Metro

CNG Taxis Slash Fares By 40% At Abuja Park

Published

8 months ago

May 2, 2025

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Chief Executive Officer, Michael Oluwagbemi, has announced a 40 per cent transport fare reduction for commuters boarding CNG-powered taxis from the popular Area One Motor Park in Garki, Abuja.

The PiCNG CEO made the announcement at a field press briefing in Area 1 park on Friday in Abuja after the successful conversion of over 50 per cent vehicles at the park to CNG fueling.

He said the initiative is part of efforts to cushion the harsh effects of fuel subsidy removal, adding that the 40 per cent fare discount was specifically introduced to ease the high transport fare burden placed on Nigerians.

Represented by the Regional CNG Coordinator, North, Mr. David Idako at the motor park, Oluwagbemi said the PiCNG management had reduced the price in collaboration with the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

He stated that the reduction, which took immediate effect, is not only aimed at providing financial relief to commuters but also at promoting the adoption of CNG as a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative to petrol.

Idako said, “We have worked hand-in-hand with the National Union of Road Transport Workers. We have converted a lot of their vehicles, and based on the agreement that we have with them, of course, it is for them to reduce the prices for the general public so that the effect of the fuel subsidy that was taken off the burden will be reduced on Nigerians.

“So I am here representing the project director to announce to you that here in Area 1, as of today, Area 1 Park, in conjunction with the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, we have come here to start enforcing the price reduction. This is why we are here. We have converted over 50 per cent of vehicles in Abuja to CNG, and we are working tirelessly to increase CNG availability across the country.”

The new fares range from N240 to N900, depending on the route.

According to him, from Area One to Gwagwalada, which used to cost N1,500 with petrol, reduced to N900, while Area One to Bwari Dutse which was also N1,500, was reduced to N900. Area One to Kuje, which was N1,200, was reduced to N720.

He added that Area One to Galadimawa, which was N500, was reduced to N300.

The PCNGI boss said Area 1 to Mpape, which used to be N1,000, was reduced to N600. Area one to Zuba, according to him, was 1,500, and that was also reduced to N900.

He said Area One to Lugbe, which was N700, was reduced to N420, while the Jabi route, which was N720, was reduced to N420.

Area One to Wuse, he said, was reduced from N420 to N240 while Area One to Nyanya was reduced from N700 to N420.

He also said Area 1 to Kabusa N800 was reduced to N480, while the Apo route was reduced from N500 to N300.

On the modalities to ensure compliance with the new fares, he said there was a task force comprising members of the PCNGI and NURTW in place to enforce compliance with the new price regime.

He added that CNG stickers and the new prices were on the vehicles for passengers’ information.

Passengers were advised to report defaulting drivers to the task force for sanctions.

“So at the moment, these are the reductions we have achieved at Area 1 park. The reduction project will continue. More cars have been converted and we move from here now.”

“We are going to go to Area 3 where we have also done the reduction of their prices. We are going to go to all other parks within Abuja and eventually the country,” he stated.

Similarly, the Secretary of the Garki Branch, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ibrahim Jibril, said the union is in total support of the 40 per cent reduction.

“We are in support of the 40 per cent reduction. If you look at it now, you go to buy fuel, N20,000. And then you go to buy gas, N4,500. You will use the same volume, at the same time to work. At least you are even saving almost 75 per cent.”

He further commended the President for his efforts to reduce the suffering of Nigerians.

“The President has tried his best to see how he can reduce the sufferings of Nigerians in order to reduce the price of transportation,” he said.

To ensure compliance with the new fares, the union has put in place a task force to monitor and discipline errant drivers.

“We have put a task force in place to checkmate vehicles that are already being converted, so we can give a reduction in their prices,” the NURTW Secretary explained.

“As long as we are giving that benefit, we also want the members to enjoy it in order to make sure that Mr. President succeeds in this program that he has launched,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Commercial Coordinator of PICNG, Tosin, Coker, assured that the government is working hard to increase CNG availability across the country, with more stations coming online soon.

“We are working hard to make sure we get these stations up and running.”

“We are working tirelessly to make sure gas is available everywhere; we see the queues in all the stations here and a lot of MRUs that are coming in.”

“We have 10 stations across Abuja, and we know even in this coming month, we have at least two more coming on stream,” he said.

Metro

Edo widow-lawyer Diabolically Blinded Over Contract Seeks Okpebholo’s Intervention

Published

8 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Editor

…says efforts to meet gov blocked

A blind-widow and mother of four, Barr. Benny Francis, has appealed to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State to intervene over what she described as injustice meted on her and her children.

She lamented that after her husband, who was the breadwinner of the family, was knocked down by a bus chased by the then Kelly Okungbowa aka Ebo-Stone-led Edo State Task Force, all her efforts to meet with the governor had proved abortive.

“When the governor heard about the incident, we were told he asked “where is the family of the man?” The governor is actually interested in the case but we are being blocked from gaining access. I have met with the Coordinator of the First Lady, and she was trying to arrange for our meeting with the governor, but in one of my visits to the Office to the Office of the First Lady, I met Ebo-Stone in the office, so I waited at the reception. To my own surprise, the Coordinator didn’t meet with me that day despite the fact that she was the one that asked me to come. Till this moment, no attempt from that end. This is what happens to any highly placed political office holders I met regarding my ordeal. They may attend to me and listen to me initially, but once I meet them with Ebo-Stone, their doors become completely shut against me. I don’t know what they are hiding,” she narrated.

Narrating how her tragic and pathetic story started on Wednesday, she said, until the tragic incident that happened to her that led to her losing her sight, “she was a contractor with the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) and was awarded a contract to construct a 10-unit staff quarters in Ughoton Community, Edo State.”

She added that “during the execution of this project, I was diabolically attacked and rendered blind,” stressing that “following this unfortunate incident, EDSOGPADEC assured me that they would compensate me for all my losses, settle my medical bills, and support my recovery. Unfortunately, these promises were never fulfilled.

“The former Secretary to the State Government (Barr. Osarodion Ogie) directed them to provide me with a Prado Jeep and a hilux to assist with my mobility, but after the car was delivered, the former Oil and Gas Chairman ordered its retrieval within 24 hours under the pretext of repairs. Till date, the vehicle has not been returned.

“In pursuit of justice, I took the matter to court, where I initially demanded N1 billion in damages. The government pleaded for a settlement of N300 million, but after court deliberations, it was agreed that I would receive N500 million in compensation. Despite this legal resolution, only N50 million was offered, which I was advised to reject due to the lack of a conclusive agreement. Since then, the government has failed to fulfill their promises, including offering me new contracts as earlier pledged.

“As a result of this ordeal, I lost all my properties, including my home, cars, and valuables to the bank, as I had taken loans to finance the EDSOGPADEC project. My financial situation has deteriorated drastically, leaving me struggling to survive.”

She lamented that “as if my suffering was not enough, tragedy struck again on December 11, 2024. My husband, who had been my only pillar of support, was tragically killed in an accident caused by the Edo State Task Force under the current administration.

“He was struck by a bus driver being pursued by the Task Force, led by a man known as “Able Stone”, and the vehicle crushed his head. He was rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital and later referred to UBTH, where he sadly passed away by 5:00 PM that same day.

“I lost my husband when I was five months pregnant and left to care for four young children, now as a widow, with no means of support. I have made several attempts to meet with His Excellency, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, to personally narrate my plight, but all efforts have been unsuccessful.”

The widow, who debunked Ebo-Stone’s claim that he has compensated her and the children, appealed to the governor to “as a father and a man of compassion, to intervene in my case. I seek the support of the Edo State Government.”

Contacted, Ebo-Stone picked the phone call but hurriedly said “I am in a party,” and ended the call immediately he heard journalist. The SMS sent to his telephone as a follow-up was not responded to as at when filing the report.

Metro

JUST IN: Court Grants Malami, Wife, Son N500m Bail Each

Published

19 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Editor

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has admitted former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to bail in the sum of N500 million and two sureties in like sum pending his trial.

Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir, who is an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion.

Ruling on the bail application filed by Malami and his codefendants on Wednesday, Justice Nwite also ordered that the two sureties must have landed properties in Maitama, Asokoro, or Gwarimpa districts of Abuja.

He ruled that the documents of the properties belonging to the sureties are to be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court, while the sureties are also to depose to an affidavit of means.

Malami is to deposit his travelling documents with the Court and must not travel out of the country without the express permission of the court.

Besides, the former AGF and his sureties were also ordered to deposit their two recent passport photograph with the court.

Meanwhile, Malami has been ordered to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

After delivering ruling on the bail application, the trial judge, Justice Nwite, fixed February 17, 2026, for the commencement of the trial in the matter.

The same bail conditions were extended to Malami’s son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir, who is an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

The EFCC had slammed a 16-count charge against Malami, his son, and his wife.

In count one of the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that, “You Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between July 2022 and June 2025, in Abuja, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500.00 in a Sterling Bank Plc account, when they reasonably ought to have known that the sum constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count five reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, sometime in September 2024, in Abuja, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1,049,173,926.13 paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024, contrary to Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Sections 18(2)(a) and 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count six reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between November 2022 and October 2025, indirectly took control of the aggregate sum of N1,362,887,872.96 paid through the Union Bank Plc savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, when they reasonably ought to have known that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

Metro

18-year-old OAU Medical Student Dies While Sleeping

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

Editor

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, has announced the death of an 18-year-old part-three medical student of the institution.

The student, identified as Timilehin Adetoye Toromade, was a student of the College of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine and Surgery.

According to a statement by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, Timilehin with matriculation number CLI/2022/133, reportedly died in his sleep in the early hours of Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

The statement revealed that the “university received the news of the student’s passing with shock and deep sorrow”.

It also described the incident as devastating to the academic community.

According to the statement, “preliminary information suggested that the student might have died shortly after 2 a.m., as one of his roommates reportedly said the deceased opened the door for another student around that time.

“The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, expressed condolences on behalf of the Visitor, the University Council, Management, Senate, staff and students”.

The VC, Professor Bamire, described the incident as a painful loss, saying, “The loss of a young life filled with promise, purpose, and potential is a tragedy that words alone cannot adequately capture.”

He added that the university community was united in grief over the passing of a student who had embraced the rigours of medical training with the aim of serving humanity.

According to him, the death had left a void among the student’s peers and all those who knew him within the university community.

The university management stated that it was working closely with relevant authorities to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident, in line with established medical and administrative procedures.

It also disclosed that appropriate support measures were being put in place to assist students and members of the university community who may have been emotionally affected by the loss.

The management called on students, staff, alumni and friends of the institution to remain calm and compassionate, while extending sympathy to the family of the deceased.