The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has unveiled plans to boost public transportation in Nigeria’s North-East with a massive roll-out of electric vehicles.

According to a statement on Sunday from the Presidency, the Tinubu administration will soon begin mass electric vehicle transportation in northeast Nigeria, with the Federal Executive Council clearing the last obstacle to implementing the plan.

It stated that, last week, the Council approved contracts worth almost $100 million, or N151.9 billion, to supply buses and tricycles and establish charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

It added that the council approved the contract for the supply of ten 17-seater electric buses. Bluecrest Integrated Concept Limited, the beneficiary, will supply the buses within six months for N2.9 billion.

Messrs Mutual Commitment Company Limited will supply 4000 e-tricycles for N49.6 billion within nine months, while Shanghai Integrated Infrastructure Development will supply 3,000 tricycles for N37.2 billion.

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Sinoma Investment International Limited will supply another 3000 e-tricycles.

All the tricycles can carry nine passengers and the driver at a go.

For a contract sum of N16.3 billion, Messrs. HNCEGC will supply 100 BYD Dolphin EVs, 100 BYD Qin Plus EVs, and 37 BYD Yuan Plus EVs. At the same time, Messrs. KB Laman Motors Nigeria Limited will establish the charging points for the e-buses and tricycles for N8.4 billion.

The North East Development Commission will pay for the contracts as part of its plan to reduce carbon emissions and promote energy efficiency in the region.

President Tinubu approved the procurement of the e-vehicles in October last year and inspected the samples of the e-vehicles, chargers, and batteries.

The management of Telegraph Newspapers led by its Managing Director, Ayodele Aminu has presented award of the best Governor in the health sector to Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

Gov Adeleke earned the honour with his rehabilitation and upgrading of over 200 primary health care centres (PHCs), Imole Medical Outreach among other good governance deliveries, according to the organisers.

Presenting the award, Aminu said the good performance of Governor Adeleke is widely known to the public at home and abroad, a factor he said warranted the award particularly for the health sector.

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According to the media chief, “we watch with interest your passion for good governance. We note the rehabilitation of over 200 primary health care centres. Thousands have also benefited from your Imole Medical Outreach.

“Your good work was noticed nationally and internationally, hence you were rated the best Governor in the South West for attention and positive delivery on primary health care. That award earned your state 500,000 US dollars.

“For us at Telegraph, we note that you deliver where your predecessor did not. In our selection process, we were unanimous to confer this award on you to further encourage you to deliver more for the collective good of Osun people”, the Managing Director posited.

Responding, Gov Adeleke expressed appreciation for the award, describing it as “an incentive for me and my team to do more not just within the health sector but across critical areas of the state economy.

“When we came on board, we met the primary health care centres in a terrible state. As PHCs is the first point of medicare for our population, we resolved to upgrade and rehabilitate the primary health centres. We have upgraded over 200 already with solar power and water supply alongside rehabilitation of the structures.

“We are commencing phase two of the rehabilitation and upgrading alongside our move to the secondary health centers. As you have recognized us, the Bill Gates Health Challenge competition also rated Osun as the best in the South West on Primary Health Care.

“As you noted, we were awarded a 500,000 dollar prize. We are ploughing back the money to the PHCs to complete the process of upgrading and secure the lives of our people at the grassroots. So this award strengthens our resolve to push ahead with serving the people at all cost”, the Governor told the Telegraph management team.

Former lawmaker Senator Ayodele Arise has stirred controversy with his remarks on sexual harassment, stating that “every woman that is good-looking radically is subjected to such gestures (sexual)” worldwide.

Arise made the statement during an interview on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Saturday while reacting to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The former senator, who represented Ekiti North from 2007 to 2011, questioned whether the issue warranted national attention, arguing that it should have been handled privately.

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“If she were the president of Nigeria, would she accuse anybody of sexual harassment? She is a senator, and what happens to saying ‘no’ when such issues arise?” he asked.

Arise also suggested that compliments could be misinterpreted as harassment. “Even compliments like ‘you are beautiful’ and ‘you are gorgeous’ could be termed as sexual harassment. So, we need to know where it starts and where the limit is.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan had on Tuesday submitted a petition to the Senate, accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment. However, the Senate President denied the claims, urging Nigerians not to draw premature conclusions.

“Since February 20, I have received numerous calls about this matter. I want to state that at no time did I sexually harass Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. My late single mother raised me, and I have the highest regard for women,” Akpabio said.

He also pointed to his tenure as Akwa Ibom State governor (2007–2015), during which he was recognized as Nigeria’s most gender-friendly governor.

Following the petition, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, effective March 6, 2025, citing violations of Senate rules.

The decision followed a report by Senator Imasuen Neda Bernards (Edo South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.

Senator Arise condemned the suspension, arguing that it deprived Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituency of representation.

“The court, in the cases of Omo-Agege and Ndume, has said those six months are too long and not legal. They implied that only two weeks should be appropriate for an erring senator. The idea is to put somebody in order, but no more than 30 days,” he said.