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Biden, Macron, Others Accused of Aiding Uber’s Unfair Practices
By Adedapo Adesanya
The President of the United States, Joe Biden and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron have been named in leaked confidential files that show that global mobility tech company, Uber, flouted laws, duped authorities, and secretly lobbied governments to drive its growth.
According to the Guardian, “more than 124,000 documents – known as the Uber files – lays bare the ethically questionable practices that fuelled the company’s transformation into one of Silicon Valley’s most famous exports.”
It was disclosed that the leak spans a five-year period when Uber was run by its co-founder Travis Kalanick, who tried to force the cab-hailing service into cities around the world, using methods that breached laws and taxi regulations.
Unlike Mr Biden, Mr Macron was a focal point as it was revealed that there were texts between Mr Kalanick and Mr Macron, who secretly helped the company in France when he was economy minister, allowing Uber frequent and direct access to him and his staff.
The French president, according to the leaks, appeared to have gone to extraordinary lengths to help Uber, even telling the company he had brokered a secret “deal” with its opponents in the French cabinet.
For an instance, during taxi strikes and riots in Paris, Mr Kalanick ordered French executives to retaliate by encouraging Uber drivers to stage a counter-protest with mass civil disobedience.
The leaked emails suggest that such a strategy was repeated in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. For example, when masked men, reportedly angry taxi drivers, attacked Uber drivers with knuckle-dusters and a hammer in Amsterdam in March 2015, Uber used the violence to try to win concessions from the Dutch government.
The leak also showed that Uber executives expressed disdain for other elected officials who accepted and those who were sceptical of the company’s business model.
The leak revealed that when the then US vice-president, Mr Biden, a supporter of Uber at the time, was late to a meeting with the company at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Mr Kalanick texted a colleague: “I’ve had my people let him know that every minute late he is, is one less minute he will have with me.”
After the German chancellor, Mr Olaf Scholz, who was mayor of Hamburg at the time, pushed back against Uber lobbyists and insisted on paying drivers a minimum wage, an executive told colleagues he was “a real comedian”.
In a statement responding to the leak, Uber admitted to “mistakes and missteps”, but said it had been transformed since 2017 under the leadership of its current chief executive, Mr Dara Khosrowshahi.
“We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values,” it said. “Instead, we ask the public to judge us by what we’ve done over the last five years and what we will do in the years to come.”
The Guardian led the global investigation into the leaked Uber files, sharing the data with media organisations around the world via the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
More than 180 journalists at 40 media outlets including France’s Le Monde, USA’s Washington Post and the BBC will in the coming days publish a series of investigative reports about the tech giant.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to creating an eco-friendly state with fewer cars on the roads in the future.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said this during a presentation at the closing of the fifth Lagos Real Estate Marketplace Conference and Exhibitions in Lagos.
Mr Osiyemi said that the commitment is in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s led administration, expressing concerns that traffic congestion costs the state trillions of Naira in budget deficits annually.
The transportation commissioner noted that the heavy reliance on road transportation, which accounts for 90 per cent of travel in Lagos, is unacceptable and unsustainable.
The Commissioner stated that water and rail transportation account for only two per cent of the means of transportation, highlighting their gross underutilisation.
Mr Osiyemi emphasised that every sector in the state must be robust enough to contribute significantly to the wellbeing of its residents, as Lagos accounts for 30 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
He expressed the state’s readiness to maximise the use of intermodal transportation system, to help upscale socio-economic activities in the metropolis and reduce man-hour loss to traffic.
In a panel discussion, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Ms Titilayo Oshodi, emphasised the need for the state and its stakeholders to adopt a purposeful approach to waste management.
Ms Oshodi highlighted the importance of a circular economy in recycling, repurposing and reusing waste effectively.
She noted that several policies were already in place in the state for managing waste, urging producers and manufacturers across various sectors to collaborate with the state government to contribute to carbon reduction efforts.
Other panellists including Ms Stella Okengwu, Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes, said that the current economic situation calls for housing to be built based on clear demand that aligns with people’s budgets while Mr John Oamen, Co-founder of Cutstruct, urged the state government to promote the digitisation of construction procurement.
This, he added, would enhance the efficiency and practices of the construction and real estate sectors.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
There are plans by Heirs Insurance to introduce insurance products tailored for vehicle owners, a statement from the underwriting firm has disclosed.
According to the subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, this low-cost motor insurance package known as the Flexi Comprehensive Motor Insurance Plan will provide the benefit of a comprehensive motor insurance plan for a fraction of the cost, addressing the financial realities many Nigerians face.
The underwriting company announced the plan to introduce this package as it launched a new campaign designed to reward its customers.
This initiative themed Unwrapping Smiles will bring hope to individuals, families, and communities this holiday season, and will run from December 10 to December 31, 2024.
It will feature community-focused outreaches, including Christmas gifts and exciting rewards to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. It will also include the launch of a holiday-watch web film known as The Underwriters for all Nigerians to enjoy.
“At Heirs Insurance Group, we are committed to providing much more than insurance. In a season when many Nigerians seek hope and reasons to smile, we are proud to offer initiatives that inspire and uplift,” the Chief Marketing Officer of Heirs Insurance, Ms Ifesinachi Okpagu, said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) claims that investments in championing the CNG value chain have hit $450 million.
This was disclosed by Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, Project Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PCNGi, during the 9th Edition of the Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF2024) Day 2, Virtual Event themed Energising Sustainable Industrialisation.
According to the PCNGi CEO, the amount goes into things like mother stations, daughter stations and refuelling stations as well as conversion centres which are starting to spring up across the nation.
Mr Oluwagbemi, represented by Mr Tosin Coker, the Head of Commercial, PCNGi, said the initiative had successfully converted more than 10,000 vehicles from petrol to CNG.
“By 2027, the initiative will have converted more than one million vehicles using petrol to CNG,” he said.
On incidents of explosion of vehicles using CNG, the CEO assured Nigerians that it had taken precautionary measures with different agencies of government to ensure safety.
Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, National Coordinator of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), managed by UNDP, said the SGP was investing in youth energy innovation for economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Mr Daniel Adeuyi, NEF Group Chairman, said, “The event featured three super sessions on Energising Industrial Revolution, Community Climate Action by GEF-SGP UNDP and Clean Energy Innovations.
“The sessions are to share lessons learnt from real-life projects and build capacity of young entrepreneurs and cross-industry professionals.”
Mr Joseph Osanipin, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), said that the council had trained more than 4,000 auto technicians on how to convert petrol vehicles to CNG.
He said the council had started campaigns to sensitise Nigerians on the advantages of using CNG to power their vehicles.
“CNG can guarantee a cleaner environment, it is cheaper and affordable,” he said.
Mr Oluwatobi Ajayi, the Chairman and Managing Director of Nord Automobile Ltd., said the company was established to tackle the growing demand for vehicles in Africa and reduce import dependency.
He said that because of the Federal Government’s CNG initiative, the company had incorporated it into their vehicle production to meet up with the government policy.
Mr Armstrong Tankan, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), said that MOFI was set up in 1959 as the statutory vehicle to hold all the assets owned by the federal government.
“Today, we’ve been able to identify the assets the federal government owns and we are trying to track them.
‘We actually do have assets, not just locally but globally as well and we must establish visibility over what the federal government owns before we can start talking about managing them.
“So, we want to try to minimise the waste, minimise the overlaps and help to improve output,” he said.
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