Electric motorcycles are quietly appearing on the streets of Gombe, northern Nigeria, as riders seek an escape from crippling fuel costs that followed President Bola Tinubu's removal of the country's longstanding petrol subsidy in May 2023. The policy change caused petrol prices to jump from around 200 naira to over 1,300 naira per litre, pushing commuters and small traders to explore alternatives, with early adopters reporting weekly savings of roughly 5,000 naira ($3.70) on fuel and reduced maintenance bills. However, widespread adoption faces serious obstacles: the bikes cost around one million naira ($735), far beyond the reach of most households, and Nigeria's chronically unreliable electricity grid means riders risk simply shifting emissions from exhaust pipes to diesel generators — a concern that has led clean-energy advocates to push for solar-powered battery-swap stations as a more viable solution.