The federal government has joined forces with Century Information Systems (CIS) and the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (NATOMORAS) to roll out a leasing model for motorcycle and tricycle operators. The initiative, announced in a statement on Thursday, targets the elimination of exploitative hire purchase systems that have burdened operators across Nigeria. Donald Wokoma, registrar and CEO of ELRA, stated the model would ease high upfront costs and rigid repayment terms in the informal transport sector. He said structured leasing would improve affordability, support asset ownership, and boost daily earnings by preserving operators' capital. "Leasing opens the door to economic participation for many who were previously excluded," Mr Wokoma said, adding that access to newer, better-maintained vehicles would reduce breakdowns and increase efficiency. CIS managing director Abdul Balarabe explained the leasing system would use technology, including advanced tracking, to reduce theft and improve safety and accountability. He said CIS would continue integrating trade associations and cooperatives into the leasing ecosystem. Usman Gwoza, national president of NATOMORAS, welcomed the initiative as long-overdue relief, pledging to mobilise members nationwide to take part.
Donald Wokoma, through ELRA, is positioning structured leasing not just as a financial intervention but as a systemic correction to decades of predatory financing in Nigeria's informal transport sector. His emphasis on removing upfront payments and enabling asset ownership strikes at the core of how riders have been kept in cycles of debt under traditional hire purchase arrangements. This is not merely a policy tweak but a direct challenge to the exploitative financing structures that have long profited middlemen at the expense of operators' economic mobility.
The move gains significance against the backdrop of rising operational costs and declining incomes for motorcycle and tricycle riders, many of whom operate without formal credit access. By embedding technology-driven tracking and partnering with NATOMORAS, the model introduces accountability while expanding financial inclusion. The fact that riders face breakdown-related losses underscores how vehicle condition directly impacts livelihoods—making access to newer, reliable bikes a productivity issue, not just a convenience.
For millions of riders across states like Kano, Lagos, and Abia, this could mean greater control over earnings, reduced vulnerability to theft, and a clearer path to ownership. It also sets a precedent for how public-private partnerships can reshape informal sector economics without relying on subsidies or handouts. If scaled effectively, it may redefine asset acquisition beyond transport, influencing how Nigeria approaches micro-mobility finance in the long term.
