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Removal of fuel subsidy: How to enhance fuel efficiency of your car

The Eyewitness Educational Series
It is no longer news that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has eventually taken the tough decision of removing fuel subsidy.
This decision, though painful but desirable, is to free the funds trapped in the wasteful subsidy regime and use it to provide other social amenities and build more infrastructure.
However, one of the direct consequences of subsidy removal is the high cost of Premium Motor Spirit ( PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
Since the new development, the average cost of fuel per litre is between N488 to N530, depending on your state in Nigeria.
Therefore it is imperative to ensure that your cars consume less fuel to save costs.
Below are the quick tips car owners should know to enhance the fuel efficiency of their automobiles.
These tips are best suited for automatic transmission vehicles.

Driving an automatic is easy. The whole driving experience is comfortable and convenient, when there’s no having to shift the gears up and down.

However, automatic cars tend to be less fuel efficient than manual ones.

 The slightly higher fuel consumption figure is due to the engine working a little harder, as they use a bit more gas to transmit power through an automatic transmission than a manual one.

Here are some tricks and tips on how to drive your automatic car to save fuel and money, while keeping your vehicle running smoothly.

Even Out the Acceleration : 
When driving an automatic car, one way to save fuel is to even out your acceleration. This can be done by gradually pressing down on the gas pedal instead of sudden, jerky movements. It’s also helpful to anticipate stopping, easing off the accelerator to slow down, rather than braking suddenly.Additionally, try to maintain a steady speed on the motorway and avoid changing lanes and speeding up and slowing down frequently.

Use cruise control (when on flat, straight roads) or the speed limiter to maintain a steady and consistent speed, helping you avoid slowing down or speeding unnecessarily. Remember, the key is to drive smoothly and anticipate the road and traffic ahead.

 Don’t Rest Your Foot on the Brake:

One of the best ways to save fuel is to avoid resting your foot on the brake. Most cars have a footrest right beside the pedal, so get used to putting your left foot there — it’ll help you keep your foot off the brake, so you can continue moving forward smoothly.Resting your foot on the brake can also wear out your brakes quicker, and increases drag (even if only slightly).

Use the AC Sparingly:

Using your air conditioning constantly can have an impact on fuel efficiency.
 To save fuel, it’s best to use your air conditioning sparingly. One way to do this is by rolling down the windows at lower speeds and using the air conditioning when driving at higher speeds, such as 50 km/h or more.

 At these speeds, the AC will have a more significant effect on cooling the car, while the drag caused by open windows will have a greater impact on fuel consumption.

Check Your Tyre Pressure:

Flat or under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, which means that your car has to use more energy when you are moving. Maintaining proper tyre pressure can boost the fuel efficiency of your vehicle, so be sure to check and set the correct tyre pressure for your car.Regular wheel alignments will also ensure safer and more efficient driving, so it’s worth making sure you’re getting it done with your regular services.

Control Your Transmission:

Even though you’re driving with an automatic transmission, there are tricks you can use to save fuel.
For one thing, you can coax your car transmission into shifting gears earlier by listening for the engine note and watching the needle on the tachometer to track the RPM when you’re accelerating.
 Remember, the higher the engine note climbs, and the higher your RPMs go, the more fuel you’re burning.
Modern cars also come with paddle shifters, so you can control the gears like a manual car while still enjoying the ease of an automatic.Shift to Neutral or Turn off When Stopped:

This is one of the most obvious ways to save fuel and also one of the most effective. When you stop in traffic, shift into neutral and idle your engine. That way, your transmission isn’t working harder to keep up with your idle speed, and therefore uses less fuel than if it were running.Modern engines use far less fuel when you start them than if you let them idle for an extended period of time — so it’s better to turn everything off if you’re waiting around or are going to be parked for more than a minute or so.

Plan Ahead:

Before you set out on your drive, prepare for your commute. Google Maps or other Sat nav tools can help you find the best route to take — one that bypasses congestion or school pick-up and drop-off times. Where you can, avoid traffic lights and crossing intersections, as they are likely to cause you to stop and start quickly often. This way, you’ll save on gas and your valuable time.If you’re likely to make multiple trips, try to knock out more than one errand at a time, so you don’t have to head out on multiple journeys.

Utilise Your Vehicle’s Technology:

Alongside Sat nav for efficient journeys and cruise control for smoothing out the ups and downs, there are other clever features in your car that help track and control your fuel consumption.On the multi-information display, some driver-assist systems will show how much fuel you’re consuming in a litres per 100kms figure. You may find it a worthy challenge to adjust your driving habits to see if you can reduce this figure.

The automatic function of hill-hold control is especially effective when driving from a stopped position up a steep incline. It holds your vehicle temporarily  so your car won’t roll back down as you release the brake pedal to accelerate, reducing the use of fuel.

Tyre pressure monitoring systems let you know if and which tyre needs topping up on air, which helps improve overall fuel efficiency.

Stay On Top of Maintenance:

By regularly servicing your vehicle and keeping it in tip-top shape, you can ensure that the engine is running exactly as it should — at its most fuel-efficient level.Keeping the fluids topped up and replacing faulty components and consumables like oil and air filters is essential.

If in doubt, follow the service schedule for your specific vehicle. Staying on top of maintenance will reduce the chances of something going wrong with the car that might cause it to burn more fuel than usual.

Lighten Your Load:

This might seem like a no-brainer, but having excess weight in your car can affect your gas mileage. Additional weight requires more power, and therefore fuel, to move, so removing the items in your luggage area that you don’t require for the trip will save you at the pump.Also, items like roof racks or roof boxes cause drag which reduces the aerodynamics of the vehicle. Be sure to remove these items when you are not requiring them to keep your vehicle as streamlined as possible.

Develop fuel-efficient habits with these tips

So there you have it! Ten tricks to save fuel when driving an automatic car. Be sure to follow these tips to help you drive more efficiently, save money on fuel, and keep your car in the best condition possible.

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Headlines

Beyond Lagos: The untold realities of Nigeria’s Eastern corridor seaports

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
When the World Bank and S&P Global recently released the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), the headlines understandably erupted in celebration.
For Tin Can Island and Apapa to land in the global Top 20 for performance gains is undoubtedly a historic milestone.
Yet, for seasoned maritime analysts and industry stakeholders, a glaring question remains: what about the rest of Nigeria’s coastlines?
While the satellite data accurately captures a localized turnaround in the Lagos pilotage districts, it simultaneously masks a stark regional imbalance.
The narrative of Nigerian maritime modernization cannot begin and end in Lagos.
 To truly turn the tide, the conversation must expand to the Eastern Corridor encompassing Onne Port, Port Harcourt Port, Calabar Port, and Warri Port.
The fundamental issue is that the World Bank’s CPPI relies strictly on automated vessel AIS data tracking.
It registers a win when ship turnaround times shrink at a berth, but it completely shuts out the structural and geographical deficiencies that prevent large vessels from even sailing into Eastern waters in the first place.
Modern deep sea shipping lines require drafts starting at 15 meters.
While multi-billion naira investments and natural depths allow Lagos and the expanding Lekki Deep Sea Port to receive mega-vessels, Calabar Port remains severely hindered by an un-dredged channel hovering around a shallow 6 to 7 meters.
Port Harcourt suffers from similar shallow constraints. Without aggressive, patriotic capital dredging projects, the devils in the details ensure that these regional Ports remain underutilized, regardless of how much digitization is deployed on paper.
It is easy for policymakers to announce massive financial interventions.
Critics are entirely right to point out that the Federal Government’s massive Port modernization plans must yield measurable metrics on the ground, not just political headlines.
However, recent data shows that commercial viability is waiting to be unlocked.
In overall cargo throughput metrics, Onne Port has consistently proven that the Eastern flank possesses massive economic power when given the operational room to breathe.
The roadmap for greenfield developments like the Ibom deep seaport and others exists, but real execution under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework will be the ultimate judge of these investments.
The current operational reality forces an unnatural economic bottleneck.
 Importers in the South-East and South-South regions frequently clear their goods in Lagos, only to transport them across hundreds of kilometers of volatile highways back to Eastern markets.
This layout drives up logistics expenses, completely wiping out the macro efficiencies celebrated in recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) trade surplus figures.
The next institutional hurdle for the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, is the implementation of a unified, cooperative Port development strategy.
This requires more than just launching an electronic call-up system; it demands a deliberate re-alignment of tariff structures that actively incentivizes shipping consortia to divert traffic to regional hubs.
Ultimately, a Port system is only as strong as its weakest link. Celebrating the World Bank validation of Apapa and Tin Can is fair, but treating it as a nationwide victory is premature.
Until the institutional bottlenecks, channel depths, and security challenges of the Eastern Corridor seaports are solved with the same urgency applied to Lagos, Nigeria’s maritime sector will continue running on half its cylinders.
True maritime competitiveness is not won by building an elite logistics island in one state, but by unlocking the full economic potentials of the nation’s entire coastline.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja
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Features

Beyond Lagos ports: Why NPA should position Eastern ports for global recognition

Chief Nasiru Ibrahim

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru focuses on why government should look beyond Lagos ports and position Eastern ports for global recognition.

Our feature last week on the World Bank Top 20 ranking for Tin Can and Apapa Ports sparked an intense industry debate.

The biggest question raised: What about the rest of Nigeria’s coastlines?

Dropping tomorrow morning, June 29th, 2026,we go beyond the Lagos headlines to break down the hidden operational realities of Nigeria’s Eastern Ports.

Don’t miss “Beyond Lagos: The Untold Realities of Nigeria’s Eastern Corridor Seaports”

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Headlines

NIMASA unveils digital portal to fast track Seafarers’ discharge book processing

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has intensified its digital transformation drive with the launch of an electronic Seafarer Discharge Book Management Portal, a platform designed to eliminate bureaucratic delays and automate the application, verification and issuance of Seafarers’ Discharge Books.

The portal was unveiled on Thursday, June 25th, 2026 in Lagos as part of activities commemorating the 2026 Day of the Seafarer, themed “Carrying the World Trade, Carrying the Risk.”

The initiative is expected to improve service delivery, strengthen the integrity of seafarers’ documentation and boost the international competitiveness of Nigerian seafarers through a fully digital certification process.

Speaking at the launch, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, described the platform as a major milestone in the Agency’s digital transformation agenda.

“As we celebrate the men and women who keep global trade moving, it is imperative that we also provide them with efficient and secure systems that support their professional development.

“The Seafarer Discharge Book Management Portal eliminates unnecessary bottlenecks, strengthens the integrity of our certification process and reinforces NIMASA’s commitment to the welfare and global competitiveness of Nigerian seafarers,” Mobereola said.

He explained that the portal provides a seamless end-to-end digital process beginning with the verification of applicants’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) through integration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

After successful authentication, applicants create accounts, verify their email addresses through a One-Time Password (OTP), complete live facial capture for identity confirmation and upload mandatory documents, including their Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates and other required credentials.

According to the Director-General, every application is digitally reviewed by the Agency’s Shipping Master, who either approves compliant submissions or returns rejected applications with clear reasons for correction, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process.
Upon approval of all required documents, applicants can apply for a new, replacement or temporary Seafarer’s Discharge Book, make payment through the integrated online platform and receive an automatically generated unique Seafarer Discharge Book serial number after successful processing.
Mobereola said the fully automated system would significantly reduce processing time, minimise manual intervention and enhance the security, traceability and authenticity of seafarers’ documentation.
“Technology remains central to our vision of building a modern maritime administration that meets international standards.
“This platform is another demonstration of our resolve to deploy innovative solutions that improve regulatory efficiency while delivering better services to Nigerian seafarers and the maritime industry,” he added.
The launch of the portal reinforces NIMASA’s commitment to maritime safety standardisation, digital governance and efficient regulatory service delivery in line with global best practices.

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