The Plateau State House of Assembly, at its plenary on Thursday, rejected the proposed relocation of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) headquarters from Jos, warning that such a move would have severe socio-economic and cultural consequences for the state.
Presided over by Speaker Naanlong Daniel, the House unanimously resolved that relocating the ITF headquarters would undermine Plateau’s economy, erode its institutional heritage, and strip the state of a major federal presence.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance raised by Hon. Theodore Bala Maiyaki, member representing Quaan-Pan South constituency, who described the proposed relocation as a threat to the state’s socio-economic stability and identity.
Maiyaki stressed that the move could disrupt ongoing training programmes and partnerships built over decades, in addition to job losses and reduced economic activities tied to the institution’s presence in Jos.
“I urge this honourable House to pass a strong resolution appealing to the State Government to liaise urgently with the Federal Government to halt any move to relocate the ITF Headquarters,” he said.
The House adopted all prayers of the motion and further resolved that the Speaker should lead a delegation of lawmakers to engage relevant authorities on the matter, following a proposal by Hon. Daniel Listick.
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has joined in the celebration of Customer Service Week, aimed at celebrating retirees and workers in the country.
According to PenCom, day one of the week kicked off on a high note as staff celebrated their colleagues, customers and the commitment to going “the extra mile” in delivering exceptional customer experience.
From engaging conversations and interactive sessions to team spirit, smiles and celebrations, the opening day set the tone for a week focused on putting the customer at the heart of the Commission’s work.
This year, the Commission is reminded that great customer service is not just about meeting expectations; it is about exceeding them, creating value and making every interaction count.
The highlight of the event was the cutting of the cake by the Director-General of PenCom, Ms. Omolola Bridget Oloworaran, and her management team.
Lucid Motors built 2,954 electric vehicles (EVs) in the third quarter of this year, a 54% drop from a year ago, as the company purposely limits production to better meet demand for its EVs.
This was the third straight quarter in which the number of EVs Lucid built has declined. It’s also the lowest quarterly output since the first quarter of 2025, which was just after Lucid Motors started production of its second EV, the Gravity SUV.
Lucid delivered 3,806 EVs in the third quarter, roughly flat with the second quarter and down about 200 vehicles from the third quarter of 2025. The company has struggled to find buyers for either of its first two luxury EVs. In five of the last six quarters, it built more vehicles than it delivered.
Lucid’s new CEO, Silvio Napoli, has spent the last few months leading an effort to “simplify the company.” That effort has included laying off around 1,500 employees, streamlining the company’s leadership, and eliminating a second shift at its factory in Arizona in a bid to reach cost savings of $1.4 billion. Lucid also delayed the release of its third EV, the Cosmos. That model is supposed to be much cheaper, starting at under $50,000.
The third-quarter figures, released Monday afternoon, come just a few days after rival EV upstart Rivian posted its best quarter in history on the back of the R2, its new, more affordable SUV. Although Rivian didn’t break out specific delivery figures for the R2, the company shipped nearly 20,000 vehicles in the third quarter, the first full quarter with the R2 in production, up from 12,194 in the second quarter.
Lucid’s failure to find a large market of buyers for its EVs is even more stark when compared with the promises the company made when it went public in 2021. That year, Lucid Motors merged with a special purpose acquisition company and estimated it would ship as many as 90,000 EVs in 2024 alone. The company raised $4 billion in the transaction.
On Lucid’s second-quarter earnings call in August, Napoli spoke about why he thinks the company has failed to make a dent in the EV market.
“While there is no question that Lucid brought leading innovations and outstanding products to the market, we have disappointed on several fronts, and for far too long,” he said. “We have not executed consistently. We missed commitments, launched products before they were ready, underinvested in service, responded too slowly to quality issues, and allowed complexity to slow decisions down.”
The Cosmos’ lower price could, in theory, let Lucid access a wider market, but Napoli cautioned shareholders that rushing the new EV out could create more trouble.
“We will not repeat the mistakes of the past by bringing a product to market before it is ready,” Napoli said on the call.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Health3 days ago
