NEWS
SMEDAN, Coy Target 100,000 CNG Vehicle Conversions to Support SMEs
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), is collaborating with Rolling Energy to convert 100,000 vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in 18 months.
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Dr Charles Odii said this at the unveiling of a CNG Conversion and Training Center on Friday in Abuja.
According to him, the initiative will support Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs).
Report says that the initiative is a collaboration between SMEDAN, Rolling Energy, and Pi-CNG.
“This new centre is designed to convert vehicles to run on CNG, an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuels.
“With its capacity to convert nine vehicles daily and a dedicated team of 20 technicians, the centre will help SMEs reduce transportation costs and adapt to changing energy needs.
“It will also train young Nigerians in CNG conversion, maintenance, and repair, equipping them with practical skills and opening up new business opportunities”.
According to Odii, the mandate of the Pi-CNG initiative is to roll out about one million converted cars in the next 18 months.
“We at SMEDAN are committing to taking 10 per cent of those cars to be converted at our centres,’’ he said.
According to Odii, the project aligned with SMEDAN’s GROW Nigerian strategy, which focuses on providing SMEs with Guidance, Resources, Opportunities, and Workforce Support.
“By adopting CNG, we are helping SMEs cut costs while promoting sustainable energy practices. This effort is particularly timely as businesses face rising fuel costs following subsidy removal.
“SMEDAN is also committed to improving access to critical infrastructure for SMEs. We are upgrading Industrial Development Centres across the country to provide affordable tools and power tailored to the needs of small businesses.
The California’s Secretary of Transportation, Mr Toks Omishakin, praised Nigeria’s efforts in adopting cleaner energy alternatives, such as CNG, but urged stakeholders to look beyond CNG and invest in long-term renewable solutions.
“I see a tremendous opportunity for collaboration between California and Nigeria in exploring renewable energy solutions like solar, wind, and hydrogen,” Omishakin said.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidential CNG Initiative, Mr Toyin Zubair, commended SMEDAN and other stakeholders for their contributions.
He emphasised the need to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources to drive the economy.
“Nigeria has one of the largest gas reserves in the world. By using this resource locally to power vehicles and industries, we can reduce costs and create a cleaner environment,” Zubair said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Rolling Energy, Mr Mubarak Danbatta, explained that the conversion process prioritised safety and affordability, making it accessible to SMEs.
“With less than N4,000, a vehicle can be fully fueled with CNG, compared to over N60,000 for petrol. This is a significant relief for businesses.
“CNG is not a business for the rich. It is a business for everyone. And the good thing is that this partnership is being done with SMEDAN and Pi-CNG for the benefit of SMEs ,” Danbatta said. (NAN)
NEWS
Life Doesn’t End in your Communities, NYSC D-G Tells Corps Members
The Director-General of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmad, has advised corps members to stop thinking of relocating back to their communities, emphasising that life does not end there.
Report says that Ahmad spoke when he visited the NYSC temporary orientation camp on Friday in Kaduna.
Addressing corps members of the 2024 batch ‘C stream ‘I’ currently on the mandatory three-week orientation course, he urged the corps members to find home anywhere they were posted to, emphasising the importance of adapting to new environments.
Ahmad emphasised that the corps members must find a sense of belonging wherever they were posted, stating that such mindset was crucial for a successful service year.
According to him, embracing new experiences and being open to change can lead to personal growth and development.
He urged the corps members to focus on making a positive impact in their host communities.
The director-general encouraged them to be proactive and seek opportunities to contribute to the development of their host communities.
He urged them to respect the cultures and traditions of their host communities, advising, ”remain peaceful and resilient as you add value to the community you are posted to.
”I am sure many of you will choose to remain here after your service. You should also take security seriously.
“Your security is our concern, but no one can secure you more than yourself.”
Ahmad underscored the importance of skills acquisition and entrepreneurial development of the scheme.
He urged the corps members to take advantage of the programme to become not just self-reliant, but job and wealth creators after their service year.
“Skills acquisition is designed to make you independent, self-reliant and productive.
”The Federal government is out to ensure that youths are supported and empowered so they can stand on their own.
“Thousands of your predecessors who maximised the opportunity are now independent,”Ahmad said.
The director-general however warned the corps members on unauthorised and night travels, indecent dressing, among other acts that may project the scheme in bad light.
(NAN)
NEWS
Protect TETFUND from Abrogation Under Proposed Tax Bill–ASUU urges NASS
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to protect the Tertiary Education Trust (TETFUND) from being abrogated under the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the President of ASUU, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Osodeke said that the proposed bill was worrisome and also posed potential danger to the Tertiary Education Trust (TETFUND).
“ASUU has observed with keen interest the ongoing debate on the review of the tax system in the country under a proposed bill tagged, Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024.
“This is currently before the National Assembly. Arising from the tax bill is the proposed abrogation of the education tax.
“ASUU is alarmed by this dangerous and unpatriotic aspect of the proposed new tax regime,” he said.
According to Osodeke, the bill proposed that education tax, called development levy, used to bankroll TETFund’s programmes should be ceded to the newly established Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“TETFund will also receive 66.7 per cent in 2027, 2028 and 2029 years of assessment but zero per cent in 2030 year of assessment and thereafter,”he said.
He said that the far-reaching consequence of the new tax system is that from 2030, all funds generated from the development levy would be passed to NELFUND.
He said that ASUU found the development not only worrisome but also inimical to the national development objective due to the potential danger to the survival of TETFund.
Osodeke said that TETFund has been viewed as the backbone for infrastructural development, postgraduate training and research capacity building in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions in the
last 15 years.
He said that ASUU had resolved not to stand by and watch the denigration or obliteration of TETfund which represents a positive testament to its constructive engagements with Nigerian governments since 1992.
“It is our considered view that abrogating the TETFund Act 2011, by design or default, will be a great disservice not just to education but to Nigeria as a nation.
“As a result, ASUU is urging members of the National Assembly to do all within their capacity to protect TETFund from being abrogated under the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, ”he said.(NAN)
NEWS
Gunmen Kill 1 at Benin Nightclub
The police in Edo have confirmed the killing of a guest at the popular Raptor Club and Lounge, Stadium Road, Benin.
The victim was shot dead by gunmen in the early hours of Friday, while his female passenger sustained gunshot injuries.
SP Moses Yamu, Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Edo, said that investigations into the incident were ongoing.
According to him, the police received a distress call at 3 a.
m. that there were gunshots at Raptop Club.He said the operatives of the command on reaching the scene went after the hoodlums, who escaped and abandoned a pump action gun and two expended empty shells.
Yamu explained that efforts were ongoing to arrest the perpetrators.
NReport says that the incident, which occurred at about 2 a.m., has left the management and patrons of the nightclub in shock.
A source told newsmen that the deceased, whose identity has not been disclosed, was shot inside his white Lexus Jeep vehicle, while the female passenger was hit by stray bullets on her lap.
The incident left the club with some damages, including shattered show glasses and a destroyed glass door.
Policemen were seen at the scene of the incident, as the deceased’s vehicle was towed away. (NAN)