Business

Tuface Becomes Tinubu’s Brand Ambassador on MSMEs, Jobs Creation

Published

2 years ago

November 8, 2024

OCHEFA

668 Views

Job Creation and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Secretariat (Office of the Vice-President) has entered into a partnership with Mr. Innocent Idibia (Tuface)to galvanise public support for the MSMEs sector.

The partnership agreement was signed by Tuface and Mr Tola Adekunle-Johnson, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, on Friday in Abuja.

Adekunle-Johnson said the coming on board of Tuface as a job creation and MSMEs Brand Ambassador would promote ideas and initiatives under the National MSMEs Awards.He added that the partnership would promote the Expanded National MSMEs Clinics, Shared Hubs for MSMEs Initiative as well as other related activities around job creation.

The presidential aide also expressed hope that Tuface’s craft and goodwill would help promote the participation of citizens in all programmes aimed at creating jobs and supporting businesses.

We thought of how best we can sustain the momentum of creating jobs and promoting all the activities of the MSMES, awards, hubs, and the single-digit loan.

“And in trying to consistently promote this, we looked at areas that are of interest to some of our target audience, and you will agree with me it is the entertainment or creative industry.

“Today we are unveiling who I regard as an icon, a legend in the game, he has been consistent with his craft and a very creative man in the person of Mr. Innocent Idibia (Tuface).

This partnership with Tuface will help galvanise private sector support for public sector initiatives aimed at creating jobs and supporting businesses,” he said.

In response, Tuface, appreciated President Tinubu’s administration for its support to the youth and small businesses.

He promised to create more awareness in the country on MSMEs, especially among the youth.He also expressed gratitude to the government for the confidence reposed on him.

He also expressed gratitude to the government for the confidence reposed on him.“I appreciate the vote of confidence, I appreciate the kind words, for me I’m excited about this. It is a very good move in a good direction.

“Most of our youths today, there are so many things going that they can easily be deviated from following the right positive trajectory of life.

“But with this, people might even under estimates the power and value that this will bring to both the individuals, their communities and the country as a whole. So, for me I really commend this initiative, I commend the show of concern and show of support from the government towards young people, small businesses,” he said.

Also, Mrs Sarah Ajayi, Deputy Director, Office of Trade and International Relations, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said: “entertainment is what attracts the youth. Most of them are given to entertainment, so having Tuface as our brand ambassador is a good one.”

On his part, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwakile, Acting Group, Regional Manager, Access Bank Plc., restated the commitment of the bank to empower the youth in the area of job creation.

“For us in Access Bank it is a very familiar and top terrain for us, and rest assured that we will never apply the break at this point. We will go all out to ensure that the job creation mantra of the government is not just by word of mouth but by action,” he said.

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Naira Rates To Dollar , Pound, EURO… Monday, October 5

Published

17 hours ago

October 5, 2026

OCHEFA

22 Views

Black Market Exchange Rates

₦1365DOLLAR (USD)

₦1820POUND (GBP)

₦1535EURO (EUR)

₦970 CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD)

₦65 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)

₦350 UAE DIRHAM (AED)

₦190 CHINESE YUAN (CNY)

₦100 GHANAIAN CEDI (GHS)

West African CFA ₦2300CFA

Central African CFA ₦2200

Australian Dollar currency ₦850AUSSIE (AUD)

Official CBN Exchange Rates

DOLLAR (USD)₦1330.10

POUND (GBP)₦1759.58

EURO (EUR)₦1496.76

SWISS FRANC (CHF)₦1605.62

JAPANESE YEN (JPN)₦8.45

CFA FRANC (XOF)₦2.29

WEST AFRICAN UNIT OF ACCOUNT (WAUA)₦1801.60

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦198.39

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR)₦354.25

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)₦79.91

Business

Diesel Costs Bite: LAMATA Accelerates Shift To CNG, Electric Buses

The move comes as diesel prices have more than doubled, rising from about N950 per litre at the beginning of the year to between N1,950 and N2,100 per litre, depending on the source.

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2026

OCHEFA

24 Views

Lagos is accelerating its transition away from diesel-powered public transport as the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) begins phasing out diesel buses from its regulated fleet, amid a surge in diesel prices that has pushed operating costs sharply higher.

LAMATA is targeting clean-energy propulsion for 52 per cent of its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fleet by 2050, with compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles (EVs) taking the place of conventional diesel buses under a policy that took effect at the beginning of 2026.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAMATA, Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, disclosed this weekend, during the handover of 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and EVs.

The latest delivery brings LAMATA’s CNG fleet to about 170 buses, following the deployment of approximately 150 CNG buses before the new vehicles were received.

The authority also operates high-capacity and medium-capacity electric buses.

Akinajo said some of the new CNG buses would be deployed on the busy Ikorodu–Tafawa Balewa Square corridor, where passenger demand remains high.

“We will only work with CNG or EV buses, and this has been the policy since the beginning of the year,” she said.

The move comes as diesel prices have more than doubled, rising from about N950 per litre at the beginning of the year to between N1,950 and N2,100 per litre, depending on the source.

For LAMATA, the shift is therefore not only an environmental policy but also a cost-management strategy aimed at shielding commuters and transport operators from the impact of rising fuel expenses.

Akinajo said regulated public transport fares had not been increased, partly because the lower operating costs of CNG and electric buses were helping to contain the pressure on operators.

“Regulated public transport fares have not increased, and these buses have helped us achieve that,” she said.

Diesel phase-outUnder the new policy, existing diesel-powered buses in the regulated system will be progressively replaced with CNG and electric alternatives.

Akinajo said the long-term direction was for the regulated system to ultimately operate an entirely electric fleet, while the broader clean-energy target provides a pathway towards reducing emissions from Lagos’ transportation sector.

Transportation remains a major source of emissions in the megacity, making the switch to cleaner buses a key component of Lagos State’s long-term ambition of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.