Author: Akanimo Sampson

Apparently worried by the plight of the consuming public, state oil corporation, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is planning to crash the rising price of cooking gas. A 12.5kg of gas now cost about N10,000 in some places in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port-Harcourt, according to channel checks. Previously, the same quantity was sold for N4,000, according to some residents. NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, attributed the high price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to the rising price of crude oil and its derivatives at the world market. Kyari hinted about the development at the inauguration of the Emadeb…

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Operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production, is still wallowing in bad press. This time, it denies community leaders, environmental activists and concerned civic groups access to the Nembe oil spill site. The troubled oil company on Thursday announced that the leak reported on Nov 5 has been plugged after more than one month of discharging oil and gas under high pressure into the environment. The organisations, including community leaders, were in the Santa Barbra River to confirm the capping of the leaking well, but were prevented by security operatives who cordoned off the area.…

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At the public hearing on the Nigeria Customs Service (establishment) Bill, 2021, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant decline in global demand for fossil fuels. According to him, among other shocks, the pandemic depleted Nigeria’s revenue generation from oil and gas. He has however assured of the House determination to implement a wholesale reform of customs and excise operations in Nigeria. In doing so, Gbajabiamila said, the House needed the support of the relevant stakeholders, whose contributions are critical in the legislative process that would strengthen customs operations. The…

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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, one of the top oil and gas states of Nigeria has unveiled fresh conditions how communities in the state will attract more juicy development projects from 2023. Though Wike will be leaving office in 2023 as Rivers governor, he says communities desiring to get more projects have to support the Rivers State Government and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to him, communities that are willing to play ball will attract more development projects that are better than cash gifts from 2023. He was speaking to appreciate the support given by the people of Rumueme…

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Concern has started in All Progressives Congress (APC) on how to move the party forward ahead of its National Convention billed for February 2022. As a result, National Chairmanship aspirants will be storming Abuja on Thursday to map out strategies of moving the party forward in preparation for the 2023 general elections. This is developing as the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) is urging President Muhammadu Buhari to make his promise on free and fair elections in 2023 a worthy legacy he can leave behind after his eight years in office. President Buhari during a virtual summit for democracy…

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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says the death of the Soun of Ogbomoso land, Oba Oladunni Ajagungbade III, has created a vacuum too difficult to fill. He has also described the death of the monarch as a sad development. The monarch passed away on Sunday at the age of 95. Born to Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II and Ayaba Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi, he ascended the throne on October 24, 1973. He was renowned for the building of a modern palace in the town, having netted a mud palace after his coronation. He attended St. Patrick Primary…

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ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy companies, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs and Scepter Inc have agreed to work together to deploy advanced satellite technology and proprietary data processing platforms to detect methane emissions at a global scale. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. On its part, Scepter has developed, and internationally patented, a ground-breaking approach to monitoring the atmosphere in real-time using an array of terrestrial,…

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Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) says observers are positing that if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to sign the Electoral Bill 2021, Nigeria could face a serious crisis with its 2023 elections and that the President will be held responsible for the likely fiasco. According to the civic group, ‘’it will be difficult for him to again, come up with another excuse for not signing the Electoral Bill that will help prepare for the next elections.’’ The National Assembly last November 19 transmitted the Electoral Bill passed by it, to the President, for assent. PLAC’s Executive Director, Clement Nwankwo, in…

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Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), a civic group, is calling on the Buhari administration to intensify its effort in the enforcement of COVID-19 Protocols to contain all variants. This is coming as the United Kingdom on Saturday, December 4, 2021, included Nigeria on its red list for international travel, alongside several African countries following the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. This means that only UK and Irish citizens are allowed to enter the UK from those countries. However, they will be mandated to self-isolate for a period of 10 days in a government-approved hotel and bear the cost,…

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The global disaster of nature better known as climate change, appears to be boosting the satanic activities of Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has made this known to the Security Council of the world body. While highlighting that conflict-prevention initiatives need to factor in climate risks, the UN chief said environmental degradation enables armed groups to extend their influence and manipulate resources to their advantage. In Iraq and Syria, terrorist group Daesh, also known as ISIL, has exploited water shortages and taken control of water infrastructure to impose its will on communities, while in Somalia…

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A major new report by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says land and water resources are “stressed to a critical point”, following significant deterioration over the past decade, according to . Entitled, State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture – Systems at breaking point (SOLAW 2021), the report highlights the challenges that lie ahead in feeding a global population that should near ten billion by 2050. At the launch of the publication, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said that “current patterns of agrifood production are not proving sustainable.” Yet, he added, these systems “can play a major role in alleviating these pressures and contributing positively to climate and development goals.” If the world keeps to the current trajectory, producing the additional 50 per cent more food needed, could…

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At the inauguration of a flyover project at the GRA Junction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital by a prominent pro-democracy and human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, Governor Nyesom Wike exposed how the Buhari administration promotes corruption in Nigeria. According to Wike, the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch, inadvertently, promotes corruption whenever it allows paltry sums of money, in its yearly budget for a project, instead of the entire money required to complete such projects within the agreed time. Governor Wike who spoke on Saturday said such practice encourages variation of the value of the projects,…

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A civic group, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) say the incidence of jailbreak in states across Nigeria in recent times has become a cause for concern. Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, speaking on the issue at a press briefing in November, stated that the government was on the trail of 3,906 fleeing inmates. The Senate at its plenary last November 30, directed its Committee on Interior to probe the causes of the frequent jailbreak in the country. It further resolved to summon the Minister of Interior, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Comptroller-General…

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Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday launched a landmark report highlighting the worsening state of the earth’s soil, land and water resources and the challenges it poses for feeding a global population expected to be near ten billion by 2050. “The pressures on soil, land and water ecosystems are now intense, and many are stressed to a critical point,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu wrote in the foreword to the synthesis report, entitled the State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture – Systems at breaking point (SOLAW 2021). “Against this background, it is clear our…

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After dozens were reportedly killed Thursday when a truck packed with migrants crashed in Chiapas, Mexico, the death toll in 2021 has surpassed 4,470. This is even despite repeated calls for concrete action to reduce the tragic loss of life during migration journeys worldwide every year. More than 45,400 deaths have been recorded since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project. Globally, the number of deaths this year is already more than the 4,236 total recorded in 2020. Considering fatal incidents are often recorded weeks or months later, the final toll in 2021 is likely…

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Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim says the continuation of projects commissioning and flag-off of new projects by Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration is the harvest of great things for Rivers people. He said the avalanche of infrastructural development witnessed in the State was a  pointer to Governor Wike’s prudent management of resources of the State. “What that tells us is that Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is managing the resources of the State very well. He is not here for personal aggrandizement. Whatever resources of the State he gets is ploughed back into executing people-oriented projects,” he said.…

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Since the exit of former President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) in May 2015, I have been wondering if President Muhammadu Buhari is the same military dictator who landed with the late Tunde Idiagbon, at the sports field of the now the University of Uyo in 1984. At the time, undergraduates of the then University of Cross River State, an institution whose foundation was laid by the late erudite Prof. Donald Ekong, as its pioneer Vice-Chancellor, shunned lectures to welcome the ‘revolutionary’ Major General Buhari as Nigeria’s military leader then. Though the 60 suite cases of the…

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In furtherance of his quest for a democratic system that works for all Nigerians, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, which is obviously the capital of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, has again taken on the Buhari administration. According to him, Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch since 2015 has had enormous resources, arguing that if well managed, could have change, not only the fortunes of the country but the life of every Nigerian. He is, therefore, challenging the Federal Government to show evidence where it has deployed all the money borrowed from external creditors. Governor Wike made the challenge…

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Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is one of the top four Global Environment Facility (GEF) agencies globally. This is because, since December 2018, FAO has mobilised more than $580 million in GEF grant funding for member countries, including its latest projects, benefitting over 4.6 million people. On Thursday, the UN agency welcomed approval from GEF for four FAO-led projects in eight countries, totalling more than $13.6 million in funding.  The decision was made during the 61st Meeting of the GEF Council, its main governing body, held virtually. The latest projects will address urgent environmental challenges – such as land degradation and…

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International Seed Federation (ISF) says farmers need timely access to quality seed and other essential agricultural inputs to ensure optimal crop yield contributing to improved household-level food security. ISF is a non-governmental, non-profit making organisation that represents the interests of the seed industry at a global level. It increases recognition of its members’ contributions to food security and sustainable agriculture. While it facilitates the free movement of seed within a framework of fair and science-based regulations, whilst serving the interests of farmers, growers, industry and consumers, it also promotes the establishment and protection of intellectual property rights for seeds, plant…

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Going by the latest analysis by the United Nations humanitarian arm, OCHA, over 700,000 children have been impacted by school closures due to often brutal violence in Cameroon. And, two out of three schools are closed in the North-West and South-West regions of the country. On November 24, four children and one teacher were killed in an attack in Ekondo Titi, in the South-West. Early in November 2019, UN humanitarians pointed out that the ongoing violence in Cameroon has created a fast-growing humanitarian emergency affecting some 1.9 million people, a “15-fold increase since 2017”. In Geneva, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson, Marixie Mercado, explained that almost a million children were affected in the West…

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United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a UN sexual and reproductive health agency, has launched body right, a new ‘copyright’ for human bodies. The ambition is to shine a light on the harmful impact of online abuse and demand that individuals, especially women, girls and marginalised people are provided with the same respect and given the same value and protections online as is afforded copyright and intellectual property. According to the UN agency, it is relentless, borderless and often anonymous. ‘’Digital violence includes online harassment, demeaning slurs, abuse and non-consensual sexual misuse/abuse of images.  It affects everyone, but women, girls, members…

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Rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council are calling for urgent action to end violence against women and girls caught in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia. This is coming as the number of people in need of humanitarian food assistance across the region in the last week of November spiked as a direct result of ongoing conflict, according to World Food Programme (WFP). The agency’s spokesperson, Tomson Phiri, told journalists in Geneva that 9.4 million people are living their worst nightmare. Of the people across northern Ethiopia in need of assistance, more than 80 per cent – 7.8…

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Last week, the new head of a special United Nations investigative team told the Security Council in New York that the international community has reached a “turning point” in pursuing justice for atrocities committed by the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq. Delivering his first briefing to ambassadors, Special Adviser Christian Ritscher said evidence collected so far is capable of supporting trials. “Through our effective engagement with survivors and witnesses, and by exploiting the extensive digital fingerprints left behind by its members in battlefield evidence, we can already tie the actions of individuals to the commission of these crimes”, he said. Early…

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Acute hunger is busy accelerating its march across the globe as the countdown to 2022 is gaining currency in most parts of the world. But, for some already identified 50 million people, their survival in the New Year will depend on humanitarian assistance. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is praying for $1.5 billion in 2022 to save their lives and livelihoods. The 50 million folks are said to be the world’s most food-insecure people. The FAO announcement came as part of the United Nations’ large-scale humanitarian appeal launched on Friday. With less than 4 percent of the $41 billion required…

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Project Roan, which is targeting to produce 10 000 t/y through an integrated copper processing plant in northern Zambia, is on track to start delivering copper concentrate to the upgraded Sable Refinery from the first quarter of 2022. Copper is, however, a reddish-brown metal that is used to make things such as coins and electrical wires. According to Jubilee Metals, the construction of Project Roan in northern Zambia is virtually complete, with commissioning operations beginning this December ahead of schedule. Jubilee Metals Group is, however, a diversified metal recovery business with a world-class portfolio of projects in South Africa and Zambia. ‘’Our distinguishing value…

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Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed that the smart cities idea ‘’must’’ be implemented in accordance with the country’s newly released climate policy. Zimbabwe is targeting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the current levels by 2050 to prevent disastrous impacts of climate change. Currently, Zimbabwe is emitting 0.05 percent of all greenhouse emissions, lower than it is capturing. Consequently, the country has developed the Low Emission Strategy (LEDS) 2020-2050, which identifies mitigation actions to help keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. LEDS identifies 38 mitigation actions across the four inter-governmental panels on climate change recognized sectors, and…

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The traveling public along the nightmarish Calabar-Itu Highway, a federal road connecting Akwa Ibom State and its mother state, Cross River, will now catch their breath as ferry services are emerging to wipe away their tears. With effect from this December, Ibom City Ferries says it will commence scheduled ferry service from Oron, in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar, the Cross River State capital. Managing Director of Ibom City Ferries, Larinde Williams, says the service is expected to change the landscape of travel in the state. Continuing, Williams said that to further the commitment to help promote water transportation in…

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United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, says it is “appalled by a series of deadly attacks” on displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agency’s spokesperson, Boris Cheshirkov, told journalists on Tuesday in Geneva. In the latest incident carried out by armed groups, Cheshirkov cited local authorities in saying that 26 people were killed on Sunday at Ndjala site in the Drodro health zone in Ituri province. “Ten women and nine children were among the dead and 11 people were wounded. The attackers used guns, machetes and knives”, he told journalists at the UN in Geneva.…

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Despite the fact that global trade is expected to be worth about $28 trillion this year, an increase of 23 per cent compared with 2020, unfortunately, the outlook for 2022 remains very uncertain. In March 2020, an analysis released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) pointed out that the global economy could shrink by up to one per cent that year due to the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses. The DESA briefing found that millions of workers were at risk of losing…

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