BY GORDI UDEAJAH

The hitherto free Abia State Government (ABSG) transport service effected with Electric Buses and tagged Green Shuttle, has gone commercial with effect from March 2026.

Under its commercial status, the government still subsidizes it as members of the public pay about half of what the private commercial transporters charge.

The state Information Commissioner Prince Okey Kanu while announcing the takeoff of the now commercialized Green Shuttle transport service to journalists, said that the subsidy applies to all inter- and intra-city routes currently being operated under the bus service scheme.

“The transition marks a critical step towards ensuring the long-term sustainability and operational efficiency of the scheme.

“With the commercialisation of the mass transit scheme, with e-ticketing permits, to Abia Connect Card, obtaining the Abia State Social Insurance Number ( ABSSIN ) becomes a conditional precedent for obtaining the Abia Connect Card,”.

Commissioner Kanu said that with the launch of the commercial service, the State Ministry of Transport, and other government agencies, comprising ; the Harmonised Task Force, Homeland Security, and the State Road Traffic Management Agency, have been engaging all the necessary stakeholders in the state’s transport ecosystem, and been carrying out joint sensitization and enforcement exercises towards assisting commuters at the various bus stops and bus shelters spread between Umuahia and Aba, etc

He also explained that, to so assist commuters, the ABSSIN enumerators have been posted to various bus shelters and designated areas to help register commuters.

“Similarly, that Touch and Pay agents that upload funds into the Abia Connect Cards have been deployed to various bus shelters and designated areas in Aba and Umuahia”.

He announced that the tota of 70 bus shelters, 30 in Umuahia, the state capital, 40 in Aba, even as more will soon be completed.

On the number of passengers that have so far been transported in the Shuttle Buses between 24th December 2025 and 8th March, 2026 Commissioner Kanu put the total number at 202,601.

The Green Shuttle Bus Service had commenced on free fare paying arrangement towards the end of last year, ( 2025 ) on pilot basis, and now advanced to subsidized fare-paying from March, 2026.

BY GORDI UDEAJAH

A high level Business Roundtable has been organized to hold on Thursday 5th March 2026 in Umuahia, Abia state Capital at the International Conference Centre.

The state Information Commissioner Prince Okey Kanu who said that it is a forum for the state government to dialogue with members of the business community across the country and thus strengthen collaboration.

Speaking on the coming event, in the presence of the Director General ( DG ) and Chief Executive Officer of the Abia State Public Private Partnership and Investment Promotion (PPP & IP) Office, Mr. Chinedum Chijioke, and the State Investment Promotions Officer, Mr. Uchenna Nnaomah, Commissioner Kanu, said that the roundtable will be presided over by the state Governor Alex Otti.

” It will serve as a platform for meaningful engagement between the government and business leaders with focus on strategies to promote business growth in Abia and expectedly attract new investments into the state”.

He added that the forum will enable the business community to share their desires and expectations, while the government outlines existing policies and initiatives designed to support enterprise development.

DG Chijioke, described the Roundtable as a strategic move to create a structured platform for collaboration, noting that the world over, it is the private sector that drives, grows and. prospers the economies while governments provide the enabling environment.

Chijioke said ” the roundtable would give business operators the opportunity to contribute to policy discussions and help shape reforms that affect the business climate in Abia State.

According to him , business leaders from different sectors and categories across the country are being invited, adding that participation would be by invitation and registration.

Interested participants he explained, can register through a link provided by the PPP & IP Office or by contacting 0808-660-8448 via text or WhatsApp to get the registration details.

According to the DG, the PPP & IP Office operates under three key mandates namely, Investment Promotion, Investment Facilitation, and Aftercare and Advocacy.

He said that the forthcoming roundtable falls under the Aftercare and Advocacy component, that is aimed at strengthening relationships with existing and prospective investors.

A Nigerian , who is Africa’s first/pioneer professor of Cryptocurrency Finance ( CCF) Dr James Chinedu Ihemeje has recommended its formal/official adoption and use in official transactions in Nigeria.

But he cautioned that it should exist under effective regulatory framework by the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) and the Security and Exchange Commission ( SEC ).

Ihemeje, a professor of CCF at the Department of Banking and Finance, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike ( MOUAU) Abia state, recommended this while delivering the 61st inaugural lecture of the university titled ” Cryptocurrency Investment in Nigeria; Stabilizing Future Value of Money For Sustainable Development”, stating that it’s adoption would encourage it’s use by Nigerians.

The MOUAU Vice Chancellor, professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe who described the topic of the inaugural lecture as timely and apt, noted that the lecturer ( prof Ihemeje) who is Africa’s pioneer professor of Cryptocurrency Finance, is both a Nigerian of the university.

He said that MOUAU , would subsist feeling the pulse of Nigerians with the view to doing the needful on emerging scenarios, including articulating policies that would stabilize the Nigeria economy and the Naira currency.

The Inaugural Lecturer in his lecture presentation, disclosed that he explored cryptocurrency and the digital financial innovation as transformative forces capable of reshaping financial systems, promoting inclusion, and driving economic growth across Nigeria and Africa.

According to him ” this study explored the potential of cryptocurrency investment to stabilize the future value of money in Nigeria within the context of macroeconomic instability and digital financial evolution”.

Reporting that the study concluded that cryptocurrency investment can serve as a complementary financial mechanism to stabilize the value of money and support sustainable development in Nigeria”, the Nigeria born, Africa’s pioneer Cryptocurrency Finance professor ( the inaugural lecturer/Ihemeje), however hinged Cryptocurrency success on proper regulation, financial education, and integration into broader economic reforms.

According to him, policymakers should neither ignore nor restrict the crypto economy but rather harness it’s stabilizing potential for Households, SMEs, and vulnerable populations.

He did not end his lecture without some recommendations to his university ( MOUAU), the federal , Abia and Imo States governments.

To his university, he urged it to integrate Cryptofinance, Blockchain technology, and Financial innovation into its curriculum, research and partnerships, including promoting Fintech-based entrepreneurial development programmes among the students.

Abia and Imo state governments, he advised, should partner with digital asset platforms to support SMEs and rural traders with cross-border payment tools, and launch awareness campaigns on safe Crypto practices to prevent fraud and financial loss.

He also urged the federal government to formulate a balanced national Crypto policy, build collaborations with local and international Blockchain firms for digital infrastructure investment as well as empower regulatory agencies like SEC and EFCC, with the tools to monitor and prevent crypto-based crimes, towards protecting investors.

The professor consequently posited that Cryptocurrency should exist side-by-side with paper money in Nigeria, and thus help to stabilize the economy, as is done in some developed and developing economies.

The CCF expert argued that there should be no fear that, because Crypto money operation is controlled by blockchain computers, there is likelihood that the Crypto Currency System of transactions will negatively impact CBN with respect to job losses and reduction of its functions, and allayed such fear

Professor Ihemeje however maintained that the CBN and Security and Exchange Commission (SEC ) must/shall effect the Cryptocurrency regulatory framework and allow it to operate/ flow, adding that with the duo’s effective regulation and monitoring, the law will deal with anybody that contravenes the system.

Not likening Cryptocurrency to Ponzi Schemes, as is suspected or being misconstrued by those apprehensive of Cryptocurrency , the professor urged that Nigerians should however be vigilant, to avoid falling prey to Online scammers, advising that Nigerians should invest what they can afford as loss, as it obtains in any business venture.

Thereafter delivering his lecture, professor Ihemeje followed it with public presentation of his titled
” Cryptocurrency; The Future Of Finance in Nigeria”, saying it is a reflection of his academic journey and professional commitment to bridging the gap between traditional banking knowledge and the dynamics of digital finance.