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  • JUST IN: House of Reps leadership visits Dangote refinery

    JUST IN: House of Reps leadership visits Dangote refinery

    JUST IN: House of Reps leadership visits Dangote refinery.

    The leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, has visited the $ 20 billion Dangote Petroleum refinery in Lagos State.

     

    The lawmakers arrived at the refinery located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos around 11 am on Saturday and were received by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and top executives of the company.

     

    The lawmakers are expected to take a tour of the 650,000 barrels per day refinery during the visit and have a conversation about the plan to start the supply of petrol next month.

     

    The visit marks the second time federal lawmakers will visit the refinery this year following the visit of the Senate leadership, led by Senate President Godswill Akpaio, to the facility in June.

     

    The lawmaker’s visit comes days after the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, Farouk Ahmed, claimed that the diesel produced by Dangote refinery contains a high sulphur content of about 1,000 parts per million.

     

    Ahmed also stated that the Federal Government would not stop the importation of petroleum products, saying Nigeria cannot depend on one refinery to feed the nation.

     

    He revealed that the refinery, which has been selling diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria for months, has not been licensed, stating that it is still at the pre-commissioning stage.

     

    The claim by some media houses that there were steps to scuttle the Dangote refinery is not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet; we haven’t licensed them yet. They are still in the pre-commissioning. I think they have about 45 per cent completion,” he declared.

     

    The NMDPRA boss warned that Nigeria cannot rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply.

     

    According to him, the refinery had requested the regulator to stop giving import licences to other marketers so as to be the only fuel supplier in Nigeria.

    Nigeria.

     

    “We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop importation of all petroleum products, especially AGO and direct all marketers to the refinery; that is not good for the nation in terms of energy security. And that is not good for the market, because of monopoly,” he stressed.

     

    Speaking about quality, he said, “So, in terms of quality, currently, the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as the West African requirement of 50 ppm is concerned

     

    Dangote refinery and some modular refineries, like Waltersmith refinery and Aradel refinery, are producing between 650 to 1,200ppm. So, in terms of quality, their product is much more inferior to the imported quality,” he alleged.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • DSS kills kidnapper of popular Hausa singer Rarara’s mother, recovers N26.5m

    DSS kills kidnapper of popular Hausa singer Rarara’s mother, recovers N26.5m

    DSS kills kidnapper of popular Hausa singer Rarara’s mother, recovers N26.5m

    Department of State Services operatives have killed one and arrested another of the kidnappers of Hajiya Hauwa’u Adamu, mother of popular Kano-based Hausa singer, Dauda Rarara.

     

    Gunmen had broken into the residence of Rara’s mother in Kahutu village in Danja Local Government Area of Kano State and abducted her on Friday, June 28, 2024.

     

    She, however, regained freedom after spending 20 days in captivity.

     

    A highly placed source in the secret service told Daily Trust that N26.5 million was also recovered in a covert operation.

     

    The source said the Kano command’s tactical team, based on reliable intelligence, busted a gang of five bandits in Makarfi bush where they were sharing the ransom.

     

    “One Hamisu Tukur, is currently in custody with gunshot injuries, while Bature was killed,” the source said.

     

  • Speak with facts, don’t engage in personal attacks – Doyin Okupe replies Dele Momodu

    Speak with facts, don’t engage in personal attacks – Doyin Okupe replies Dele Momodu

    Speak with facts, don’t engage in personal attacks – Doyin Okupe replies Dele Momodu

     

    Former presidential spokesman, Doyin Okupe, has responded to the recent comments on social media by the publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu.

     

    Momodu had, in a post via his official X account on Friday, knocked Okupe for supporting President Bola Tinubu despite the prevailing economic hardship.

     

    The veteran journalist said since he had known Okupe, the former presidential spokesperson had been in the habit of supporting utter failures despite evidence suggesting all was not well with the country.

    Reacting in a post on his X account on Friday, Okupe refuted Momodu’s assertion that he has praised every government since 1999, clarifying that he only served as an adviser during President Obasanjo’s administration, which he considers one of the most successful since the advent of the Fourth Republic.

    The former presidential aide stated that he played no significant role in President Yar’Adua’s administration and served as an adviser again during President Jonathan’s tenure.

     

    Okupe defended Jonathan’s administration, emphasizing its economic achievements, including boosting Nigeria’s GDP to $500 billion and securing the top economic position in Africa.

     

    He suggested that Jonathan’s defeat in the subsequent election was due to factors beyond economic performance, hinting at political intricacies that Momodu might not be privy to.

     

    Okupe also addressed his associations with a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, comparing them to Momodu’s current association with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and dismissed any allegations of inconsistency as mischief.

     

    He wrote,” My dear Dele, it was nice to see you again at Chief Osoba’s 80th birthday, just as it is to read your comments about my rejoinder to Reno’s response to your condemnation of this administration. Frankly speaking and putting sentiments apart, Reno’s response to your article was a masterpiece in terms of facts assembled therein. I am always in awe of that young man’s ability to research and succinctly put together his narratives.

    You may hate Reno, or be angry with him for his opinions, but his facts are unassailable. With me also I am surprised u also did not stay with the facts. U retorted that I have advised and praised every govt since 1999. That is not true. I only acted as an adviser in the Obj’s administration, which remains one of the most successful since the advent of the 4th Republic. I did not play any significant role in the Yaradua administration that succeeded Obj’s.

     

    “I became an adviser for the second time in the Jonathan administration, which was defeated by the Gen Buhari-led APC. Jonathan’s defeat was not because of any societal hardship or economic issues. Jonathan’s administration led Nigeria to an economically prosperous Nation, taking our GDP to $500B, and an unprecedented number 1 position in Africa.

    Okupe stated that he is neither a member of the All Progressives Congress nor an adviser to the Tinubu administration, saying that he only supports President Tinubu’s reforms.

     

    He acknowledged the temporary hardship the removal of fuel subsidies and the equalization of the forex market have caused but expressed confidence in their long-term benefits.

     

    He said, “Why Jonathan was “defeated” is another matter entirely which may not be known to u because of your remoteness to the inner core of political power play at that time. This will be a topic for another day. My associations with Bukola Saraki and Peter Obi are in no way different from your current association with HE Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. All three were presidential aspirants or candidates of different parties at different times. Making any issues out of this is nothing but crass mischief. I am neither a member of the APC nor an adviser to the administration.

    I appreciate the bold initiatives President Bola Tinubu took to remove the fuel subsidy, which was assented to by ALL candidates during the campaign. I also fully support the sectoral equalization of our forex market. Both reforms are responsible for the hardship our people are currently experiencing, but which I believe will be temporary judging by the strenuous efforts the govt is making towards ameliorating them.

     

    “This is not praise singing. I do not count myself as a member of the opposition, hence I am able to be objective and understandingly supportive. I may not have had a hand in installing this govt, but it is my country and I am a stakeholder in it. I do not pray for it to crash or go down. This cannot be an offence.”

     

    Okupe expressed a desire for constructive and professional criticism rather than personal attacks and extended his appreciation to Momodu for a past act of generosity.

     

    He added, “We all are practitioners, players and known actors in this Amphitheater, no need to go personal. Let’s keep criticisms rational, mature and professional. Finally, Dele, let me publicly acknowledge and appreciate your generosity in granting me that much-appreciated debt forgiveness of $20k. I could not afford it! But truly, then, I never imagined we could lose that election. However, man proposes, but God Almighty ONLY disposes. My dear Aburo, who I love and adore so much, I wish you well. God bless.”

     

     

  • Shelve protest, opt for dialogue, NOA appeals to youths

    Shelve protest, opt for dialogue, NOA appeals to youths

    Shelve protest, opt for dialogue, NOA appeals to youths

    The National Orientation Agency has warned Nigerian youth against the unpredictable nature of the planned protest.

     

    • The state director of NOA Bauchi State, Mrs Theresa Omaga, issued the warning in a statement on Friday in Bauchi State, while appealing to the youth to shelve their planned nationwide protest slated for August.

     

    She proposed dialogue as the path to peace and meaningfully engaging the government over the youth grievances.

     

    Omaga said, “While Nigerians have a constitutional right for peaceful protest, experience had thought that it does not always end as intended, hence the need for a rethink.

    The government is not insensitive to the plights of Nigerians and will not fail to give a listening ear to the youths if they resort to meaningful dialogue.”

     

    PUNCH Online understands that the planned protest by Nigerians over economic hardship is currently gaining traction in different parts of the country and has not only triggered concerns but also trailed mixed reactions.

     

    Meanwhile, security operatives from across the country are said to be mobilizing against the intended protest slated between 1st to 10th August 2024.

     

     

     

  • Zamfara Youth For Community Development Collaborates With Groups To Train 70 Students On Digital Literacy

    Zamfara Youth For Community Development Collaborates With Groups To Train 70 Students On Digital Literacy

    The Zamfara Youth for Community Development in collaboration with AE Tech Industry and Zamfara SDGs Alliance have taken it upon themselves to carry Zamfara youths along on the global digital trends.

    The three groups jointly carried out digital literacy training at Nuruddeen Group of Schools in Gusau, Zamfara State from 10th July and lasted till the 18th of July 2024.

    The one-week training was aimed at equipping Zamfara students with the theoretical concepts of computers. More than 70 students benefited from the training.

    The Chairman of Zamfara Youths for Community Development and CEO of AE Tech industry, Abdullahi Sada Ibrahim expressed his joy in the level of success recorded within the one-week training.

    He said “Zamfara youths need to be digitally equipped to compete with the rest of the youths out there. I and my team together with other stakeholders in the state are determined to make it happen. We will ensure that no youth is left behind digitally in Zamfara State.”

    Hauwa’u Bashir Adam, a participant in the training expressed her gratitude to the organizers for providing them the learning opportunity. She said “The training was insightful and interesting altogether. I learned a lot from it. I want to thank the organizers for choosing our school for this training.”

    The ongoing digital revolution has reinforced learning experiences globally. It has widened the scope of learning to encompass virtual and AI learning.

    Today people can learn anything from the comfort of their homes with just a smartphone or laptop. This new aspect of learning can be virtually carried out with both the instructor and learners achieving the learning objectives.

  • Nigeria produced 236m barrels of crude in six months – NUPRC

    Nigeria produced 236m barrels of crude in six months – NUPRC

    Nigeria produced 236m barrels of crude in six months – NUPRC

    Nigeria produced a total of 236,229,281 barrels of crude oil in the first half of 2024, The PUNCH has learned.

     

    Data obtained by our correspondent from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission confirmed that 44.2 million barrels of crude were produced in January while the country pumped 38.3 million barrels of oil in February.

     

    Similarly, 38.1 million barrels were produced in March, and the monthly production for April was 38.4 million.

     

    In May, 38.8 million barrels were pumped and 38.3 million barrels were achieved in June.

    In the same period in 2023, the country’s total oil output from January to June was 219.5 million barrels, 16.73 million lower than what was recorded in 2024.

     

    However, during the first six months of 2020, the country produced 302.42 million barrels of crude oil, representing 66 million barrels more than what was obtained within the same period this year.

     

    This is an indication that the nation’s oil production has been fluctuating, declining more than appreciating over the years.

    Data from NUPRC showed that the country produced an average of 1.43 million barrels of crude oil per day in the first month of the year, being the highest average daily crude production within the six months.

     

    In February, the daily oil production dropped to 1.32mbpd and dropped further to 1.23mbpd in March.

     

    Efforts by the government to stop the figures from dipping further may have yielded results as the daily production appreciated marginally to 1.28mbpd in April.

    However, the figure fell again to 1.25mbpd in May, at a time the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, said the country’s daily oil production was nearing 1.7 million barrels.

     

    The month of June saw the production increasing marginally to 1.28mbpd, giving hope of recovery to the Nigerian government, whose economy depends heavily on crude oil.

     

    Recently, Kyari lamented the negative impacts of oil theft and vandalism on the nation’s economy, saying the act discouraged investments in the oil and gas sector.

    How do you increase oil production? Remove the security challenge we have in our onshore assets. As we all know, the security challenge is real. It is not just about theft; it is about the availability of the infrastructure to deliver the volume to the market.

    No one will put money into oil production when he knows the production will not get to the market. In the last two years, we removed over 5,800 illegal connections from our pipelines. We took down over 6,000 illegal refineries—cooking pots or whatever they were. You simply cannot get people to put money until you solve that problem,” Kyari stated.

     

    During a meeting of economic stakeholders with the Senate Committee on Finance on Monday, Kyari said Nigeria would soon begin the production of 2mbpd crude oil.

     

    “Mr Chairman and members of the joint committee, let me just confirm that NNPC and the oil and gas industry are very critical in bringing a turnaround in our current economic situation, and we understand the importance of this. We are taking every step that is practical for us to achieve this.

    We have already seen growth in our oil and gas production because of certain actions that Mr President personally took, and also, the very mere truth that we have also declared war on production activities, and this is yielding the required results.

     

    “The combination of these two has now seen us restoring production in our country, and we believe that, as the minister has said, we will soon hit the target of two million barrels of oil production per day,” Kyari assured.

     

    The NNPC GCEO did not disclose when the average daily crude production would skyrocket from the current 1.2 million barrels to two million barrels.

     

     

     

  • Don tells FG, military to deploy technology to combat insecurity

    Don tells FG, military to deploy technology to combat insecurity

    Professor Isaac Odun-Ayo of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, on Thursday called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian military to adopt new technologies to combat terrorism in their bids to strengthen the nation’s security architecture.

     

    Odun-Ayo made the call while delivering the 2nd inaugural lecture of the university with the theme “Who Are These That Fly As Clouds? Scaling Computing Metaphors”.

     

    The Professor of Computer Science disclosed the need for Nigeria to engage new, smart, and disruptive technologies like cloud computing, big data, and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to strengthen the national security

     

    The Don said the Nigerian Armed Forces must be at the forefront of adopting these technologies to revamp Nigeria’s security architecture on land, air, and sea.

    He said that the federal government should increase spending to build social and human intelligence required to deal with hostile non-state actors.

     

    The erudite scholar lauded President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Infrastructural Development Fund initiative, urging the President to also launch the “Renewed Hope Science and Technology Development Fund”.

     

    Odun-Ayo advised that the initiative should focus on Cloud Infrastructure and Artificial intelligence.

     

    He said “The Nigerian government should ramp up public cloud spending, the government and military use to, on one hand, build for social and human intelligence required to deal with hostile non-state actors and on the other hand, create homegrown providers as it is imprudent to host the nation’s technological

     

    “The Nigerian government should embark on comprehensive and holistic training of its staff across all sectors and agencies to guarantee the optimization of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence technologies.

     

    “There must be a deliberate focus on innovation and technology which will have a multiplier effect on all sectors of our national life.

     

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently launched the renewed Hope Infrastructural Development Fund. Therefore, the President should also launch the Renewed Hope Science and Technology Development Fund with a focus on Cloud infrastructure and Artificial intelligence.”

     

    To effectively combat insecurity in the country, Odun-Ayo also emphasised that the curricula of military colleges and paramilitary agencies must reflect emerging technologies like cloud computing, quantum computing, and Artificial Intelligence.

     

    Speaking earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Chinedum Peace Babalola disclosed that the institution is investing heavily in the future of its students in the area of computer science to enable them to meet future challenges.

     

    Babalola also stressed that there is a need for the country to leverage technology in her fight against terrorism.

     

     

     

  • Global outage hits Paris Olympics IT systems, disrupts accreditation, athlete arrivals

    Global outage hits Paris Olympics IT systems, disrupts accreditation, athlete arrivals

    Global outage hits Paris Olympics IT systems, disrupts accreditation, athlete arrivals

     

    Paris Olympics organisers said on Friday they were experiencing problems linked to a major worldwide computer systems outage, a week before the Games opening ceremony takes place.

     

    The issues came as a major outage wrought havoc on computer systems worldwide, grounding flights in the United States, derailing television broadcasts in the UK and impacting telecommunications in Australia.

     

    “Paris 2024 is aware of global technical issues affecting Microsoft software. These issues are impacting Paris 2024’s IT operations,” organisers said.

     

    “Paris 2024’s technical teams have been fully mobilised to mitigate the impacts of these issues and we have activated contingency plans in order to continue operations,” they added.

     

    A source at the Paris Olympic Games organising committee said the problem is affecting the accreditation system with some people unable to pick up badges before next Friday’s ceremony on the River Seine.

     

    The source added it could also affect the arrival of athletes who have had flights cancelled after the athletes’ Olympic Village welcomed its first guests on Thursday.

     

    The London Stock Exchange, airports in Spain, the Netherlands and Hong Kong as well as production at US carmaker Tesla’s plant outside Berlin have also been disrupted.

     

    Microsoft said in a statement it was taking “mitigation actions” in response to service issues.

     

    It was not clear if those were linked to the global outages.

     

    AFP

  • Deadly Truck: Truck crushes man to death in Ogun

    Deadly Truck: Truck crushes man to death in Ogun

    Truck crushes man to death in Ogun

    A yet-to-be-identified person was crushed to death in an early morning accident that occurred along the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway on Friday.
     
    The spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed this in a terse message sent to PUNCH Online on Friday.
    Photographs at the scene of the incident obtained by our correspondent showed the unidentified man trapped under one of the tyres of the truck.
    A yet-to-be-identified person was crushed to death in an early morning accident that occurred along the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway on Friday.

    The spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed this in a terse message sent to PUNCH Online on Friday.

    Photographs at the scene of the incident obtained by our correspondent showed the unidentified man trapped under one of the tyres of the truck.

  • Police Rape Case: Lagos police receive test results of teenager allegedly raped by officer

    Police Rape Case: Lagos police receive test results of teenager allegedly raped by officer

    Police Rape Case: Lagos police receive test results of teen

     

    The medical examination conducted on the 17-year-old girl allegedly raped by a police officer at the Area H Command in the Ogudu area of the state has been concluded.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to PUNCH Online on Friday.

    Hundeyin said the result had been handed over to the police for onward investigation into the incident.

    He said, “The test result. It has been handed over to the police and the investigation has continued.”

    Hundeyin who did not disclose the outcome of the test added, “There will be another update in no distant time.”

    Checks by our correspondent revealed that the test was processed at the Mirabel Centre.

    The police image maker, in a statement on Sunday, disclosed that the officer whose identity was yet to be disclosed had been taken into custody.

    PUNCH City Round had reported on Saturday that the victim alleged that she was raped inside the Ogudu Police Station in the Ojota area of the state.

    Our correspondent gathered that the officer had promised to help the teenager retrieve her phone, which had been taken by ‘one chance’ robbers on June 16 while she, her grandmother, and her siblings were returning from Ikeja.

    The suspect reportedly overheard the teenager recounting her ordeal to her mother at her shop and offered to help track her missing phone and take her statement.

    The victim also noted that she was invited into the suspect’s office in the guise of getting her phone but the suspect carried out the alleged act.

    The mother of the victim, Aramide Olupona, had disclosed that her daughter began bleeding a day after the assault and was taken to the Mirabel Centre, adding that the incident was also reported to the authorities.

    Olupona, however, accused the police of trying to bury the case, saying, “The suspect’s wife and the rest of his family have come to my shop to plead with me saying he would soon retire, but what about my daughter who was raped? Is it because I am a poor woman?”

    Reacting, Hundeyin added that the alleged act contravened the code of conduct of the police and therefore assured the victim’s family and the general public that there was no attempt to cover up the incident.

    He said, “The Lagos State Police Command has placed under arrest one of its personnel accused of defiling a 17-year-old girl. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Adegoke Fayoade, has directed a full-scale and thorough investigation into the allegation.

    The command assures the public that there is no attempt at a cover-up as such hideous acts are at variance with the code of conduct and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force.

    “To this end, CP Fayoade once again assures Nigerians that the officer will be dealt with under police regulations and the law if found culpable.”