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Dangote Cement Re-trains Truck Drivers for Operational Efficiency
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To boost operation efficiency, Dangote Cement Plc has organised a training session for its truck drivers at an event tagged 2025 Annual Drivers’ Retreat.
The training exercise for the drivers at its factory in Ibese, Ogun State, took place in Ilaro, with over 900 drivers in attendance. Another extensive re-training exercise for more drivers has been scheduled to take place in Obajana, Kogi State next week.
The Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Mr Arvind Pathak, said the cement giant was committed to training and constant retraining of its truck drivers for safe driving across Nigeria.
He emphasised that as a leading cement manufacturer with thousands of trucks in its fleet, safety on the road remains the company’s core mandate, noting that the essence of the yearly training is to remind the drivers of the core values of the brand and ensure that they are all committed to the Absolute Safer Road Policy of the Group.
Mr Pathak reaffirmed the company’s commitment to road safety, transparency, appropriate ethical conduct, and provision of detailed clarity on the comprehensive systems and procedures to mitigate against any incident along roads across the country.
According to him, Dangote Cement is a responsible organisation that consistently cooperates with the police and other relevant authorities in the investigation of reported incidents with support of all lawful processes, aimed at establishing the facts and routinely implement recommendations that strengthen public safety.
He explained that that every driver employed by Dangote Cement is required to undergo an extensive and rigorously structured recruitment process that includes Valid Driver’s license class G, background verification of both the driver and their guarantors, comprehensive medical evaluation, including vision screening (eye test), blood pressure checks, body mass index (BMI), random blood sugar (RBS) test as well as drug and alcohol testing.
“Other recruitment screening covers usage within a three-month detection window, ensuring identifying any history of substance use before employment, completion of a two-week intensive training programme, which consists of twelve safety modules, practical driving assessments, and written examinations,” Mr Pathak stated.
“In the past two months alone, over 2,000 prospective drivers have successfully completed this process. Only those who meet all required standards were engaged and certified to operate any Dangote Group vehicles. Our commitment to safety extends beyond recruitment. All drivers undergo mandatory pre-trip medical assessments, conducted by licensed nurses and doctors.
“These include regular checks on blood pressure, vision, and overall fitness, ensuring drivers are physically and mentally fit to operate safely. To enforce compliance with our zero-tolerance policy on substance use, random drug tests are conducted routinely across our operations,” he disclosed.
Mr Pathak stated that Dangote Cement would continue to collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other regulatory agencies to ensure that all training, compliance, and operational processes are not only standardised but also continuously improved, adding that these authorities are also actively involved in monitoring and evaluation of their safety practices.
He maintained that the cement miller remains fully committed to strengthening driver onboarding and training, enforcing strict safety and behavioural standards, applying punitive measures to curb errant driving, collaborating with government agencies, regulators, and communities to improve road safety, ensuring transparency, accountability, and compassion in everything they do.
Also addressing the assembled drivers, the Group Chief, Health Safety Social and Environment Officer & Sustainability function, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Dr James Adenuga stressed the importance of safety protocols and noted that the process was not just to train the drivers on the consequences but to continuously remind them of essentials of safety guides.
Mr Adenuga further stated that the regular training was to educate them in the language they understand and teach them how the training matters to them. He gave insights on the measures put in place to ensure the right individuals are recruited as drivers, saying some of the qualifications for recruiting the drivers included minimum of secondary school certificate, ability to speak English language with writing and reading skills, free of substance abuse, 2-5 years driving experience, possession of Class-G drivers’ license, guarantors and rigorous training among other measures.
“We also partner Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to train and prepare them for professional driving so as to equip and give them the basics and fundamentals to prevent them for reckless driving. We equally have a process to give recognition and award to those that profess conduct and good behaved drivers among their peers,” he added.
Taking the drivers through some requirements for safe driving, a Road Safety Expert, Mr Oje Ebhota explained that the choice of the topic for his paper centred on safety driving habits for accident-free journeys.
Mr Ebhota listed acts such as aggressiveness, impatient driving, use of phone while driving, taking alcoholic drink and disobedience to traffic signs, as negatives against the tenet of safe driving.
He advised the assembled drivers to be conscious of dangerous overtaking and to drive within the driving limit of 60km per hour so that they do not veer off the road and cause accidents that could affect negatively other road users.
According to him, “let me tell you all, drivers are the ambassadors of Dangote Group. Aside being ambassadors, you are also stakeholders that should be careful and consider other road users as important while on the road.”
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InDrive Fetes Abuja Drivers in Ramadan Shukran Campaign
InDrive, a leading global ride-hailing platform operating in nine African countries, is celebrating Ramadan season with a targeted driver appreciation programme in Abuja, tagged’Ramadan Shukran campaign’, with active Muslim drivers on the platform to receive curated food hampers and personalised thank-you cards.
The initiative, designed to strengthen the company’s relationship with its driver community at a time when many are working long hours while observing the fast, is not based on financial incentives or performance-based rewards but on practical support for the month and a direct expression of appreciation for the role drivers play in the platform’s daily operations.
Four Abuja-based Muslim content creators who understand the social and religious considerations of the period have been delivering 200 hampers across key districts in the city. The hampers, which contain everyday Ramadan essentials to support suhoor and iftar, including staple foods and beverages commonly consumed during the fasting period, come in warm-toned Ramadan packaging and include a handwritten-style card from Indrive with the message “Shukran,” which means thank you.
Each creator is assigned a specific coverage area to ensure broad reach and local relevance, with deliveries taking place around prayer times and fasting schedules, which are captured with the participating drivers’ consent. The campaign, serving as a broader positioning goal to publicly recognise drivers through creator-led storytelling, will further reinforce inDrive’s people-first identity and increase awareness among drivers who are not currently on the platform.
The campaign reflects inDrive’s deliberate shift toward relationship-building through culturally relevant engagement during one of the most significant periods in the Muslim calendar.
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Glovo Unveils New Road Safety Feature for Safety of Nigerian Riders
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To enhance the safety of riders in Nigeria, a leading multicategory technology company, Glovo, has launched a new road safety feature on its mobile application.
The initiative was introduced in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). It was designed to address key challenges in Nigeria’s fast-growing e-commerce and mobility ecosystem by implementing data-driven preventive measures to enhance road safety.
Also, Glovo has concluded plans with the FRSC to organise a road safety training. This has already been done in Lagos, with the training coming to Abuja on Friday, strengthening rider protection and road safety standards across Nigeria.
The Interim General Manager for Glovo Nigeria, Ms Reni Onafeko, said the new feature reflects the company’s long-term investment in safety, innovation, and responsible business growth in Nigeria.
Ms Onafeko explained that the feature combines advanced technology with structured training to ensure safer roads for riders and the broader public, highlighting the feature’s voluntary opt-in nature, explaining that riders can use it to improve their safety.
“The launch of this new feature reflects our commitment to building a culture of prevention rather than reaction. By equipping riders with real-time data about their riding behaviour, we are empowering them to make safer decisions every day. This initiative is about protection, education, and continuous improvement.
“Our approach combines innovation, partnership, and human-centred design. We are not just introducing a feature; we are reinforcing our responsibility to protect the people who power our platform every day.
“By working closely with regulators and organising safety training for riders, we are contributing to safer roads and a more sustainable ecosystem in Nigeria,” she stated.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation Education and Innovation, Mr Oluwatobi Idowu, noted that the training was a good initiative by Glovo Nigeria, urging riders to take advantage of the unique opportunity to familiarise themselves with the necessary safety rules while driving.
On his part, the Assistant Corps Commander for the Lagos Sector Command of the FRSC, Mr Philip Ogah, who represented the Lagos State Sector Commander, Mr Kehinde G. Hamzat, commended Glovo Nigeria for facilitating a refresher course for riders.
He noted that the training was necessary to help riders be really conscious about their safety, stating that it was better for them to be equipped with such interactive safety tools.
“There are levels of preparation before driving on the road. As a rider, learning is key and a continuous process. This kind of training makes you more informed as you drive.
“As a technological platform, it is good to see that Glovo keeps on ensuring that riders are trained to have a better usage of and better behaviour on Nigerian roads,” the FRSC chief in Lagos stated.
Also speaking, the Head of Operations at Glovo Nigeria, Oluwaseun Okugboye-Bello, explained that the introduction of the safety feature on the Glovo app has become an essential new addition for riders’ self-improvement while collaborating with the platform, noting that it was incorporated into the app to protect riders, commuters, and pedestrians.
At the end of the training session, certificates were presented to 70 participants.
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LAMATA to Boost Red Line Rail Capacity With 24 New Coaches
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has announced plans to deploy 24 new coaches to boost the capacity of the Red Line rail by the third quarter of 2026.
In a Wednesday statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, LAMATA said it acknowledged recent reports and social media footage highlighting passenger discomfort on the Oyingbo-Agbado train service due to technical issues affecting the air conditioning system.
It noted that the plan to provide the 24 new coaches forms part of its long-term strategy to enhance capacity, comfort and service reliability.
“We sincerely apologise to our valued commuters for the heat and inconvenience experienced during their journey.
“As part of our long-term strategy to enhance capacity, comfort, and service reliability, LAMATA is pleased to announce the expected delivery and operationalisation of additional rolling stock by the third quarter of 2026.
“The new acquisition will comprise three train sets, each with eight coaches, bringing a total of 24 additional coaches to strengthen the existing fleet and improve passenger experience across the Red Line corridor,” the organisation stated.
The statement further revealed that the agency has deployed a technical team to diagnose and resolve the cooling system’s failure to return affected coaches to optimal operating conditions.
“In the immediate term, our technical and engineering teams have been deployed to diagnose and resolve the root cause of the cooling system failure. Restoration works are ongoing, and efforts are being intensified to return the affected coaches to optimal operating condition as swiftly as possible.
“LAMATA remains firmly committed to delivering safe, efficient, and world-class rail services. We continue to take proactive measures to minimise technical disruptions and improve overall service quality.
“We appreciate the patience, understanding, and continued support of the public as we complete these essential repairs. The comfort, safety, and well-being of all passengers remain central to our operations,” the statement concluded.
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