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10 Must-Have Items To Keep In Your Vehicle
By FindADriver247
Perhaps you’ve been driving yourself for a long time? Or you just got your first car? The experience can be very exciting and at the same time intriguing. The joy of owning a car becomes short-lived when the car develops a fault on motion and you don’t have a personal driver. It feels like you’ve made a terrible mistake buying a car especially when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. But not to worry!
FindADriver247.com, Africa’s number one platform for hiring drivers on a monthly or daily basis shares 10 items that you must keep in your vehicles to assist you in the midst of car breakdown:
- A basic toolkit: You don’t want to weigh your car down too much, but you never know when an emergency might call for the use of a few basic tools, like screwdrivers, a tyre gauge, a jack and tools to help you remove a tyre. Your car might already come with a basic toolkit. Check your handbook for where to find it.
- A map: While you’re probably able to find your location using your mobile phone (only when safely parked of course), you know that you’re bound to have no battery just when you really need it. There’s no harm in keeping an old fashioned map in your boot just in case you find yourself getting lost without your phone to help you.
- A basic first aid kit: You never know when you might need to carry out some basic first aid while out on the road, whether it’s an accident you’ve been involved with, or one you’ve witnessed. Make sure you’ve always got items such as bandages, gauze, tape and disinfectant in the car.
- A spare in-car mobile phone charger: Especially if you’re a female driver driving alone, it’s crucial that you can call for help in an emergency, so always make sure you have a spare in-car charger in your car. You can buy a USB car charger quite cheaply, so all you have to do is connect the appropriate cable for your phone. Alternatively, you could get hold of a cheap spare mobile phone and keep it fully charged in your car in case you ever need it.
- A torch: This is a simple one but could really help if you find yourself in trouble when it’s dark, especially if there aren’t any street lights (especially when NEPA takes light).
- Warning triangles: If you break down you may find warning triangles helpful to warn approaching drivers of an obstruction in the road. Also, if you’re driving abroad, depending on the country you could end up with a fine if you don’t have warning triangles in your car.
- Spare engine coolant, oil and windscreen fluid: This one’s a no-brainer, especially if you regularly drive long distances. Make sure you check your oil, water, antifreeze and screen wash levels regularly to avoid coming into difficulties on a long journey. You should also keep some spare supplies in the car just in case you run out while away from home. Only check or top up your engine coolant when the engine is cold (i.e. you haven’t driven the car for a while), as it’s a pressurised container.
- Spare warm clothing: We all know how cold it can get during rainy season, so pack a jumper or two, or maybe a blanket, in case you’re stuck waiting in or out of your car for a while.
- The contact numbers for your insurance and towing companies: Again, don’t rely on your mobile phone for this one. Just note down the key numbers for both your insurance and towing companies (including both Customer Service and the Claims Line, plus the emergency numbers if there are any) on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere safe – perhaps in the glove box of the car.
- Jump leads: If you suddenly discover your car battery is dead, having a set of jump leads in your car will hopefully save you, providing a sympathetic driver stops to help, or you have someone to call who can come to your aid.
FindADriver247.com is Africa’s number one platform for hiring drivers to drive you in your vehicles anytime, anywhere and any day. The platform was created to eliminate the challenges associated with finding a reliable and trained driver as well as helping to provide vehicle owners with a plethora of payment plans to choose from.
With FindADriver247.com, except when it’s inevitable, you do not need to put any driver on a monthly salary; you can only pay for the days you use the services of a driver you hire on the platform. The platform also offers a replacement in case you don’t like a driver attached to you. In addition, vehicles and other properties of our customers are protected under relevant insurance policies that have been put in place in case of car theft by our drivers (which is highly improbable).
FindADriver247.com is owned and managed by Delivery Day Nigeria. All the drivers on our platform are staff of Delivery Day Nigeria, and are only available for daily or monthly hire at a very affordable rate. Drivers are available for hire on any of the following packages: Pay As You Use (Nightlife, Wedding & Party, Intra-city, and Inter-state); Permanent (Individual & Family); Corporate (Schools, SMEs, Multinationals & Public Sector).
This service is only available in Lagos at the moment.
By Dipo Olowookere
Residents and motorists plying the Aina Obembe Road in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, may soon heave a sigh of relief as the excruciating traffic gridlock being experienced in the area both day and night may soon be a thing of the past.
This is because the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, has directed those involved in indiscriminate truck parking along the road to remove the heavy-duty vehicles within one week, threatening to invoke appropriate enforcement measures for noncompliance with this directive.
Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday with the management of SENA Company, which owns the affected trucks, as well as the leadership of Oluwadara CDA and other key stakeholders like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), at the council’s secretariat, Mr Agbaje frowned at the prolonged inconvenience suffered by the community, stressing that public roads must remain accessible and safe for all users.
He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach in resolving the issue without undermining legitimate business operations, noting that he’s focused on finding a lasting solution to the gridlock experienced between Oluwaga and Aina Obembe, where parked trucks have continued to obstruct traffic, disrupt business activities, and pose safety concerns for residents and motorists.
He tasked the firm and the CDA to jointly identify and implement alternative parking arrangements that would remove all trucks from the affected roads and restore the free flow of traffic.
He declared that, “The welfare of our people remains our highest priority. No individual or corporate organisation should obstruct public infrastructure or create avoidable hardship for residents. We must ensure that economic activities coexist with public safety, order, and convenience.”
The council chief reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting orderly development, ensuring safe and accessible roads, improving traffic management, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive alongside the well-being of residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has cut import levies on new and used vehicles by as much as 10 per cent in a move aimed at reducing the cost of vehicle importation, even as it commenced the implementation of a new Green Tax surcharge.
According to an update issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, the import levy on new vehicles has been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The customs said the policy is designed to ease the cost of vehicle imports while advancing the government’s environmental sustainability objectives through the newly introduced Green Tax.
The implementation also reduces the overall import duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the Green Tax framework, a new environmental surcharge of between two per cent and four per cent will apply to petrol-powered vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc. However, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and passenger cars with engines below 2,000cc are exempt from the surcharge.
Beyond the automobile sector, the fiscal measures also lower import duties on several essential goods. The duty on imported rice has been reduced from 70 per cent to 47.5 per cent, while crude palm oil now attracts a 28.75 per cent duty.
In addition, import duties on agricultural and manufacturing machinery have been completely removed to support local production, while Waste PET has been added to the export prohibition list to encourage domestic recycling.
By Dipo Olowookere
Plans are underway to carry out a comprehensive data capture and registration exercise of all commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators within Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.
This move, according to the council chairman, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, is part of proactive measures to strengthen the security of lives and property across the Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The exercise, he said, would be executed in partnership with security agencies and transport unions.
On Tuesday, the council chief convened a high-level security meeting with leaders of commercial transport unions and key security stakeholders operating within the area.
Mr Agbaje expressed concern over the increasing influx of commercial motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (Keke) operators into the LCDA without proper documentation or profiling.
According to him, the absence of reliable records poses significant security challenges and could provide opportunities for criminal elements to infiltrate communities under the guise of commercial transportation.
He stressed that security is best achieved through preventive measures, noting that effective profiling and documentation remain essential tools in safeguarding residents and protecting the council from emerging security threats.
Mr Agbaje disclosed that under the new security framework, all Okada and Keke parks and operational locations across the LCDA would be officially documented, adding that every duly verified operator would receive an official identification jacket bearing a unique coded number to facilitate easy identification and monitoring.
He also said a mandatory guarantor system will be introduced to strengthen accountability, ensuring that every registered rider has a verifiable guarantor who can be contacted whenever necessary.
The chairman noted that these measures are designed not only to improve security coordination but also to protect law-abiding commercial operators and discourage criminal activities within the council.
Leaders of the various transport unions welcomed the initiative, noting that proper documentation will distinguish genuine operators from criminal elements, enhance public confidence, and promote a safer working environment for commercial transporters.
Also, the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of Ayobo and Ipaja Commands commended the initiative, describing it as a timely and commendable step towards strengthening community policing. They reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to working closely with the council to ensure full compliance and sustain peace and public order.
