I have been hooked on NTA's coverage of elections since 1987. It is always very interesting. They usually bring representatives of the political parties to talk about what their agents on the field are reporting and to react to NTA News reports, they bring DIGPol Ops to talk about the security situation, they bring professors (like Alaba Ogunsanwo) to talk generally about the elections, etc.
In 1993 they had the directors general of the two campaign organisations. I can't remember who was the DG of Tofa's campaign organisation, but Jonathan Zwingina was the DG of Abiola's campaign organisation.
The NTA showed a report about Chief Abiola casting his vote. He was wearing a green agbada with a white horse on it. The SDP logo was a green background with a white horse on it.
The DG of Tofa's campaign organisation complained. All campaign activities were supposed to have ceased 24 hours before the election and there were not suppose to be any party logos or slogans at the polling centres. He said that Chief Abiola had violated the law.
Jonathan Zwingina said that his good friend (the DG of the Tofa campaign organisation) did not know what he was talking about because if you look closely, you'll realise that what was on Chief Abiola's agbada was a unicorn, not a horse.
Tektronics12: What about E-Solar Vehicle.. Option of Solar and Electric..
That's exactly what they are doing.
There's a guy in Maiduguri that has solar charging stations. He also has a fleet of electric minibuses. He rents out the minibuses to drivers and they charge the buses at the solar charging stations.
The buses also have solar panels on the roof for things like radio, etc.
GorillaApp: Naptu my man. Always love you posts about the good ol' life. But you are increasingly becoming an APC apologist. It's your choice though. Beautiful day my brother
Now let me tell you something that you don't know and I will only say this once.
I post what ever I want to post, but people like you want to dictate to me what I should post or not post. You know the good thing
I don't give a shit about APC, PDP, LP, QRZ or WYP. I don't give a shit about Tinubu, Atiku, Kwankwaso, Obi or any of them.
I do not give a damn whether you like my post or not, that means nothing to me
I couldn't care less whether you are convinced about anything, that is your personal problem
BUT NOBODY, ABSOLUTELY NOBODY WILL DETERMINE FOR ME WHAT I WILL POST
I don't care whether you like or hate what I post, I will post what I want to post and there's nothing you can do about it.
You guys are the ones that worship politicians, are hung up about ethnicity and religion, I couldn't give a damn.
Therefore, if you think you can dictate what I post, then I will use you for my entertainment and there's nothing you can do about it.
You can get angry, you can quote me from morning till night, you can fume and foam, I couldn't give a damn, I will use you to have fun.
As you can see, people have been using electric vehicles in the North-East for a very long time, they didn't need presidential approval.
What has happened here is that the North-East Development Commission is planning to encourage the use of e-vehicles in the North-East by procuring such vehicles, encouraging the establishment of charging stations, etc and they need presidential approval for that.
Any time the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) or any other development commission wants to do any similar thing, they will seek presidential approval and the same process will be followed.
This is Phoenix Kaande 7.0, it doesn’t need the N550 per liter pms to run, can charge with solar panels and electricity at home, can cover 100km on a charge, accepts battery swapping, 7 seater, approved for short range intra city mass transit, cost only N4.8M
Sterling Bank partners with Borno man, Mustapha Gajibo to build first commercial solar-powered charging station in Victoria Island, Lagos
orazx: Sterling Bank is partnering with the man who builds solar buses from Borno, Mustapha Gajibo, to build Nigeria’s first commercial solar-powered charging station in Adeola Odeku, VI Lagos. The buses built in Borno will run services in Victoria Island Lagos, and charge here. - Shehu Umar CONGRATULATIONS!!! #nigeriangems #proudlynigerian
According to the firm,the vehicles can run for 100km before the next charge. He @mustapha_gajibo was visited by Osinbajo, Zulum and car designer Jelani Aliyu. I'm putting out this tweet so someone can help his startup raise funding either from abroad or through the private sector.
Jelani Aliyu is a Nigerian who worked for General Motors and designed the Chevrolet Volt. President Buhari appointed him to the position of director general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).
Picture 1: Former Vice President Osinbajo and Governor Babagana Umara Zulum in the electric bus.
I dropped out from UNIMAID to pursue dream of building electric vehicles – Borno man, Gajibo
1st May 2022
Twenty-nine-old Borno State indigene, Mustapha Gajibo, speaks to DOGARA BITRUS about his efforts at building electric vehicles
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Mustapha Abubakar Gajibo. I am the Managing Director of e-Transport, a company specialised in converting vehicles running on petroleum to solar energy-powered vehicles. I do that through the use of rechargeable batteries sourced from local materials. I am 29 years old. I am from Gajibo village in the Dikwa Local Government Area.
How did you come about the idea of converting these vehicles?
I have always been creative from young age. I loved creating things, solving problems, so I grew up with that. At some point I came across a company that encourages creativity and I joined the company. Their focus is mitigating the damage being done to the environment by vehicles running on fossil fuel. We decided to come up with this solution of converting such vehicles to those running on electricity or solar energy.
What is your educational background?
As a matter of fact I am a school dropout. I went to primary school in my village, Gajibo; I also finished secondary school but I dropped out at 400 Level in the University of Maiduguri where I was studying Mechanical Engineering. I dropped out deliberately, so I could concentrate on my dream.
I decided that continuing with my education would not give me the time I needed to concentrate on pursuing my dream. So, I decided to put my university education on hold so I can fulfil my dream of helping to solve some of the problems in our environment.
When did this journey of converting vehicles begin?
The idea of converting vehicles running on petrol to electrical vehicles started about three years ago when I noticed the influx of tricycles into the country from China and India. I imagined the job opportunities that were being lost as a result of the importation of these tricycles and the huge amount of foreign exchange that goes out from Nigeria. Then I decided to start manufacturing the tricycles locally to reduce the stress and help our economy. We have been on this journey for three years now. And using only locally-sourced materials, we have we succeeded in manufacturing tricycles of even better quality than the imported ones. Our tricycles run on electricity as opposed to the imported ones. When fully charged, our tricycle can travel a distance of 200 kilometres. As I speak now, we have produced 50 of these tricycles and they are on the roads being used for commercial purposes in Maiduguri.
You said you began with tricycles; at what point did you graduate to converting buses?
Moving forward, we also came up with the design on how to convert existing petrol buses to electrical ones and we have succeeded too. We have been able to develop a process of converting these fossil fuel-powered buses to full electric buses and thanks to God we were able to build the first prototype and tested it and the result is very good. Right now, we have produced about 15 units. Like the tricycles, all our buses are also plying the roads in Maiduguri at the moment.
Tell us about the kind of materials you use and where you source them?
In the beginning, most of the raw materials we used were imported. But along the line, we felt that as an indigenous company trying to create local content, we should source our raw materials locally. So, we started to fabricate the chassis using locally-sourced materials. Right now, 80 per cent of the materials used in building the buses are locally-sourced.
Can you speak about the parts of the buses and how exactly they function?
The main parts of the electric vehicle are the battery, motor controller and other gadgets. We use dry cells or batteries with latest facilities, they occupy little space. Again there are solar panels known as 12 Volt lines installed in the vehicles, which help in charging the vehicles. The vehicle is fitted with traffic indicator lights, radio and even an air condition system. These are being powered by the solar panel. The main battery driving the vehicle is charged by electricity. The battery is charged for 35 minutes using solar energy or electricity, and as I said, when fully charged, the vehicle will travel a distance of not less than 200 kilometres before the battery will need a recharge.
Part of the major benefits of these electric buses is that they do not emit carbon monoxide and they are noiseless. This is the direction in which the world is moving now and we are glad we are going in that direction. Also, these buses are cheaper to run compared to the vehicles running on fossil fuel. The effects of the emissions from petrol vehicles are quiet telling on the health of individuals and the environment is also adversely affected.
Have you started selling the vehicles and how much does one go for?
We have not start selling the vehicles but we have set up charging stations where we have people in charge of leasing the vehicles to drivers who bring back returns at the end of every day. In maiduguri, transport fare has increased from N50 to N100 per drop but we charge N50 and our services are in hot demand. Passengers wait at designated bus stops for our cars. Meanwhile, we also have people who have indicated interest in wanting to buy our vehicles while others want to partner us to use our vehicles but we are looking at the possibility of getting the people to buy the buses while our company, which is known as e-ride, will manage the vehicles for them.
We have got some applications for the vehicles and we are considering them. We are also engaging investors who will come in and boost our production from 10 vehicles a month to 50 or more monthly. We build 15 cars in a month but if we can get funding and equipment, we can build 500 in a month.
Going forward, we plan to convert all vehicles to run on solar energy since the resources are locally sourced.
Have you received any kind of support from government?
Everything about the building of the vehicles was purely financed by my company. The company has been engaged in renewable energy for about 10 years now across the country. Most of the fund for the building of these vehicles was from the proceeds of the renewable energy company.
Are you open to sponsorship or government’s support?
We have reached out to government establishments for possible partnership but we are yet to get any positive response from them. Being a first-of-its-kind project in this part of the country, it is very difficult to get people to believe in the project and even accept that it is feasible and join forces to make it a reality.
What were the major challenges that you have faced on this journey?
Funding is a major challenge. As you are aware, without funding one is handicapped but gradually individuals and groups are beginning to show interest and partnering us.
Access to foreign exchange is another challenge we encounter in procuring raw materials as we often resort to black marketers to access foreign currencies, which makes the cost of production higher than necessary. The importation of these materials is another major challenge on its own, for which government intervention is needed.
Furthermore, the government needs to put in place manufacturing policies that will encourage start-ups like us to be able to find our footing. The bureaucracies in the manufacturing sectors should be removed to enable speedy access to resources.
Also, tax waivers, tax holidays, single-digit interest loans should be introduced for manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
Deutsche Welle (DW) is the German equivalent of the BBC or the VOA. They did this piece on July 20th, 2020.
DW: We're in Maiduguri, in Nigeria's remote north-east to travel on a revolutionary solar-powered bus service that could be the model solution for cities across the world.
We'll meet Mustapha Gajibo, whose vision has created a cutting edge mobility solution amid the troubles of a crisis region.
And we'll hear from people about the surprise benefits the new bus service offers them as passengers.
Mustapha Gajibo: The current situation of my country, I would say not only my country but the whole world, the price of fuel is going up, the price of transportation is going up high and with the damage that normal vehicles are causing to our environment, so we decided to come up with this as a solution to solve all these problems.
DW: Mustapha's team refits gasoline minibuses with electric motors and battery packs. Charging takes 35 minutes for a 150 kilometer range. The energy source is Maiduguri's plentiful sunshine, captured by more than 150 solar panels.
They've so far converted 10 minibuses and more than 50 tricycles that are in service on the roads of Maiduguri.
Small, flexible transport options, such as minibuses are crucial to life in many cities around the world, but most still run on heavily polluting gasoline or diesel. Though Nigeria is one of the world's biggest oil producers, people in the country regularly suffer from shortages and high prices at the pump.
A ride on these solar-powered buses is not only cheaper, passengers have already picked up on other advantages.
Passenger 1 (speaking Hausa) : Honestly this one is far better than a regular car. This one is faster and makes no noise, it is wonderful.
Passenger 2: When I board this car, there is nothing like: "I am going into the station getting the fuel", whatever. I have to wait for the driver to get fuel. With this one I just go straight to my business or whatever I want to do within the city.
Passenger 3: (speaking Hausa) : I enjoy boarding this bus because it is silent and is cheap compared to other transport that uses petrol or gas.
Whenever I am going somewhere in this town I wait for this bus to come because it is fast and without delays.
DW: Mustapha currently employs a diverse team of engineers, mechanics, technicians and drivers. A welcome sign of recovery in a remote part of Nigeria that was plagued for more than a decade by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The insurgency may have seriously set back the regional economy, but Mustapha Gajibo is determined to realise his dream
He dropped out of university to start an electric revolution and named his company "Phoenix Renewables" after the mythical bird that rises from the ashes.
Mustapha Gajibo: The whole brand comes out of Borno State where there is no electricity, where there is no security and access to raw materials is very limited, access to technical manpower is very limited, but we are able to come up with this, such a technology and I believe that whatever is being built and designed out of problems tends to even be more stronger because it will withstand almost all the challenges.
DW: Mustapha is already looking beyond adapting combustion vehicles and throughout 2022, his team has been working on its own 12-seater pure electric bus that they have conceived and built from the ground up.
Earlier in 2022 he told us more about the project.
Mustapha Gajibo: We sat down and designed a full bus which will be locally built and fabricated here. So as you can see we have almost reached about 70 to 75 percent completion in the new bus that we are building. When this bus is fully finished it is going to be a 12-seater bus which can cover up to 200 kilometers on one charge and it's going to have all the features the latest vehicles in the world will have, including voice command systems.
DW: If it sounds like the 29 year-old is dreaming big, it's because he is. For example, to properly harness solar power, he wants to build a battery gigafactory in Africa.
Mustapha Gajibo aims to develop clean mobility solutions not only for Africa, but on a global scale.
For this young entrepreneur, it looks like the journey is only just beginning.
Development Commission Plans To Introduce EVs For Intra-state Transportation In Nigeria’s North East
by AriseNews 3rd Oct, 2024
NEDC plans to introduce electric vehicles in Northeast Nigeria in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to promote cleaner energy.
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) is to introduce electric vehicles in Northeast Nigeria in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to promote cleaner energy.
Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, who disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, after meeting with President Tinubu, said the commission conducted a thorough analysis of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles (e-vehicles) and concluded that e-vehicles are better suited for the region.
This decision, according to Alkali, was informed by plans to create modular solar power units across states, providing a standby power source for the e-vehicles.
He said the e-vehicle fleet will comprise three categories: e-buses designed for intra-state movements with a minimum capacity of 40 people per trip, e-taxis capable of carrying three people including the driver, and modified tricycles enhanced to carry eight people including the driver.
The commission, he further explained, prioritized local content, ensuring that vehicle bodies can be fabricated locally in the North East or other regions.
According to him: “We are here today to brief Mr President on one very critical activities he has approved which we had to engage in the last two months.
“As you can recall, there’s a directive from the President that cars as soon as possible should use CNG or electric vehicles, and we at the northeast development commission did a thorough analysis of our region, because we cover six states in Northeast Region, and look at the comparable advantage between CNG and e-vehicles.
“After our thorough analysis, we came to the conclusion that for the Northeast region, yes, the CNG could work, but e-vehicle can work better for many reasons.
“One is that our plan at end of day is to create modular solar power units across the state which can be used to power this percentage of e-vehicles.
“On that note, earlier on, we sought and got approval of the Presidency for us to go ahead and come up with the framework of how we are going to deploy this e-mobility in the northeast and what kind of e-mobility, etc, and Mr. President graciously gave approval, and today we came to present to him the kind of e-vehicles we are going to introduce in the Northeast.
“There are three categories. One is the E-busses, which can carry about 40 people or passengers at a given point in time, at the minimum, and that’s it for intrastate, not interstate. And also we brought some sample of e-taxis which normally will carry three people passengers as well as the driver, and we also brought in a highly modified tricycle.
“Most of the tricycle we have in the North East or elsewhere only carry three people plus the driver four, but in our case, we have modified it to carry eight people plus the driver, and it’s fully covered and very convenient, and we are also, knowing the kind of weight and people we are going to carry, we’ve asked our engineers to modify the physical structure of the the tricycle. when you look at it, you can see the tires are bigger, the prime are bigger, and so and so forth.
“Also, in doing that, we also consider local content that the body can be fabricated locally in the North East or somewhere else in the region. “So today we made a presentation to the President. And delightfully, the chairman is here and Mr. President approved that we should go ahead and deploy the e-mobility in the northeast in region”.
President Tinubu had approved the deployment of e-mobility in the Northeast, paving the way for a cleaner, more efficient transportation system.
Speaking on the potential of the Northeast, Alkali said the commission has developed comprehensive master plans that covers 11pillars that will fully activate action plan for the initiative.
The NEDC boss further stated that the Commission will engage stakeholders, specially the road transport workers thereby integrating their concerns and advises before the final stage of activating the e-vehicles across the Northeast states of Nigeria.
“We will engage stakeholders especially road transport workers to integrate their concerns and advises”, he added.
Stanley Nkwocha is the spokesman for Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Stanley Nkwocha @stanleynkwocha_
Vice President Kashim Shettima led the North East Development Commission (NEDC) management team to present new electric vehicles, tricycles, and charging stations procured by the commission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa yesterday.
The initiative aims to enhance transportation infrastructure in the North East region.
Islamic police in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano have started closing down sports betting shops, which they say are operating illegally.
“As you know betting is forbidden in Islam,” Mujahid Aminudeen, deputy chief of the Sharia police force, known as the Hisbah, told the BBC.
The crackdown was prompted by complaints from community leaders and parents, worried about the growing number of gambling addicts, he said.
On the first day of raids, 30 shops were closed in one suburb alone and their owners sent home with a warning, the Sharia officer said.
But Mr Aminudeen warned that now that the public was aware that the Hisbah was clamping down on gambling, those flouting the rules would be arrested.
Kano city is the capital of Kano state, which has a majority Muslim population and operates the Islamic legal system - Sharia - alongside secular law.
Bookmakers and bars tend to be allowed to operate in Kano's Christian neighbourhoods, though they too can face action if the Hisbah thinks Muslims are frequenting them.
However, the current crackdown is focused on Muslim areas of Kano, a sprawling city and the economic hub of northern Nigeria.
Sports betting shops can be found all over the city - most have televisions screens with customers watching the outcome of international football matches or horse races on which they have staked money.
Mr Aminudeen said such bookmakers had been able to operate under the radar as they had opened under false pretences.
“They don’t have licences to operate as they were given permission to run video games centres, which they later converted to betting shops," he said.
The sports betting industry has expanded dramatically in recent years across the West African nation, which is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and a largely Christian south.
Many people go to bookmakers - to enjoy the camaraderie of other gamblers - though mobile apps are also popular to wager on the outcome of events and teams.
Nigeria's crippling economic crisis has also meant people are willing to risk a small amount in the hope of winning big.
But this had led to widespread addiction and parents were even complaining that children were dropping out of school to gamble, Mr Aminudeen said.
“These economic issues we are facing in Nigeria is God telling us to change our ways by stopping sins," he said.
The raids on Tuesday had focused on Munjibir, considered a resort area in the north-east of the city - with visitors flocking there at weekends.
“I am advising those running those betting shops to either shut down or we’ll arrest them and take them to [a Sharia] court,” Mr Aminudeen said.
It is not clear what punishment they would face - often such infringements carry a fine.
Sharia was introduced in Kano in 2000 - as it was in 11 other Muslim-majority northern states - and prostitution, gambling and the consumption of alcohol were banned.
Okpebholo Visits Uzodimma, Says ‘We Have Blessings Of God, Oba Of Benin’
He also thanked the governor for his crucial role that led to his victory at the recently concluded September 21 governorship election.
By Eyitope Kuteyi October 2, 2024
Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Wednesday visited Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Imo State Government House in Owerri.
He was accompanied by his deputy, Honourable Dennis Idahosa; the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshimhole and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe.
Addressing Uzodimma in the Imo State capital, Okpebholo said he has the blessings of God and that of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.
He thanked the governor for his crucial role that led to his victory at the recently concluded September 21 governorship election.
“We are here with our leader, Adams Oshiomhole, in conjunction with my deputy and the state chairman of our party to say a big thank you to you.
“We contested election, and by his grace, we have won the election. We are here to tell you that the next step is to develop Edo State.
“We have the blessings of God and the blessings of the Oba of Benin. Today we are here to say thank you and extend his greetings to you,” Okpebholo said.
Responding, Governor Uzodimma said he will continue to support Okpebholo in his quest to deliver good governance to the people of Edo state.
Uzodimma, who is also Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, said he is happy to welcome Okpebholo to the PGF.
He charged the incoming governor to justify the confidence reposed on him at the polls.
I am deeply honored to have received the Governor-elect of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, along with the Deputy Governor-elect, Hon. Denis Idahosa, former National Chairman of our party, H.E. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and Hon. Jarrett Tenebe, the State Chairman of our party in Edo State.
This visit, coming after a hard-fought electioneering period, is a testament to the unity and strength of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, which stood by Senator Okpebholo throughout this journey. I expressed my profound appreciation for their commitment and congratulated Senator Okpebholo on his well-deserved victory at the polls.
As the people of Edo State have entrusted him with their mandate, I advised the Governor-elect to focus on delivering progressive governance that reflects the aspirations of the citizens. While reassuring him of our continued support, I noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also offered his fatherly blessings for the journey ahead and as such, I urged him to go all out and deliver.
Politics › Re: Ex-MKO Abiola's Campaign DG, Senator Jonathan Zwingina Dies At 70 by naptu2: 3:13pm On Oct 03, 2024
What have I ever hidden?
