FG Empowers 100 Rivers Women With Tricycles Through Credit Scheme

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP), has empowered 100 women in Rivers State with various items, including 40 tricycles (popularly known as Keke), under a credit-supported empowerment initiative.

The intervention is part of the Queen Rider Programme—an ambitious nationwide initiative in partnership with Gamma Mobility—aimed at enabling 3,700 Nigerian women, including a minimum of 100 from each state and the FCT, to become owners and operators of tricycles through credit access.

Speaking at the handover event held at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt, CREDICORP Managing Director, Uzoma Nwagba, explained that the tricycles symbolized more than transportation.

“They represent ownership, autonomy, and agency for women, delivered through affordable and structured credit, and produced locally in Nigeria,” he said.

Nwagba emphasized that the programme supports the federal government’s broader industrial policies by stimulating demand for locally assembled vehicles, which in turn strengthens local manufacturing and supports household incomes.

He added that the Queen Rider scheme is one component of CREDICORP’s larger objective to empower half of Nigeria’s working population by 2030 through access to consumer credit. Other initiatives include YouthCRED, targeted at young people and NYSC members, and C.A.L.M, designed to enhance access to solar and CNG energy solutions.

“These efforts are aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s vision to democratize access to essential goods and services through responsible consumer credit,” Nwagba noted. “The president believes people—civil servants, entrepreneurs, and artisans alike—should be able to afford a better life and pay over time.”

Also speaking at the event, Sam Esiri, Co-Founder of Gamma Mobility, said the Queen Rider Programme is not just a product rollout, but a bold declaration of economic justice for Nigerian women.

“This initiative ensures that Nigerian women have unhindered access to tools of economic empowerment. It is about dignity, purpose, and long-term prosperity,” Esiri stated.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Elizabeth John, expressed gratitude to CREDICORP and its partners, saying the initiative would positively transform the lives of women in the state. She pledged that beneficiaries would make responsible use of the opportunity.