Auto
Motor Dealers, Police Launch PoliceBCMR Device to Tackle Auto Theft
By Dipo Olowookere
There is no doubt that cases of vehicle theft cannot be totally eradicate, however, it can only be reduced.
The issue of theft has given many, including security operatives sleepless nights, but the latest information reaching us suggests that would soon become a thing of the past.
Last Thursday, the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) signed an agreement with the Nigeria Police Force for the use of the PoliceBCMR, a technological means of attaching an automobile owner’s bio-data on a smart card.
At the official signing of the agreement with their consultant, Media Concepts International Limited, in Lagos, the association’s President, Mr Ajibola Adedoyin, said the initiative would help check the incidence of vehicle thefts across the country.
“What has been happening before now, two of our members in the area of buying cars or receiving cars without knowing they were stolen…. and before you know it, our members were either chased out of the business or run out of town,” Mr Adedoyin said.
“That’s why we came up with this concept and decide to partner with the Nigeria Police so as to see how we can put a stop to it. And this will even reduce the amount of money and resources wasted on trying to get stolen vehicles.
“With this concept, I can tell you if we follow it well, it will be a thing of the past. At times a vehicle will be brought to you with original documents but it is stolen and if you decide to buy it and sell, you will be in trouble,” he added.
It was learnt that the PoliceBCMR also provides a platform for the centralization of vehicle documents, in order to create and authenticate the much-needed database for police operational use in crime management nationwide.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Ayotunde Omodeinde, said the initiative was among the projects the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, approved to combat car thefts in the country as well as protect innocent car dealers.
“Because often times, stolen vehicles find their way to car dealers and these dealers end up selling stolen vehicles without their knowledge often times,” said Mr Omodeinde, who is in charge of the Police ICT Department.
“And the police, in the course of our investigation, when we trace those stolen vehicles to the car dealer, the car dealer who has already paid for the vehicle ends up losing his money because police will recover the vehicle and the car dealer will also suffer a lot of inconveniences.
“So, the police, working with AMDON, will ensure that when vehicles are brought to them, they will be able to cross-check whether those vehicles are stolen or not before they receive it or buy it.
“And whenever a stolen vehicle comes to AMDON car port, the AMDON member has a duty to inform the police discreetly so that the police will be able to recover the vehicle. This is a very wonderful initiative by the Inspector General of Police, to ensure the integration of the AMDON system with the Police BCMR, to enable us track stolen vehicles and to make it easy for members of the public to buy a vehicle without trouble,” concluded ACP Omodeinde.
In his remarks, Dr Babatope Agbeyo, the chairman of Cornfield Group, the parent company of Media Concepts International, described the initiative as a giant step to safeguard lives and properties of individuals.
“People steal because they can use the loot or they can sell it, but if there is a system whereby, it’s difficult for you to steal or enjoy what you have stolen I think you won’t do that. The Police know that the job, security has gone beyond guns and cudgels, it’s now high tech, they are now embracing technology which is making it better,” opined Mr Agbeyo.
According to Mr Omodeinde, the PoliceBCMR would also provide police officers with handheld devices with which to check the smart cards; he, however, added that the process “is still ongoing. “Computer is garbage in garbage out, if you have not registered your vehicle into the PoliceBCMR portal, there’s no way you’ll be able to check and see information about your vehicle,” Mr. Omodeinde said.
“So the first thing you need to do, it’s free, is just go online and register your vehicle, put the details of your vehicle particulars into the portal. Now, if you desire to have the PoliceBCMR smart card, you’ll now go to a PoliceBCMR capture centre and make a request for the smart card.
“With the PoliceBCMR smart card, you will no longer need … because police will be given a handheld to check… it’s ongoing, it’s what we are working on, part of why we are here.
“So police will just stop you, if you have your smart card, because it’s voluntary, you show the policeman, he’ll just input your information and he’ll see the status of your vehicle, your vehicle particulars, so you don’t need to print road worthiness etc, the card will cover all your documents. But if you still want to be carrying all your documents around, it’s left for you.”
Mr Adedoyin said “vehicle dealers across the country have, for a long time, been at the receiving end whenever a case of car theft was recorded.
“Because you can imagine, an armed robber stole a car and it ended with a car dealer,” he said.
“Meanwhile, the car dealer paid the armed robber for that car and he sells it to another person. When the police find out that that car is stolen, the car dealer will be made to pay back the money to the buyer, but they will not tell the armed robber to pay back the car dealer. I think this concept is a win-win situation, both for the buyer, the seller and the Nigerian Police Force, and that is why we feel this concept is what will bring to an end of what we call stolen vehicle in Nigeria, that is if we are all sincere to work together on this.”
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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