National News Oil & Gas

NNPC working on building a condensate refinery – MD

Mele Kyari, the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), says the country is working on building a condensate refinery towards the goal of self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products. Speaking on Friday at a virtual conference organised by Atlantic Council, Kyari said the corporation aims to have a total refinery capacity of

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National News

GWVSL rebukes publication of handling pipeline surveillance

By Ebi Perekeme  The management of Global West Vessels Specialists Ltd has said its attention has been drawn to a publication by a group known as Central Youths of Escravos and Forcados, that GWVSL had once handled pipeline surveillance activities in the area. The insinuation which was contained in a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari

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National News

IPDI calls for termination of pipeline surveillance contract

By Ebi Perekeme  The Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI) has called for the termination of the pipeline surveillance contract of Warri-Escravos, Trans-Focados and Egbema awarded to Ocean Marine Solution Limited. IPDI, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Mayor Timi Ogobiri, on Friday, maintained that the company had been meting out poor treatments to the

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National News

My govt has restored peace in N’Delta – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, revealed that his administration has restored peace in the Niger Delta region. The President said the maintenance of oil production levels and engagement of youths by his government had restored peace in the region. Buhari said this during his nationwide broadcast on Friday in celebration of Democracy Day. “With sustained

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National News

HOSCON calls on Buhari to direct payment of 13% derivation to Host Communities

The Oil and Gas Producing Communities in Nigeria (HOSCON) has said a total of N44 trillion had in the last 20 years accrued to states in the Niger Delta region through the 13% Derivation Fund. HOSCON, in a statement issued by its National Director of Media and Publicity, HOSCON, Chief Okakuro Monday Whiskey, said paying

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National News

N’Delta: Ex-agitators worry over alleged plan by NSA to end amnesty programme

Ex-Niger Delta militants are threatening to shut down oil pipelines, government houses, and the National Assembly, over plans by National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to end the Amnesty Programme. The ex-militants claimed that the NSA was planning to shut down the Presidential Amnesty Program in a bid to cover his tracks after allegedly looting the

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National News

WASSCE to conduct 2nd series exam for private candidates

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will soon conduct the second series of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates. This was made known in a press statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the council, Demianus Ojijeogu, on Wednesday. “We have done the first series

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National News

‘Mysterious deaths’ hit Nigeria

Almost 1,000 died in West African country of Nigeria in 5 weeks due to mysterious disease At least 979 people, including health care workers and high-level officials, died in North-Western Nigeria Kano State due to a mysterious disease, said the country’s health minister. Osagie Ehanire said all patients, including high-level officials and health staff, died

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National News

Senate directs its health c’ttee to unravel cause of death in Bonny

By Joseph Nwoye  The Senate on Tuesday directed its Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases to meet with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with a view to unraveling the cause of mysterious deaths allegedly recorded in Bonny Island, Rivers State. The upper chamber while urging the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and

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National News

NDDC: Senate ad-hoc investigator presents update on alleged corruption

By Joseph Nwoye  The Senate ad-hoc committee investigating the N40 billion corruption allegation against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has presented an update on the matter to senators. The Senate and the House of Representatives are probing an allegation that the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC squandered N40 billion within three months. The

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National News

Bill to tackle erosion scales 2nd reading

By Joseph Nwoye A bill seeking to tackle erosion across the country has scaled through the Second Reading in the Senate. The bill which seeks to establish the Erosion Control and Prevention Commission, with a special focus on the South-East. Sponsor of the bill, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP, Anambra South) in his lead debate on

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National News

Authorities afraid COVID-19 cases in Nigeria may peak

By Joseph Nwoye  AS Nigeria’s confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 12,000 and the death toll hit 342 on Sunday, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said the country may just be starting to experience the epidemic. The PTF lamented that Nigerians were avoiding being tested; a situation he said was responsible for the low testing ratio

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National Press Release

NDDC accuses Senator Nwaoboshi of ‘looting’ N3.6bn from commission

NDDC Awarded No Contract to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Our attention has been drawn to a statement by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded a contract of N500 million to the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,

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National News

NDDC: Testing for COVID-19, Contact Tracing for Staff

By Ebi Perekeme  Following the directive by the Rivers State Ministry of Health that staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, should self-isolate in view of the Commission’s index case, all suspected cases have been requested to present themselves for testing, line listing and contact tracing in order to ensure public health safety. A

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National News

All I prayed for, God gave to me – Clark who turns 93, says

Elder Statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Senator Edwin Clark, who turns 93 years today, has said that everything he had looked for, wished for and prayed for in life, God gave all to him, therefore, he is grateful to the Almighty for keeping him alive. The South-South leader, who spoke to Vanguard on

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Environment National News

N’Delta dying slowly from environmental pollution – Dagogo

The member of the House of Representatives representing Degema /Bonny Federal Constituency, Farah Dagogo, has said that the people of Niger Delta are dying slowly from environmental pollution in the region. Dagogo, in his statement by his special assistant on media, Ibrahim Lawal, decried the impact of environmental pollution on the socio-economic well being of

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National News

COVID-19: Stay away congregational worship places, FG advises those above 55

The Federal Government has advised those above the age of 55 to stay away from congregational worships. This was contained in the guidelines released by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for religious centres to resume activities. During a briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, PTF National Coordinator, Sani Aliyu, said, “In view of the widespread

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National News

Akpabio never requested NDDC contracts from Nwaboshi – Aide

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has denied allegations that he sought inclusion of his constituency as beneficiary of some Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) intervention projects. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi, had, at a press briefing last week, brandished some letters allegedly written to him by

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National Opinion

PANDEF welcomes reconstitution of NNPC Board, but a mere scratch of surface problem

By Ken Robinson  Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, welcomes the reconstitution of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, by President Muhammadu Buhari with cautious considerations. As the move by Mr. President could be considered mere scratching of the surface of the problem. The major concern of the Niger Delta Region is the

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National Press Release

PANDEF cautions lopsided mgt in NNPC, sees it as insult to N’Delta

Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has condemned in its entirety, a recent uncouth statement credited to the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Kennie Kehinde Obateru, on appointments and promotions in the Corporation. The statement which is presumably a response to issues raised in our open letter

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National News

PANDEF, UNDEDESS call on FG to relocate dry dock to N’Delta

By Ebi Perekeme  THE Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy, UNDEDSS, on Monday, restated calls for the Federal Government to relocate the mega dry dock, specifically designed for the region, from Lagos waters. The groups said the dry dock had been lying unused and should be relocated

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National News

FG dissolves Governing Council of Maritime University, Okerenkoko

The Federal Ministry of Education has approved the dissolution of the Governing Councils of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State and University of Port Harcourt, in Rivers State. The ministry stated on Thursday that the dissolution, which came from the Office of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, was with immediate effect. The Director

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National News

BREAKING: NDDC Loses Acting Director Finance

By Ebi Perekeme  The acting Director of Finance and Accounts of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Chief Ibanga Bassey Etang, is dead. According to Daily Independent, Chief Etang is said to have died at the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH), in Port Harcourt after he allegedly took ill and gasping for breath at about 2am,

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National News

PANDEF threatens to sue Buhari to ICJ, UN, over negligence of N’Delta

By Ebi Perekeme Barring any last minute interven­tion, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), a non-political organ­isation of the Niger Delta people, has warned that it would not hesitate to drag the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the United Nations (UN) over what it described as “an

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National News

What binds us is greater than what divides us, Kanu tells S’South, S’East

By Ebi Perekeme  The Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has faulted the establishment of Niger-Delta and South-South in Nigeria. In a statement he sent to newsmen, through Emma Powerful, the group’s publicity secretary, Kanu argued that Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom are the same people. He said there

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National News

Prepare for the worst in the COVID-19 battle, FG to citizens

The Federal Government has told Nigerians to prepare for the worst in the COVID-19 battle. It however said it was doing everything within its powers to curtail spread of the virus. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, stated this on Tuesday during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. He urged health workers

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National News

Coronavirus: Nigerian doctors condemn ‘unfortunate’ situation in Kogi, Cross River

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has described as ‘unfortunate and condemnable,’ the continued obstruction of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) by the governments of Kogi and Cross River State. “This impedance is despite the lofty provisions in the NCDC Establishment Act (2018) which empower the organization to “prevent, detect, monitor and control” activities

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National News

COVID-19: Evah encourages Buhari not to be intimidated by WHO over local remedy

—Calls South-South governors cowards in sharing of palliative & relief fund A Niger Delta activist and Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah, has told President Muhammadu Buhari not to be intimidated by the World Health Organisation in his bid to adopt Madagascar’s herbal drug for the treatment of COVID-19 in the country. In

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National News

PANDEF says FG playing ethnic game by employing only northerners in NNPC

By Ebi Perekeme  Niger Delta leaders under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have condemned what they called lopsided appointments into top management positions at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries and departments in favour of the northern part of the country. Their position was contained in an open letter

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National Rivers

Monarchs in Rivers calls on FG to rescind IG’s order on interstate movement

Traditional rulers in Rivers State have sought the intervention of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to reverse the order by the Inspector General of Police to set up a Joint Technical Task Force on the movement of livestock, agricultural products, goods and services. The monarchs, who spoke while briefing newsmen on Saturday, expressed

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Delta National News

Guwor moves motion, calls on Okowa, FG to investigate dead fish floating N’Delta coastline

By Ebi Perekeme  The Delta State House of Assembly has asked the federal government to investigate the mysterious death of large quantities of fish particularly in the Forcados and Escravos rivers in the state as a matter of urgency. The assembly, also, asked the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari

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National News

Leave Ijaw out of your utopian republics, IYC warns Biafra, Oduduwa agitators

By Ebi Perekeme The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has warned persons and groups agitating for the republics of Biafra and Oduduwa to leave the Ijaw nationality out of their missions. The IYC in a statement signed at the weekend by its Chairman, National Transition and Implementation Committee, Kennedy Olorogun, to mark the Isaac Adaka

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National News Oil & Gas

NOSDRA reveals cause of dead fishes on N’Delta coastline

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has attributed the presence of dead fishes littering the Atlantic coastline in the Niger Delta to toxic wastes discharged from domestic and industrial sources. NOSDRA had in May said it was coordinating a multi-agency investigation to unravel the cause of the massive deaths of fishes along

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National News Rivers

Hotel Demolition: We acted in order, no regret — Wike says, warns social media legal practitioners

—Your act is draconian – Abe —I am not in a right frame of mind to speak now – Hotel owner Despite the outrage that greeted the Sunday’s demolition of hotels by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, the governor has further justified his actions saying the hotel owner unleashed thugs on members of the state

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National News

NCDC records 248 new COVID-19 cases, 4399 in total

Nigeria has recorded 248 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 4,399. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known via its Twitter handle. It also said that no fewer than 143 patients have died from coronavirus-related complications in the country. NCDC said, “On the 10th

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