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Mecho Autotech Sources $2.15m from Future Africa, Others

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Mecho Autotech

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerian vehicle repair and maintenance startup, Mecho Autotech, has raised a $2.15 million seed funding round to expand its capacities and acquire more customers.

The seed round was oversubscribed by 300 per cent and featured participation from Future Africa, Hoaq Capital, Cathexis Ventures, V8 Capital, Silver Squid and Tekedia Capital.

The company has both workshop – Mecho Shops – and mobile service – Mecho Mobile – capabilities, and has so far onboarded over 7,000 third-party mechanics to its platform.

Mecho Autotech will now use the capital to expand its multi-channel service capacity, engineering team, and marketing budget for B2C acquisition.

Last year, in the same year it was established, the company was a participant in the S21 batch of the Y Combinator accelerator, and raised funding from Ingressive Capital.

The startup has so far built three Mecho Shops across Lagos and will continue to expand this capacity.

Its B2B customers include some of Nigeria’s largest corporate fleets including Uber partner Moove, Tolaram Group, and UAC Group, while the startup aims to grow in B2C via a subscription service model and individual service requests.

Moreover, Mecho is developing a spare parts value chain that has already served over 100 third-party mechanics and several large ticket inventory purchases for B2B customers.

According to Mr Olusegun Owoade, the chief executive officer of the company, there will be further automation of the industry in order to make things easier for Nigerians.

“When you consider the state of Nigeria’s used cars and our roads, car maintenance isn’t optional. We want to automate high-quality vehicle repair and maintenance for Nigerians by making it easy, convenient, and affordable.

“We aspire to build a maintenance culture in Nigeria and beyond to keep roads and people safe,” he said.

According to Mr Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Future Africa’s founder and general partner, his fund’s thesis was to back founders solving hard problems in large markets.

“With over 12 million cars on our roads and more on the way, leveraging technology to bring order to vehicle maintenance and repair is overdue.

“We are delighted to work with the Mecho Autotech team as they brilliantly execute on building out the vehicle repair value chain across Africa and create new and decent highly skilled auto repair jobs,” he said.

Founded in 2021 by Mr Olusegun Owoade and Mr Ayoola Akinkunmi, Mecho Autotech offers repair and maintenance services to businesses and consumers through in-house and third-party service capacity which has passed rigorous assessments.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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inDrive Lagos, Abuja Top Drivers Get N30m Fuel, Shopping Vouchers

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inDrive Driver Rewards Campaign

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Top drivers of a global mobility and urban services platform, inDrive, in Lagos and Abuja were recently rewarded with fuel and shopping vouchers worth N30 million through its Driver Rewards Campaign.

The promo was created by the company in response to rising fuel costs and increasing operational expenses. It is providing meaningful support to its driver community through this initiative, while celebrating their commitment and hard work for keeping Nigeria’s major cities moving every day.

The campaign, which started in March and will end in June 2026, involves distributing vouchers worth N30,000 each to 1,000 eligible drivers through a series of live raffle draws on inDrive’s digital platforms. This effort is designed to acknowledge and reward the most active drivers on the platform for their unwavering dedication and commitment to providing high-quality service to passengers.

The Country Lead for inDrive Nigeria, Mr Timothy Oladimeji, noted that the initiative underscores the organisation’s ongoing commitment to driver welfare and its mission to foster equitable opportunities within the mobility ecosystem.

Mr Oladimeji explained that the Driver Rewards Campaign is designed to ease some financial burdens while encouraging and celebrating drivers’ resilience, professionalism, and dedication to service.

“At inDrive, we understand the realities drivers face every day, especially as rising fuel prices continue to put pressure on their earnings. Our drivers are the backbone of our platform, and this campaign is our way of recognising their dedication and supporting them meaningfully.

“Through these rewards, we want to show that inDrive stands with drivers, values their contribution and remains committed to creating a fairer and more rewarding mobility ecosystem,” he said.

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inDrive Unveils International Social Initiative Against Bullying

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inDrive Cancel the School Trip campaign

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A social initiative to encourage parents to pay closer attention to their children’s emotional well-being and create space for open conversations has been launched by a global mobility and delivery platform, inDrive.

It is based on inDrive’s Cancel the School Trip campaign, first launched in Kazakhstan in April 2026.

Encouraged by the significant public interest in the project, inDrive intends to roll out the initiative across other markets within its global presence, including Nigeria.

As part of the initiative, users taking morning rides to school received a push notification asking whether they wanted to cancel the trip after the ride had already started. The message appeared to be an app error, but in reality, it served as a communication trigger — a way to pull parents out of their daily routine and redirect their attention to their child’s emotional state.

School bullying remains one of the most widespread — and at the same time one of the least visible — issues affecting teenagers worldwide. According to UNICEF, millions of children regularly experience bullying, yet many never speak about it to adults.

“We need to talk to children more often. Not just ask How are you? But genuinely notice their emotional state, mood, and changes in behaviour. Sometimes, even a short conversation can help identify a problem a child may be afraid to talk about,” the Country Lead for inDrive Nigeria, Mr Timothy Oladimeji, stated.

The symbol of the campaign became the back seat of a car — a space where parent and child are alone together and can talk without distractions. The organisers believe there is not always a need to create entirely new communication rituals; sometimes, it is enough to pay more attention to moments that already exist in everyday life. Even a few minutes of conversation on the way to school can help a child feel heard and safe enough to share their concerns.

In addition to digital tools, installations shaped like car seats were placed across Almaty in shopping malls and at busy city intersections. As part of the initiative, an online platform with practical recommendations for parents was also developed together with child psychologists.

The platform includes materials on recognising signs of bullying, starting difficult conversations with children, and supporting them in challenging situations.

The campaign was followed by a roundtable discussion in Kazakhstan that brought together psychologists, parents, influencers, and representatives of the creative industry. Participants discussed why bullying often remains hidden, how teenage aggression is evolving and which communication approaches help build trust between adults and children.

A separate part of the discussion focused on how to talk to children about difficult emotions and experiences. According to psychologist Kseniya Lych, standard questions are often ineffective because children answer them automatically. Instead, prompts involving imagination and open-ended thinking tend to reduce tension and encourage dialogue.

The initiative received strong public attention and positive feedback from parents, psychologists and the professional community. As a result, inDrive is already planning to expand the campaign to other markets where it operates, adapting it to each country’s local context.

“We see that bullying is an equally painful issue across different countries and cultures. That is why we want to develop this initiative internationally and launch similar projects in other inDrive markets. For us, it is important not only to raise awareness about the problem, but also to help parents pay closer attention to their children’s emotional well-being and start conversations in time,” says Yevgeniy Gavrilchenko, co-author of the idea and Creative Lead at inLab by inDrive.

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FRSC Condemns Attack on Traffic Enforcement Team by DSS Official

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Shehu Mohammed FRSC Corps Marshall

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Shehu Mohammed, has kicked against an alleged violent attack on the traffic enforcement team of the organisation by a motorist, who was later identified as a security operative.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Corps Commander for Public Education, Mr Osondu Ohaeri, in Abuja on Friday, it was claimed that the motorist was suspected to be an official of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Narrating the incident in the statement, the FRSC said on Thursday, May 21, 2026, its officials flagged down a Toyota Carina driver for a suspected traffic violation at about 3:20 pm, but he refused to stop and proceeded dangerously until he was eventually held up by traffic close to the Command in Idu, Abuja.

“Upon approach by the patrol team for routine checks of vehicle and driver documents, the offender became hostile, verbally aggressive, and resisted lawful enforcement procedures.

“Despite several tactical and professional attempts by FRSC personnel to de-escalate the situation, the offender escalated the confrontation by physically advancing toward officers and later drawing a pistol, which he fired twice within the vicinity of the Command.

“In the face of imminent danger to lives and property, FRSC personnel acted with remarkable restraint, professionalism, and tactical discipline to swiftly disarm the assailant without loss of life. One Marshal sustained minor bruises during the process,” the statement narrated.

It was disclosed that the suspect was immediately handed over to the Nigeria Police Force at Life Camp Police Station alongside the firearm, ammunition components, and the vehicle involved, with the matter transferred to the appropriate State Command for further investigation.

In the statement, Mr Mohammed praised his men for the courage, professionalism, and maturity displayed by them, saying he’s impressed with how they resisted provocation and ensured that the situation did not degenerate into chaos, despite growing public outrage at the scene.

He further stated unequivocally that no individual, regardless of status, rank, or agency affiliation, is above the law, emphasising that security personnel are expected to lead by example through compliance with established traffic regulations and respect for constituted authority.

He called on all security agencies to continue strengthening inter-agency cooperation, mutual respect, and operational discipline in the collective interest of national security and public safety.

“Firearms and official status must never be used as instruments of intimidation against law enforcement officers carrying out legitimate duties,” he stressed.

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