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It can be two-door, four-door, hatchback, or sports coupe, compact vehicles have become the option for many Abuja car users, as a result of the increase in the pump price of petrol.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) investigations reveal that many car owners in the nation’s capital are selling off or abandoning their big cars in preference to compact ones.

They are snapping up small cars not only because they are cheaper to own, but also typically more fuel efficient

Some vehicle dealers who spoke with NAN confirmed that small car sales are outpacing the rest of the market, since the fuel subsidy removal.

Mr Sankay Yagbaza, Manager of a car stand in Dawaki, said his frequenters now asked for cars like Kia Picanto, Forte, Suzuki Swift, Grand Vitara, Toyota matrix, Nissan Micra and other low fuel consumption cars.

‘The high fuel price has humbled buyers, a lot of people even prefer to join public transport these days, rather than drive their own cars.

‘Before now, cars like picanto and matrix were mostly
bought by women or beginners. People buy them to master the act of driving before buying bigger cars.

‘But, men are buying them now, because they just need a small car that will not consume much fuel to move them around.”

Mr John Eze, a car stand manager at Airport Road, said his patrons have been asking more of small cars, adding that he had exhausted the compact cars available in his stand.

‘It is the desire of most Nigerians now, to own cars that has low fuel consumption, such as Honda Civic and the small Toyota Corolla.

Another car dealer in Garki, Mr Usman Sombo, said that he has lost so much patronage because he did not have compact cars in stock.

‘I used to sell between eight and 10 cars in a month, but since the fuel subsidy removal, the sale has dropped to two or three cars in a month.

As you can see around, I deal more on big cars. Because of low patronage, it has been difficult for me to raise funds to stock compact cars which are now in vogue.

‘Most of the customers we receive in our stand
are asking for compact cars because of their fuel efficiency.

‘They also consider the cost of the compact cars, which ranges between N4 million to N6 million, depending on the make and grade,° the Tokunbo car dealer said.

A civil servant, Mr Lawrence Ogunleye, who spoke with NAN at the Federal Secretariat car park, explained why he opted for a small car.

‘Before owning this Kia Picanto, I drove a Toyota Venza, which I have now packed and reserve for long journey.

‘ I come to the office and move around with this small car now, and it has saved me a lot of money on fuel.

‘Although I feel less safe in the small car while driving on the highway, compared to the Venza, but it has its own advantages.

‘Besides the less fuel mileage, it is easier to move around narrow streets, easy to park and cheaper to own.

The car is more maneuverable, better handled and it is a lot more fun to drive,’ he said.

Mr Samson Ugwuoke, another civil servant said his Toyota Matrix has been serving him well, with average fuel cons
umption of N25,000 weekly from his house in Dutse to his office, at the Federal Secretariat, a distance of about 20 kilometres.

‘The car is helping me a lot, and I still pick passengers to and from work to help me cover the cost of fuel,’ he said

Mrs Mary Jatau,a teacher said she bought a Nissan Micra in July 2023 and it has been serving her well.

‘All I need is just N20,000 fuel for a whole week. I go to work, market and still drop off my kids in school.

‘Before now, you hardly see my husband drives the car. But now, he competes with me, to the extent that I sometimes hide the key.

‘My husband’s Lexus 330 Jeep has become a burden to him because of the high cost of fuel,’ she said.

Mr Victor Agbo, a lecturer, said he sold his Nissan Pathfinder SUV for a hybrid car, Toyota Camry which uses petrol and electric.

‘When the car is running on petrol, it charges itself. Once it is charged, it will switch from fuel to electric, while driving at the speed of at least, 50km per hour.

‘I have been using the car
for about eight months now, it has not given me any serious issues,’ he said.

An Auto Engineer, Sylvester Edosa, said most compact cars come with small engines that do not require much fuel, ‘they are light and the engine loads are also not heavy.

‘While the big cars are more powerful in elegance and prestige, rugged and suitable on rough roads that we have in Nigeria, they consume a lot of fuel and are costlier to maintain.

‘Driving compact cars, therefore, has several benefits, like being more fuel-efficient and taking up less room. They are also more comfortable to drive because of how small and manageable they are,’ he said

The expert added that the modern compact cars, which are common in Europe, have more upright seating position making them comfortable for anyone, irrespective of the size.

Edosa, therefore advised Nigerians to go for compact cars, instead of the big ones, in order to cushion the effects of fuel price hike.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

An advocacy expert, Mrs Margaret Olele, says the cultural, moral and ethical values in children are fast degenerating, calling on parents to pay more attention to their children’s development.

Olele said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos, while discussing her debut book – Corals of Youth.

According to her, in the past, Nigerian parents pride themselves in being able to inculcate strong ethical values which shaped the growth of children from childhood to adulthood.

‘Parents adopt various methods to train their children, including storytelling, extended family relationships, religious beliefs, love and attention from both parents.’

She said that poor parenting and peer pressure were driving the deterioration of ethical values and breeding social vices among youths.

Olele further called for improvement in the nation’s educational system, saying this was critical to shaping the future generations.

‘One thing that was common back then was parents bringing their ch
ildren from outside the country to schools in Nigeria.

‘Nigerian schools then, both secondary and university, were highly rated.

‘It’s a pity how the tables turned and Nigerians now spend millions of dollars to ensuring that their children have the best education,’ she said.

According to her, people have sold their cars and houses and gone into great debt to achieve this.

NAN reports that in ‘Corals of Youth’, Olele masterfully weaves a narrative that follows a young protagonist’s journey as she navigates the challenges of adolescence and grapples with her cultural identity.

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The book captures the essence of what it means to be young and female, to be unique, and to find one’s place in the world.

Olele said the book explores the intersection of cultures, traditions, including the role of women and identities, illuminating the universal challenges and joy of growing up.

She said the book would be launched at the Africa Creative Market, from Se
pt. 17 to Sept. 20, at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A 65 litres water capacity cylinder of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which cost N3,500 to fill, will take a car from Abuja to Kaduna, a distance of about 191km, an expert has said

Mr Mas`ud Ya`u , an Engineer and Manager of ABG Conversion Centre, Dawaki, one of the Federal Government’s accredited CNG conversion centres in the Federal Capital Territory, disclosed this to newsmen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Ya’u spoke when the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi) undertook an inspection tour and distribution of CNG conversion kits to six centres in Abuja

In an interview with newsmen after the inspection of his centre, Ya’u said: ‘CNG is safe, as the gas tank is fire and bullet proofed and the thickness of the tank is between 15mm and 20mm.

”65 litres water capacity of CNG will cover 170km to 200km distance, which means it can conveniently take you from Abuja to Kaduna.

‘To fill CNG of 65 litres water capacity will cost N3,500,’ he said

NAN reports that the driving distance between Abuja and
Kaduna is 191km, and it takes approximately two hours 30 minutes.

NAN also reports that a car using petrol, will use approximately 20 litres of pms to cover the same distance, costing N17,940 at N897 official pump price in FCT.

Ya’u said CNG also improved engine performance and extends its longevity

According to the Engineer, before conversion, if it takes three months to service a car, after conversion it will extend to five months before servicing without affecting the oil viscosity.

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Ya’u said the CNG conversion process is a division of labour and they usually convert about four cars in a day at the centre.

‘The process involves installation of the kits in the engine with gas cylinders in the trunk of the vehicle

‘We also conduct detailed inspection to determine if the car is standard enough for conversion,’ he said.

At Mijo Gas Auto, another conversion centre in FCT, the head of the centre, Mr Gaurav Goyal, described CNG as v
ery safe and clean.

‘We want every Nigerian to go green. CNG is a good initiative for bringing down the price of PMS, with a spiral effect of reduction in prices of foods, commodities and other items,’ he said.

Speaking at another conversion centre, Udechukwu Ejike, a Bolt driver whose car is being worked on said: ‘I’m doing this because petrol price is higher than CNG.

‘For instance, in a day, I buy petrol of about N25,000 to N30,000, but with CNG I am to spend between N3,500 and N7,000.

‘I am happy with this initiative, and I advise everyone to consider converting their vehicles from petrol usage to CNG. It is very cheap and good,’ he said.

NAN reports that the six conversion centres inspected by the team are, NIPCO Oil and Gas Station Airport Road, Kia Motors at Utako, Mijo Gas Auto in Jahi, ABG CNG, Kubwa, Bovas Filling station, Wuse Zone 5 and CandL Mart Energy Solutions Ltd at Lokogoma,

Earlier, Mr Micheal Oluwagbemi, leader of the inspection team and Programme Director, Presidential CNG Initiativ
e (PCNGi) said the programme would provide cheaper and cleaner vehicle fueling alternative for Nigerians.

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‘President Bola Tinubu has assured that we are making one million conversion kits available for free to the commercial sector and at reasonable discounts for the private vehicles

He said Nigeria had been subsidising petrol to the tune of 10 billion dollars a year, consistently in the last 15 years and every single dollar of that had been borrowed.

‘A country that has the largest gas reserve in the world, should has no business consuming petrol and diesel to the level we are doing,’ he said.

Oluwagbemi assured that the initiative would address the economic sabotage of smuggling petrol across the nation’s borders.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has commenced the distribution of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion kits nationwide, to fasttrack the change of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to use of CNG.

Mr Micheal Oluwagbemi, Programme Director, Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi) disclosed this during an inspection tour and distribution of the kits to six CNG conversion centres in Abuja

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the six conversion centres inspected by the team are, NIPCO Oil and Gas Station Airport Road, Kia Motors at Utako, Mijo Gas Auto in Jahi, ABG CNG, Kubwa, Bovas Filling station, Wuse Zone 5 and CandL Mart Energy Solutions Ltd at Lokogoma.

Oluwagbemi said the CNG initiative by President Bola Tinubu would provide cheaper and cleaner vehicle fueling alternatives for Nigerians.

‘The President has assured us that we are making one million conversion kits available for free for the commercial sector or at reasonable discounts for the private vehicles.

‘This is to enable transportation fare to
be moderated across the country over the next couple of years.

‘Of course, it is.technically and logistically tasking to get the kits across to Nigerians because the kits must be installed in these vehicles and they have to be done in a way that is safe and reliable as well,’ he said.

The coordinator said the federal government had signed up with over 75 conversion partners officially in eight states including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kogi, FCT, and Kaduna.

‘These eight states are the ones where the conversion incentive program has kicked off. In the next six to eight weeks, we’ll be having additional nine states.

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The states to be included are, Kwara, Ekiti. Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Kano, and Niger.

‘These states will be joining the category of states where we have activated the program,’ he said.

Oluwagbemi said they were working with governors and the private sector to ensure the conversion kits were made available to beneficiaries.

‘
Of course, these kits are not manufactured in Nigeria at the moment. We are also enabling local manufacturers with capacity to ensure that we get them done locally.

‘We need to make sure that we move the nation’s economy in the right direction; Away from our addiction to petrol and diesel which truly is making the nation’s economy bankrupt,’ he said.

For her part, the Coordinator of Business Development and Strategy of the initiative, Mrs Omolara Obileye said the programme would reduce the dependence on fuel.

She reiterated that while the commercial transporters would have 100 per cent conversion-free, private cars are expected to pay a fraction of the cost of the conversion,

‘However, the cost depends on the vehicle size because there are different types of vehicles, and there is a need to understand exactly what we need to configure in the system.

‘We have over 12 conversion centres in the FCT; we will continue to increase the number and update the public,’ she said

Representatives of the management o
f the conversion centres, respectively commended the Federal government for the initiative and assured that it would go a long way in ameliorating sufferings if Nigerians.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society has begun the planting of over 1,000 soursop trees across the country, as part of activities to mark this year’s Eid-el- Maulud (commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad).

The National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah, Shiek Fuad Adeyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Society had launched the ‘Project Make It Green’ on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the initiative aims at promoting a green friendly environment in line with the dictates of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH.

The cleric explained that 1,000 of the trees would be planted in Abuja and environs, while the remaining would be planted in designated areas across the country.

‘As we commemorate this year’s Maulud, we want the entire world to know what the Prophet Muhammad stood for, his missions and his messages.

‘I think part of his greatest messages is the sustenance and conservation of the environment.

‘The Prophet has given us lots of lessons and teachings as far as environment is concerned,’ he said.

Adeyem
i said that planting trees as encouraged by the Prophet will go a long way in addressing issues of climate change and other disasters like the recent floods in Maiduguri.

‘The Prophet mentioned that we should plant trees and that animals that eat from it, humans that eat from it, people that stay under their shades would be counted as ‘Sadakat-ud-Jariyya’, for us, both here and in the hereafter.

‘Also, if one look at the Maiduguri flood, it is 70% environmental related issue. Had it been we are proactive and listen to the messages of Prophet Muhammad I don’t believe this thing will have happened,’ Adeyemi said.

He said that the choice of the soursop tree is due to the fact that medically the leaf cures so many sickness and the fruit is also very valuable.

The Imam admonished Nigerians to cultivate the habit of planting trees as encouraged by the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet to mitigate some of the environmental challenges facing the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria