News
Dangote moves into CNG *Sinks $280million into new technology
Done with an ambitious the $20billion Dangote Refineries, Nigeria and Africa’s first private entity currently pumping out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol from its facility in Lagos, the Dangote Group, the conglomerate behind the feat, has delved into the business of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), to mass-produce vehicles that could run on the technology.
The new move, announced by Dangote Cement Plc, one of the companies under the umbrella of the group, owned by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, said at the weekend that it has made significant investments exceeding $280 million in technology and infrastructure, an area Nigerians are actually relying on to save them from the nightmare of the high cost of petrol, which has hit the rooftops in recent years, especially since the arrival of President Bola Tinubu as President.
The investments which have made it the operator of the largest fleet of CNG trucks, is in line with the drive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for use of cheaper and cleaner energy by Nigerians, the company said on Sunday, in a statement.
Upbeat about Tinubu’s commitment to CNG deployment and clean energy, which it claimed was “unmatched in Africa,” particularly his administration’s drive to creating a conducive environment for private sector investments and expanding Nigeria’s CNG infrastructure to enhance energy efficiency and drive economic growth, said it was the spur that fired the initiative.
Pointing to the President’s initiative, where he ordered the distribution of one million free CNG conversion kits for commercial vehicles involved in transporting people, food, and goods, and recalled his emphasis on the urgent need for Nigeria to utilise its vast natural gas resources in the transportation sector, the company, agreed that CNG transportation remained an economic necessity for Nigeria, signalling a significant shift in the country’s approach to public transportation and energy use.
Stressing that the hefty investment of over $280m not only solidified its leadership in the CNG sector but also reflected its dedication to mitigating climate change and supporting a transition to a low-carbon economy, the statement quoted Arvind Pathak, Group Managing Director, as saying the investment was aimed at acquiring 100 per cent CNG trucks as part of a long-term plan to transition its entire fleet to CNG.
“This move marks a significant milestone in Dangote’s clean energy transition, with the objective of operating most of its fleet on CNG by mid-2026. As at this month (October), the company has received its first batch of 1,500 mono-fuel CNG trucks while expecting additional 1,600 CNG trucks; totalling 3,100 before the end of the year,” the statement, stated.
It added: “By mid- 2026, Dangote Cement aims to operate a fleet predominantly powered by CNG. To facilitate this transformation, we are investing in expanding our CNG fuelling infrastructure, ensuring that our growing fleet has reliable access to CNG as our fuel.
“He said plans are afoot to aggressively pursue this timeline of deployment, beginning from the first quarter of next year. We are keeping our eyes on the ball to ensure that we do not miss our target dates of full compliance.
“The company’s CNG infrastructure investments have positively influenced Nigeria’s transition to cleaner fuels. He added that the CNG station at Obajana, capable of refuelling over 3,000 trucks, exemplifies this commitment, with a second station currently under development in Ibese to support fleet operations.”
The statement, also quoted Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the conglomerate as saying that the company’s investments in CNG were also in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2060.
His words: “In this pursuit of transition to clean energy, we are optimistic of a remarkable accomplishment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he has taken the lead in the nation’s drive towards energy efficiency. This presupposes private sector intervention to support this noble idea initiated by the President.
“The company’s early adoption of CNG has made it the largest operator of CNG trucks in Nigeria, emphasising that the initiative is a boost to President Tinubu’s quest towards enhancing the nation’s energy independence and contributing to a more secure energy future. We are now using CNG vehicles, especially with the new policy of the Federal Government, launched under the Renewed Hope Agenda by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are committed to a cleaner and greener future.”
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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