*As first set of wagons roll out for freight services
Category: News
-
FG commissions Kajola Locomotive and Rolling Stock Assembly Plant in Ogun
The Honorable Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, unveils the plaque at the commissioning of the Wagon Assembly Plant, Kajola., Ogun State, while the Permanent Secretary, FMT, Dr. Magdalene Ajani (left) and other dignitaries, look on. -
Police arrest 2 Kuje jail escapees in Adamawa
The Adamawa Police Command has arrested two inmates who were among those who escaped from Kuje Correctional Centre in July 2022.
SP Suleiman Nguroje, the Command’s spokesperson, said this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Yola, that the escapees identified as Atiku Ibrahim, 37, and Adamu Ibrahim, 40, were arrested by Police Crack Squad on May 19.
“The escaped suspects were arrested for cattle rustling and other nefarious activities.
“During interrogation, they confessed to have been in Kuje Correctional custody since 2021, following allegations of arms dealing against them.
“They also confessed to have escaped to Adamawa, until their arrest.
“They further stated that they were awaiting trial in Kuje in a case of arms dealing and unlawful possession of firearms.”
Nguroje said that the Commissioner of Police, Afolabi Babatola directed that the escapees be handed over to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Adamawa Command.
Recall that the command had in July 2022 arrested another Kuje escapee and handed him over to the NCoS.
-
Dangote refinery will address supply shortages, price hikes – IPMAN
*Calls for revival of all moribund refineries in Nigeria
The new Dangote refinery will address issues of fuel shortages and price hikes in the country, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said.
Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Community depot in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states, said in an interview that the 18.5 billion dollar Dangote refinery, with 650, 000 barrel production capacity which was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, will go a long way in repositioning the country’s economy..
Anyaso however envisaged an initial increase in fuel pump price, but said it would decrease in the long run.
“They will buy locally, refine and sell locally and we will no longer need forex to import products but rather, it will sell refined products and earn us forex.
“It is a welcome development,” he said.
The IPMAN chairman urged the Federal Government to revive its four refineries and optimise their production to support what Dangote would produce, to ensure full sufficiency of the products.
He thanked the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for signing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which encouraged private sector investment in the oil and gas industry.
Anyaso cautioned against monopoly, saying it would leave Nigerians worse off if left at the mercy of one supplier.
“We need more players to come in because the market is there, so there should be competition; the Federal Government should ensure a monopoly is not created.
“The PIA which this administration graciously signed encourages private sector involvement, people who have the capacity should be encouraged to follow the Dangote example,” he added.
Anyaso called for revitalisation and operationalisation of all moribund depots, including that of Enugu for easy distribution of petroleum products.
He said this would reduce the challenges of sourcing products and drive down prices.
-
‘Over 800 pupils denied quality learning in two separate schools’
More than 800 pupils are being denied quality learning in two separate schools, according to Tracka – a BudgIT project that enables citizens to collaborate, track and give feedback on public projects in their communities.
In two separate tweets from its verified Twitter handle, @TrackaNG, on Monday, Tracka identified the schools as Yelwa Zuba Pry Sch, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT Abuja and Gwanamarde Pry Sch, Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State.
Owing to the situation, “over 300 pupils are being denied quality education” in the FCT school, while “over 500 pupils learn in this harsh condition” in the Katsina school.
“ATTENTION!!! @DrRamatuAliyu @IretiKingibe
“This is Yelwa Zuba Pry Sch, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT Abuja. The roofs are falling off, so the teacher either cancels classes for the day or takes the pupils and the blackboard out of the class when it is sunny or raining.
“Attendance has dwindled because children don’t bother coming to school anymore AND over 300 pupils are being denied quality education.
“We ask that you renovate the school to enable the children to learn in a conducive environment,” the first tweet read.
“ATTENTION!!! @GovernorMasari @dikko_radda
“This is Gwanamarde Pry Sch, Malumfashi LGA, Katsina AS OF TODAY. Over 500 pupils learn in this harsh condition. There is only one classroom and it has no roof.
“This is a complete failure and neglect of children in the community. There is only 1 teacher and 4 volunteers in the school.
“We demand an URGENT renovation and staffing of the school,” the second tweet added.
-
Gender Inclusion: 32% women Judges in Nigeria, says NAWJN
The President, National Association of Women Judges, Nigeria (NAWJN), Hon. Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey has described as impressive the statistical breakdown of women Judges in the country, urging women not to rest on their oars but strive to excel in their various jurisdictions.
Sankey stated this on Monday while delivering a welcome address at the 2023 biennial national conference/general meeting of the association held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja.
The theme of the conference is: The Woman Judge in the 21st Century.
Sankey, who harped on the urgent need to end violence against women and children in society, assured participants that the conference would better equip them to overcome challenges in the line of duty as judges, wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and leaders serving humanity.
On the much-craved gender inclusion, Sankey noted that the number of female judges, head of courts judiciary officials both at the state and federal level has been commendable so far, urging appointments of more women judges to leadership positions in the judiciary to enhance gender inclusivity.
She said: “Currently, the percentage of women judges in Nigeria is 32% just as the number of judicial officials, and heads of courts has also been encouraging.
“Statistics discloses that in the judiciary, women are closer than other arms of government to the 35% affirmative action advocated,”
“It is apparent that gender inclusivity in the composition and leadership of the bench at all levels has been embraced in the Nigerian judiciary,”
She then thanked the administrator of the institute, Justice Salisu Garba Abdulahi for readily collaborating with NAWJN and for facilitating the conference.
Giving a keynote address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola noted that beyond building their capacity, the meeting would also be an avenue to cross-fertilize ideas on how to eradicate violence against women and girl-child in the country.
In a brief speech, the current President, the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), Justice Binta Nyako tasked women judges to rally support and directions to attain success.
-
NMDPRA reaffirms commitment to engaging relevant gas players
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has reaffirmed its commitment towards engaging all relevant players in the gas sub-sector.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday during the ‘Stakeholders Engagement on Gas Utilisation in Nigeria’, the Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Dr. Mustapha Lamorde, explained that the event aimed to promote gas adoption in accordance with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas declaration.
Nigerian Anchor reports that the event, which was for the North-Central region, saw participants from the sector express their gratitude for the efforts made by the regulator.
Other reasons for the event include: to enlighten end-users on the need to obtain a storage license. And to engender the transition from white products to gas at the last mile.
They also emphasised the need for ongoing support to facilitate the penetration of gas in the domestic market.
It would be recalled that Authority had, recently in Kano State, urged stakeholders to embrace gas.
Speaking at a similar event in Kano, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, said there was an urgent need for large consumers of diesel to embrace the use of gas as it is Nigeria’s transition fuel.
“The PIA is poised to enable the growth of the industry. The twelve regulations recently gazetted unlock the golden opportunities and signpost the pathway to energy security,” he said.
He noted that the federal government has implemented a number of initiatives and policy frameworks in this regard, including the natural gas expansion plan and the decade of gas expansion programme.
-
Rivers Guber Tribunal: APC withdraws petition against Fubara
The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has struck out the petition filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC), following the withdrawal by its counsel.
The APC’s withdrawal was brought pursuant to order 9 rule 15 of the federal high court civil procedure rules 2019.
With this withdrawal, the governorship candidate of the APC, Tonye Cole remains the only petitioner against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) anditss candidate Fubara Siminalayi.
Meanwhile, earlier in the proceeding, a little drama ensued at the tribunal as the APC filed an application for change of counsel in their petition against Fubara Siminalayi.
At the resumed proceeding, counsel to APC, Solomon Umoh told the tribunal that he would be taking over as counsel for the party following a motion for change of counsel before the tribunal.
Umoh also told the court that his clients would like their names to be struck out from the petition as applicants.
Jibrin Okutepa who was the former counsel for Tonye Cole and the APC, told the tribunal that he was not briefed on the new development by the party.
The three-man panel led by Justice Cletus Emifoniye, however granted the application for change of counsel and also granted the motion as prayed by striking out the name of APC as a petitioner.
One of the grounds for the application amongst others is that “There is the need to seek the leave of this Honourable Tribunal to strike out the name of the 2nd Petitioner/Applicant, as the Applicant has no intention to participate in this petition.”
No date has been fixed for the commencement of the pre-hearing of applications before the tribunal.
-
Dangote Refinery is Nigeria’s economy game changer- Buhari
*First Refined Petroleum Products to Hit Market End of July
The new Dangote Refinery will mark a turning pointin Nigeria’s economic fortunes, President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday when inaugurating the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, the largest petrochemical company in the world.
The company is expected to make Nigeria self-sufficient in refined petroleum products and have a surplus for export.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the president described the feat as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s economy and a game changer for the downstream petroleum products market in Africa.
The event was attended by Heads of State of Ghana, Togo, Niger and Senegal and a representative of the President of Chad.
Buhari said: “This mega industry we are commissioning today is a clear example of what can be achieved when entrepreneurs are encouraged and supported and when an enabling environment is created for investments and for businesses to thrive.
‘‘I am confident that my successor, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will sustain the improvement in our economic and business environment and strengthen the framework of our public-private partnership policies to accelerate the pace of our economic growth and development.
‘‘I am happy to leave our economy in very competent hands.’’
The president, who commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s leadership in executing the 650,000 barrels per day refinery, urged other entrepreneurs to emulate his example in driving economic growth and realizing Nigeria’s economic potential.
He stressed the need for African countries to come together, integrate their economies, eliminate trade barriers, and rally their populations to achieve Agenda 2063, for the continent’s prosperity.
‘‘I urge and encourage our other great entrepreneurs to emulate this iconic Nigerian industrialist and join the Government in accelerating our growth in order to realize our country’s globally recognized economic potential.
‘‘When I travel around Africa and meet and engage my brother Heads of State (and I am delighted some of their Excellences are here) I often sense a quiet expectation that our country is blessed with resources and human capacity to lead Africa’s rise to economic prosperity and the attainment of Agenda 2063 – ‘The Africa we all want.’
‘‘But to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, Africa must come together – we must integrate our economies, eliminate barriers to trade and energize our youthful population to scale up our production capacity.
‘‘We must create necessary conditions for our private sector to grow and partner with the public sector to accelerate economic growth across the continent.
‘‘We must not allow outside powers to use some of our leaders to destabilize our economic and political trajectory,’’ he said.
Buhari acknowledged the visionary investments made by the Dangote Group in transforming Nigeria’s economy through involvement in critical industries such as cement and fertilizer.
He noted that investment in these sectors had played a crucial role in shifting Nigeria from heavy import dependence to becoming a net exporter.
The president acknowledged that Nigeria’s economy has faced significant challenges over the years, including deficits in economic infrastructure and insurgency.
He added that the country also faced external crises such as the global financial crisis, collapse of oil prices, massive disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
‘‘The consequence of these challenges constitute a severe strain on our economy, limiting Government’s ability to provide basic infrastructure without resorting to huge borrowings.
‘‘Our Government, therefore, took the decision to focus attention on creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and fill the enormous gap in investments not only in infrastructure but also in all critical sectors.
‘‘We recognize that without the active participation of the private sector and a strong commitment to public private partnership, our economy would continue to remain severely challenged and our economic growth impeded.
‘‘Government therefore, will and should continue to provide an enabling environment and encourage innovative public private partnerships in all sectors of our economy,’’ he said.
Buhari emphasized the administration’s commitment to this approach, citing Executive Order 007 of 2019 which facilitated the rehabilitation and construction of many roads by private sector investors using a Tax-credit scheme.
‘‘It is my hope that the succeeding Administration will continue to apply such innovative schemes in partnership with the private sector to accelerate the provision of critical infrastructure, in particular roads, power, and gas pipelines,’’ he said.
In his remark, Dangote said that the refinery fulfills the group’s corporate vision of promoting self-sufficiency and global competitiveness.
”We have built a Refinery with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels per day (plus 900,000 tonnes of polypropylene) in a single train – which is the largest in the world. We have selected the best plants and equipment and the latest technologies from across the world.
”Our products slate is designed to meet the highest quality standards and high-value products including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel), Aviation Turbine Kerosine (ATK); all of Euro V Standards that will enable us not only meet our Country’s demand but also to become a key player in the African and global market.
”Our coastal location and offshore loading and offloading (SPM) facilities with a capacity to receive all our crude oil supplies and evacuate up to 75% of our liquid products give us direct access to the rest of Africa and the global market for exports.
“In addition, 80 percent of our production can be discharged through trucks nationwide.”
He disclosed that the huge investment of over $18.5 billion in the industry was prompted by the company’s desire to support and contribute to transforming Nigeria’s economy and reposition the country as a respected emerging economy in the world.
According to him, apart from ensuring consistent supply of high-quality fuels for the transportation sector, the refinery will provide essential raw materials to a wide range of manufacturing sectors, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, packaging, construction, and more.
He further stated that the refinery’s operation and related businesses would generate a substantial number of job opportunities.
He stated that the downstream supply and distribution of its products would significantly contribute to the absorption of labor, potentially benefiting hundreds of thousands of individuals.
”Once our plant is fully on stream, we expect that at least 40% of the capacity will be available for export and this will result in significant Foreign Exchange inflows into the country.
”Overall, we are committed to operating our plant in line with international best practice requirements, recognizing the importance of protecting the environment, and putting in place stringent environmental, health and safety policies.
“To ensure that the refinery operates in a safe and sustainable manner,” he said.
-
Flood: NEMA partners with NiMET, NIHSA on early warning alerts
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has partnered with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) to downscale early warning flood alerts to the 36 states and the FCT.
The Director-General, NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, said this in his speech at the Mid-term review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015 – 2030, held at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Manzo Ezekiel, Head, Press Unit, NEMA, in Abuja.
Ahmed said that following the 2022 flood disaster experience, the Federal Government had also set up a presidential committee to develop a comprehensive action plan on flood prevention in the country.
The director-general said that the inclusive approach was in tandem with the declaration of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who in 2022 said that every person on earth should be protected using early warning systems.
“In line with target G of the SFDRR on delivering an early warning to all Nigerians, NEMA in collaboration with the Nigerian National Space Development Agency (NASDA) is working assiduously to increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems.
“And disaster risk information in an inclusive manner through both conventional and non-conventional communications channels including the social media,” he said.
The director-general also explained how the country had made appreciable efforts at actualising the four priorities and seven targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
He, however, requested that the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) supports the country with technical assistance for capacity building and training on early warning, forecast, hazard risk analysis and dissemination to the public, post disaster needs assessment among others.
-
Certificate Forgery: Judge’s absence stalls Mbah’s suit against NYSC
The absence of Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court (FHC) Abuja, on Monday stalled the hearing of a suit filed by Enugu State Governor-elect, Mr Peter Mbah against the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Justice Ekwo was said to be on official assignment.
Mbah had sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Mr Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a discharge certificate issued to him on Jan.6, 2003.
Justice Ekwo had, on May 15, restrained the NYSC, Muhammad and any of their agents from, henceforth, engaging in such publication pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.
The order followed an ex parte motion moved by Mbah’s counsel, Mr Emeka Ozoani, SAN.
The judge, however, did not grant prayer two of the motion on the ground that it was said to be far reaching.
He said that the second prayer was an issue to be adjudicated upon in the substantive suit.
Instead, Ekwo ordered that the defendants be put on notice.
The judge, who directed the plaintiff to serve the defendants with court processes within two days of the order, fixed today for hearing.
But the court did not sit on Monday and the matter, which was on number 14 on the cause list, was adjourned until May 31 for hearing of the motion on notice.
NAN report that Ozoani had brought the motion under Section 13(1) & (2) of the FHC Act Cap F12, Vol. 6, Law of Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Order 26 Rule 6(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.
The motion ex parte was predicated on 10 grounds.
Mbah averred that after graduating in Law from the University of East London in 2000, retuned to Nigeria and as a pre-requisite to practice as barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, applied and was admitted into the Bar part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School.
Mbah said upon completing the bar part I exam, he had to wait for the bar part 2 programme, and was advised that instead of spending time idling around, he should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme.
He said he was called up for NYSC and was deployed initially to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA, before securing the law firm of Ude & Associates.
“The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in order to enable him complete the bar final exam.
“Thereafter, the plaintiff was remobilised to finish the NYSC programme, which he did complete.”
Mbah further averred that upon completion of the NYSC, he was issued the certificate of National Service No. A.808297 dated Jan.6 2003.
The NYSC had, on Feb. 1, written a letter signed by Mr Ibrahim Muhammed saying that the NYSC certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps.
Mbah of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of the Enugu State governorship election held in March 18 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).