The First and Last Mile Buses: A story of Hope, Ingenuity and Resilience

The story of DUKA Automotive, a subsidiary of Origin Tech Group, is one of hope, ingenuityand the absolute resilience of a young Nigerian team, who worked passionately, against all odds,to manufacture and deliver Lagos State’s First and Last Mile Mini Buses.

The First and Last Mile project, which was launched on May 18th, 2021, and was given arenewed impetus by the people’s governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is designed to reshapetransportation system at the grassroots level and facilitate the complete purge of commercialbikes (Okada) from the city. In 2020, Lagos reported over 600 deaths in 10,000 bike-relatedaccidents in five years. The First-Last Mile bus scheme is a strategic move by the Lagos Stategovernment to build a tech-supported and safer intermodal transport system in Lagos metropolis.These mini buses will ply the inner parts of the city, serving as the first and last means oftransportation for Lagosians. The goal of the project is to produce 5,000 cashless mini buses inphases over the next couple of years.

According to the Assembly Manager, Abesin Tunde, Origin Tech Group has created an autoservice centre for all the First and Last Mile buses. He said the centre will provide care andmaintenance for all the 5,000 First-Last Mile buses.

This is just the beginning“The launch of the First and Last Mile buses is just the beginning of an innovative journey forDUKA Automotive,” said the Chairman of Origin Group, Prince S.J Samuel. “With a team ofsome of Nigeria’s finest engineers, we are set on a wholesome and most transformative path todeliver Nigeria’s first electric automobile, manufactured right here in the state with local talent.”The Group and its subsidiary, DUKA Automotive are working towards launching a state-of-the-art automobile plant in Surulere, Lagos, with a capacity of manufacturing 50,000 vehiclesannually with 45% local material inclusion.

Hope, Ingenuity and ResilienceAccording to Abesin Tunji, “We had to build the factory within six months; we converted ourtractor assembly line into an automotive assembly line with full complete knock down (CKD)vehicle production capabilities. This is truly a story of determination by young Nigerians,dedicated to making their dreams come true.”The team fully began production in September 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and wasable to complete and deliver their first batch of buses in just a few months. “The achievementand story of DUKA Automotive is a story of hope, resilience and ingenuity. It is the story ofpushing ahead in the face of daunting challenges. It is the story of the sheer creativity andinnovation embedded in the DNA of every Nigerian. It is the Nigerian story,”— Prince S. JSamuel, Chairman Origin Tech Group.

At a time when businesses were shutting down and thousands out of jobs due to the pandemic,young Nigerian engineers found an uncommon opportunity to join the DUKA team in buildinglow-carbon emission, low fuel-consumption and laudable masterpieces of logistics.