ₦1,300 per litre, whereas sunlight remains free all year round.
Murray-Bruce observed that electric vehicles accounted for a quarter of worldwide new car sales last year, with adoption rates surpassing 50 per cent in China and Ethiopia halting petrol vehicle imports entirely.
“The world has moved,” he urged. “Let #innosonvehicles be the reason Nigeria catches up.”