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CNG: FG sets to rollout initial critical assets May 29

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All is now set for the delivery of the first set of critical assets for the deployment and launch of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative ahead of the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration on May 29.

According to the presidency, which stated this on Sunday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Nigeria will take “some baby steps” to join nations that already have large fleets of CNG vehicles by the end of May.

He said: after months of detailed planning and background work, the committee driving the initiative is set to deliver on President Tinubu’s vision and promise, the statement said.

Already, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) committee, led by Michael Oluwagbemi, has delivered some major foundational reforms to enable the new CNG and Electric Vehicles future the president promised.

The statement affirmed, “After the removal of the wasteful fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Presidential CNG Initiative in October last year to deliver cheaper, safer, and more climate-friendly energy. The CNG Initiative was designed to deliver compressed natural gas, especially for mass transit.”

“The Federal Government, as part of the many intervention programs to reduce the burden of the increase in pump price on the masses, provided N100 billion (part of the N500 billion palliative budget) to purchase 5500 CNG vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 Electric buses, and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits, alongside spurring the development of CNG refilling stations and electric charging stations,” it added.

The statement observed that with necessary tax and duty waivers approved by President Tinubu in December 2023, the PCNGI committee is partnering with the private sector to deliver on the initiative.

The presidency maintained that the Tinubu administration has opened a new industry, along with creating thousands of new jobs.

“In all, over 600 buses are targeted for production in the first phase, which will be accomplished this year,” it noted.

“As part of private sector collaboration, NIPCO and BOVAS are involved in offering refilling services for the CNG vehicles and also serving as conversion centers,” the statement added.

“The Tinubu administration is an enabler of the evolving CNG industry,” it concluded.

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BREAKING: Many feared trapped, as Building collapses in Ojodu Lagos

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An unspecific number of people are believed to be trapped under an uncompleted storey building which collapsed in Lagos.

The building housing Equal Rights restaurant located at Oremeta Street, Ojodu Lagos, went down on Saturday morning.

It is believed, however, that some people are still trapped underneath the rubble.

Details later….

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Police rescue 10 kidnapped University of Benin students

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Edo State Police Command says it has rescued 10 University of Benin, UNIBEN, students abducted by suspected kidnappers at Ofosu area along the Benin-Ore expressway.

It was gathered that the students were on their way to Babcock University for Annual GYC Africa Conference when they were kidnapped on April 16 at the community bordering Edo and Ondo States.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Moses Yamu disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen.

Yamu said the rescued students are eight males and two females.

He said during the rescue operation, one of the suspected kidnappers was killed, while other escaped with bullet wounds.

He also disclosed that one of the Police officers, an Inspector sustained gunshot injury and is currently responding to treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

The statement read: “The Command wishes to update the general public of the unfortunate kidnap of some students who were on their way to Babcock University for Annual GYC Africa Conference on 16/04/2025 at a location bordering Edo and Ondo States.

“On receipt of this information, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, immediately deployed operatives of the Ohosu Division, IRT, tactical teams alongside vigilantes and hunters into the bushes for possible rescue of the victims and arrest of suspects.

“During the operation, operatives engaged in a gun duel with these kidnappers. In the process, one of the kidnappers was neutralised, while others escaped with bullet wounds.

“The operatives were cautious to avoid collateral damages as the kidnappers used the victims as human shields. Unfortunately, an Inspector of Police sustained a gunshot injury and is currently responding to treatment.

“This rescue effort eventually paid off as the ten (10) kidnapped students comprising eight (8) male and (2) females were released due to intense pressure mounted on them.”

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WAEC revokes licenses of 574 schools over exam malpractices

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The West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Nigeria has sanctioned and revoked about 574 schools found to have engaged in examination malpractices.

Head of WAEC national office, Dr Amos Dangut, disclosed this while speaking to journalists at the national headquarters in Lagos yesterday.

He stated that the examination body has submitted the list of schools involved to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education for sanctions.

The schools involved in malpractices would no longer be recognised as WAEC examination centres.

He said, “This year, we have shared with them a total of 574 schools whose recognition has been withdrawn. This measure will also be adopted by all examining bodies.

“These schools are no longer recognised as examination centres by WAEC, and we will not conduct exams there.”

Ahead of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), scheduled from Thursday, April 24 to Friday, June 20, 2025, Dangut revealed that 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools have registered for the examination.

This is an increase of 158,627 candidates compared to last year.

He said there are 979,228 males, while 994,025 are females.

Dangut highlighted WAEC’s commitment to leveraging technology, introducing the first-ever Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.

He disclosed that no two candidates will receive identical questions to discourage cheating.

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