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Lagos Partners CIG Motors To Acquire 5,000 Vehicles For Transport Sector [PHOTOS]

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The Lagos State Government has entered into a partnership with CIG Motors Company Limited to procure 5,000 brand new vehicles for its transportation system.

The agreement was signed at the Government House in Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu revealed that Ibile Holdings Limited, a state-owned entity, played a crucial role in facilitating the partnership.

The project aims to revolutionize road transportation in Lagos, generating employment opportunities and stimulating economic growth for the state’s residents.

“Today, we’ve used our investment outfit called the Ibile Holdings and I think I need to thank them, the current management staff, for responding quickly to their bill to use our investment vehicle, the Ibile Holdings to execute what we believe will be a very successful joint venture,” the governor said.

“The joint venture between the Ibile Holdings and CIG Motors and CIG Motors Company Limited, GAC Motors, especially the brand, in the acquisition of 5,000 new vehicles within our land border.

“We started the first 1,000. We’ve seen how we did. We’ve provided jobs to our people. We’ve created an e-hailing service. But we realise that we need to tweak it.

“We need to provide a lot more fleets and we need to also push the brands to be more acceptable and to be able to move around in different groups and brands of the state.

“In that goal, the first order of vehicles was to see 2,000 coming and in that 2,000, we will be having electric vehicles. That has been the conversation.

“Also these vehicles, we imagine, will begin to change the carbon footprint that we’ve all been talking about as in the future of transportation, as in the future of energy transition, the future of climate change, until we don’t want to take the vaccine.”

Sanwo-Olu also announced plans to introduce carpooling and logistics services, as well as executive chauffeur and rental services, to complement the new transportation system.

“We’re actually a city that is proactive and that lives with other big and major cities of the world and so you will see that this partnership is not just an e-hailing service,” he added.

“It’s also to provide smart taxes for us to be able to do what we call carpool, for us to be able to solve logistic problems, for us to be able to solve delivery problems, and for us to also have executive chauffeur and reliable rental services.”

Sanwo-Olu added that the state plans to venture into air transportation.

“I think the only vertical, which I’m also going to announce here, is that we want to go into air transportation and for us, that will very quickly encircle everything in public transportation that you can imagine in the world,” the governor said.

“Lagos state is also looking at that and we’re doing extensive study, so when we say that we want to build an airport, we just don’t want to build an airport.

“We want to go into that means of transportation and begin and be able to do it and do it very, very well.”

Diana Chen, chairman of CIG Motors, expressed her excitement and honour to partner with the Lagos state government.

Chen commended the governor for his vision and commitment to developing the state’s transportation infrastructure.

She highlighted CIG Motors’ achievements in Nigeria, including the setting up of a fully automated assembly line for automobiles and the delivery of the first affordable brand new cars in the country.

Chen emphasised the company’s belief in keeping promises and delivering on commitments, despite challenges.

“This is our world. We keep our world as our mind. So, come this stage, we have another new and significant key partnership agreement signed today,” Chen said.

“I emphasise that this is an agreement. It’s not an MOU. That means it’s a really official authority and another highly competitive signing today.

“We, all our team here, even our great partner, Mr. Wang, he comes from China, representing JC International. They are giving us full support for this project. Our bank finance, our bank’s people, right? Your people, you know, this is a huge project.

“Mr. Henry, you know, we work together to raise the money from the capital markets. So, they are all my allies. They are all my allies to make sure this project must deliver in the next three, five years.

“In the next three to five years, we are talking to embark over 1 billion brand new cars driving on our east passport. With that 1 billion brand new cars driving on this passport, every chip, think about how much the economy will be.

“So, the GME of that project, we are talking very simple. Within five years or seven years, 1.3 billion USD, that’s our target for the team. We are talking about this one because we have a very strong sense of commercial business analysis.

“That’s why we are able to challenge that. Just contribute 20% GDP. The rest of our business people, our expertise, our international technology partner, to make sure with the deal of this project, we will help the country to revive the economy.”

BIG STORY

Police Eliminate Four ‘Kidnappers’, Recover N3m Ransom In Kebbi

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The Kebbi police command has reported that its operatives killed four suspected kidnappers and rescued a victim in Suru LGA of the state.

According to a statement issued on Saturday, Nafi’u Abubakar, the command spokesperson, confirmed that the police also seized N3 million in ransom.

“On Feb. 14, at about 1:45pm; armed men suspected to be kidnappers invaded Gobiraje Village in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi and kidnapped one Umaru Bawa, 60,” the statement reads.

“Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Suru, swiftly mobilized a team of policemen and vigilantes to the scene, traced the suspects to Tundafari forest in Dakingari axis, and engaged them in a gun battle.

“Consequently, four of the kidnappers were neutralised, one arrested with fatal injuries, while others escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds.”

The spokesperson also mentioned that Bello Sani, the Kebbi police commissioner, praised the officers’ determination and professionalism in Suru, assuring that the fight against state crimes would continue.

The police commissioner urged residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station without delay.

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BIG STORY

Jay-Z, Diddy’s Accuser Drops Sexual Assault Lawsuit

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A woman who had accused hip-hop icons Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 decided to drop her civil lawsuit on Friday, according to court records.

In December, Jay-Z — whose real name is Shawn Carter — was accused of raping the girl along with Combs at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000.

A document filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York stated that the accuser “hereby gives notice that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice” — indicating that the lawsuit cannot be refiled.

It was not immediately clear if the stars had reached a settlement with the woman, who has not been identified.

But 55-year-old billionaire Jay-Z welcomed the closure of the case, which he slammed as “frivolous, fictitious and appalling.”

“This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims,” he said in a statement.

“I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

The complaint said Combs and Carter — who is married to pop superstar Beyonce — took turns assaulting the plaintiff as another celebrity stood by and watched.

“Many others were present at the after party, but did nothing to stop the assault,” it went on.

“Carter has been with Combs during many such instances described herein. Both perpetrators must face justice.”

Combs, also 55, has separately been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.

“Federal prosecutors allege that he sexually abused women and coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence.

He has denied all charges, and his criminal trial is currently slated to begin on May 5.

 

Credit: AFP

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First Lady Oluremi Tinubu Calls For Innovative Health Financing In Africa, Says “Foreign Aid Unsustainable”

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Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, has stated that Africa needs to develop creative financing strategies tailored to its distinct challenges in order to build a strong healthcare system.

A statement released on Friday by Busola Kukoyi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the First Lady, revealed that Oluremi made these comments during a high-level meeting on domestic health financing, organized by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda at the 38th African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Oluremi emphasized that without guaranteed access to essential healthcare for Africans, the continent’s efforts to achieve economic growth will remain unfulfilled.

“Africa cannot continue to rely solely on donor funding and foreign aid, which, although helpful, are often unpredictable and unsustainable,” the statement reads.

Instead, we must develop innovative financing strategies tailored to our unique challenges and circumstances.

“Given the increasing funding gap for health on the continent, I urge us all to come together and commit to advocating for increased national health budgets.”

The First Lady noted that, in light of recent policy changes in the US, Africa must seek local and sustainable solutions to fill its funding gap.

On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Trump also froze funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which supports most health institutions in Africa.

With this freeze, the World Health Organisation (WHO) projects a significant rise in health crises across the continent.

However, the President’s wife stressed the need for effective resource mobilization and use to ensure short, medium, and long-term impacts, stating that the health of the people is key to the continent’s prosperity.

“In line with the Abuja Declaration, our governments should allocate at least 15% of their budgetary allocations to health,” Oluremi said.

“We must also support innovative financing mechanisms and explore sustainable models, such as expanding health insurance coverage, health endowment funds, and investments from the African diaspora.

“Accountability and transparency must be ensured, as funds allocated to health must be used efficiently and effectively.”

The event saw the participation of presidents and heads of state from several African countries, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Botswana, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Barbados, as well as donor agencies and funding partners, discussing global and regional approaches to domestic health financing in Africa.

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