NEWS
FG Begins Electric Car Rollout for Civil Servants as First Batch Arrives
The Federal Government has begun the rollout of electric cars for civil servants with the delivery of the first batch of vehicles promised by President Bola Tinubu.
The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, disclosed this on Wednesday after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Osanipin said the arrival of the vehicles marked the beginning of a broader plan to expand electric mobility in Nigeria, reduce transportation costs and promote cleaner energy.
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“Today, you must have heard in the news that the first batch of the electric vehicle that the President promised civil servants was delivered today, and they are all electric vehicles. This is the beginning of more and more that will come,” he said.
According to him, the government has also deployed electric-vehicle infrastructure in about 16 universities across the country to support the development of an ecosystem for alternative-energy transportation.
Osanipin said the government’s policies on electric vehicles and Compressed Natural Gas would become increasingly visible as investments in supporting infrastructure continue to grow.
He stressed that infrastructure was critical to the success of the alternative-energy transition, noting that CNG adoption, for instance, requires filling stations, mobile refuelling units and gas production facilities.
“You can’t put a policy in place today and start having the immediate impact,” he said, adding that investments were already being made in the required infrastructure.
The NADDC boss also disclosed that the number of companies licensed to retail gas had increased from about four to 81.
He described the development as evidence of growing private-sector participation in the Federal Government’s CNG initiative and said gas was becoming more available in some states.
Osanipin further highlighted the potential of CNG to reduce transportation expenses, citing the experience of a traveller whose fuel expenditure reportedly fell from more than N200,000 to about N40,000 after switching to CNG.
He said the traveller was able to refuel with gas in Kano, demonstrating the expanding availability of CNG beyond major commercial centres.
However, Osanipin acknowledged concerns that some commercial transport operators benefiting from lower CNG costs had yet to transfer the savings to commuters through reduced fares.
“We have a lot that are already doing it; fleet operators are already benefiting from this. So what we are pushing for again, because someone asked me that question, is that I have seen a lot of people benefiting from it, but they refuse to transfer the price to the masses,” he said.
He explained that the next phase of the government’s intervention would focus on ensuring that the benefits of cheaper alternative energy translate into lower transportation costs for Nigerians.
Osanipin said his meeting with President Tinubu also provided an opportunity to brief him on developments in the automotive sector, ongoing investments and a draft legislation being developed for the industry.
The Federal Government has continued to promote electric mobility and CNG as part of efforts to diversify Nigeria’s transportation energy mix, reduce dependence on petrol and diesel, lower transportation costs and cut emissions.
Military gear has reportedly been found at the scene of a helicopter crash in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The helicopter crashed in a swampy area of the coastal community on Monday, October 5, 2026, sparking panic among residents.
The Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, Maurice Oripelaye, said military personnel and equipment were seen at the crash site, raising the possibility that the aircraft could have been a military helicopter.
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However, the identity of the helicopter and its operator had not been officially established as of the time of filing this report.
Oripelaye said the aircraft crashed near the Naval Base area and was burnt to rubble following the incident.
He also said the number of people who were aboard the helicopter could not immediately be ascertained, while the fate of those on board remained unclear.
Earlier, residents reported hearing a loud sound from the direction of the crash before discovering that an aircraft had gone down in the swampy area.
The difficult terrain has also made access to the crash site challenging, with security personnel and other responders deployed to the area.
The Ondo State Police Command has confirmed the aircraft crash and said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The police urged residents of Igbokoda and adjoining communities to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information, promising to provide further details as credible information becomes available.
NEWS
JUST IN: Oluremi Tinubu Arrives BATICC for APC Women’s Pre-Inaugural Ceremony Arrives BATICC for APC Women’s Pre-Inaugural Ceremony
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has arrived at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre (BATICC) in Abuja for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Stakeholders’ Mobilisation and Empowerment Pre-Inaugural Campaign Roll-Out.
The First Lady arrived at the conference centre on Monday, October 5, for the women-focused political gathering organised by the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The event is themed “Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0: From Reforms to Prosperity,” with the mobilisation message, “One Voice, One Movement, One Choice, One Mandate 2027.”
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The gathering is expected to bring together thousands of women from across the country, including women leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, political stakeholders, community representatives and grassroots organisers.
20,000 women expected
The arrival follows a report published on Sunday, October 4, which said Oluremi Tinubu was expected to lead a major mobilisation of women stakeholders in Abuja.
According to the report, more than 20,000 women were expected to attend the Women Stakeholders’ Mobilisation and Empowerment Pre-Inaugural Campaign Roll-Out scheduled for 8am at BATICC.
The APC Women Mobilisation Directorate has also announced an ambitious target of mobilising 40 million women’s votes for President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Director of the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Betta Edu, disclosed the target ahead of the gathering and said the structure was expanding its grassroots mobilisation across the country.
Speaking ahead of the event, a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Women Mobilisation Planning Committee, Princess Gloria Akobundu, highlighted programmes including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), CREDICORP, infrastructure projects, cash-transfer programmes and youth empowerment initiatives.
Akobundu urged women in Imo State and across the South-East to strengthen their mobilisation structures and take the Renewed Hope Agenda message to communities across the region.
She said, “We are calling on our women across the South-East to strengthen their mobilisation and ensure that the message of the Renewed Hope Agenda reaches every community and locality.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over the continued exposure of Nigerians to kidnappers, questioning the impact of savings from fuel subsidy removal on national security.
Atiku disclosed this in a statement on Monday while reacting to the abduction of 20 travellers, including prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, in Imo State.
He described the abduction as “heartbreaking,” noting that although some of the victims had been rescued, others remained in captivity.
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Atiku urged the Federal Government, Imo State Government and security agencies to act with urgency to secure the release of all those still being held.
He also raised concern over more than 70 pupils and students abducted from Mussa and Lassa in Borno State who, according to him, have remained in captivity for months.
“These children must not be forgotten. Their families deserve clear updates, and the public deserves answers,” he said.
The former vice president questioned the government’s handling of insecurity, recalling President Bola Tinubu’s promise that savings from the removal of fuel subsidy would help fund security.
“Yet Nigerians remain exposed to kidnappers on our roads, in our communities and around our schools,” Atiku said.
He said young Nigerians were facing danger at different stages of their lives, from secondary school to university and now while travelling to NYSC camps.
“Young people face danger in secondary school, struggle with unaffordable fees at university, and are now targets on their journeys to NYSC camps. This is a generation being failed at every stage,” he said.
Atiku also criticised the award of what he described as huge pipeline security contracts to politically connected companies, while ordinary Nigerians continue to face criminals.
“The first duty of government is to protect lives,” he stated.
He called for the immediate and safe rescue of every abducted young person and the return of those still unaccounted for.
Atiku also reaffirmed his commitment to building a safer and more affordable Nigeria where young people can create, build and prosper.
“My promise to build a safer and more affordable Nigeria, where young people can create, build and prosper, remains unshakable,” he said.
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