We Won’t Stop Bombing, Militants Tell FG

Meanwhile, militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, said yesterday that in spite of the federal government’s deployment of fighter jets and the military in Delta State, it would not relent in its violent attacks on critical oil installations in the region.

The group, which said the heavy presence of the military would not stop them from their planned action that would shock the whole world, noted that Gbaramatu, now under military siege, was just one kingdom out the several Ijaw kingdoms spread across seven states.

The group, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Brig-Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said emphatically, “it is not our business what goes on in Gbaramatu Kingdom but our concern is the innocent children, women and aged people whom the Nigerian military has chased away from their homes now taking refuge in the forest”.

Ibe Kachikwu apologizes to Nigerians over lingering fuel scarcity

Minister of state for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu, took to his twitter handle to apologize to Nigerians over the lingering fuel scarcity. He also assured that the fuel situation will soon be allayed.

Kachikwu says, I lose not less than $1 million yearly for accepting to serve as Minister

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has said although his former job was more rewarding financially, he decided to serve Nigeria for the love of his fatherland.

Kachikwu said in Abuja on Sunday that all hands must be on deck to build enduring institutions that would secure the future of the country and improve on the standard of living of Nigerians.

He said: “I believe that this country needs help.

“I believe that it is about time we began to perform for the young and upcoming.

“I believe that the sheer capacity of this country is unimaginable.

Kachikwu orders increased supply of petrol to Nigerians during Christmas and New Year celebrations

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has directed the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to embark on renewed special supply intervention measures to ensure availability of petroleum products ahead of the Yuletide and beyond.

The NNPC, in a statement, said the special supply intervention mechanism, which entails the ramping up of additional supply via massive truck-out to guarantee product penetration to the nooks and crannies of the country started over the weekend.

The corporation stated that daily fuel truck out to locations such as Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and Jos have been increased significantly to enhance free flow of products across the country.

The NNPC stated that it was consolidating its strategic alliance with some major depot owners and oil marketers with strong regional logistics outlay in those areas to ensure maximum infiltration of products, especially in the hinterland ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Calling on the public to refrain from hoarding, product diversion and panic buying of petrol, the corporation noted that the intervention measure would help circumvent the challenges posed by the unavailability of pipelines for the transportation of petroleum products.

New photos of Diezani Alison-Madueke in The Boss Newspaper

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke in Ovation Magazine publisher - Dele Momodu‘s The Boss Newspaper. She insists that she didn't steal the alleged billions they claimed she stole. More photos after the cut...

Free petrol! NNPC orders DPR to invade fuel-hoarding stations

 

The Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has ordered the Department of Petroluem Resources to seal petrol-hoarding filling stations.

Kachikwu, who’s also the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, instructed the DPR to sell to customers for free, the products of the petrol stations found guilty of hoarding.

A memo released on Tuesday, November 17, by the NNPC Group General Manager, Ohi Alegbe, quoted the Minister, as saying: “There is no price reduction of petrol in the horizon and marketers should immediately stop hoarding the products and making Nigerians suffer in vain.”

“I have instructed DPR that if they discover any fuel station involved in hoarding, they should sell the products for free to customers around there. It is not just sealing the station that is the answer. It is penalizing them when they do these things and I hope the message goes out loud and clear.”

Sanusi tells Diezani: You are a liar

The former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor and Emir of Kano, Mohammed Lamido Sanusi has said the embattled former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke is “lying” over claim that he (Sanusi) came to lobby her for help over his interest in African Development Bank, AfDB presidency but came up with $20bn missing oil fund allegation because he lost out in getting the job.

Sanusi, speaking with Sunday Telegraph, said Diezani, battling breast cancer, was being economical with the truth in her interview with thebossnewspaper.com on his interest and how he lost the opportunity to head the continental financial institution.

NNPC chiefs who served under Diezani are now singing to the EFCC

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are cracking down on a former managing director of one of the subsidiaries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and three former executive directors of the oil corporation who served under ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, reports The Punch.

The EFCC’s Subsidy Unit (SU) and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) are taking turns to interrogate these former oil chiefs, according to the newspaper.

Femi Otedola crashes kerosene price to N50/litre...calls it Buhari Kerosene

Following the chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola, decision to sell House Hold Kerosene (HHK) at N50/litre, being over 50 per cent reduction of its current pump price, the billionaire oil magnate has effortlessly made a grand entrance into the pantheon of Nigeria's 21st century crusaders.

 He calls it 'Buhari Kerosene' and has ordered that all his fuel stations across the country should henceforth sell HHK at N50/litre in furtherance of his decision to identify with President Buhari's bid to ameliorate the hardships faced by millions of Nigerians daily.

Pipeline security: Soldiers to replace ex-militants

The men of the Nigerian military are to take over the security of the nation’s oil pipelines.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, who said in a statement on Tuesday, added that the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, met with the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, on how to work out modalities to get the military to protect the strategic national assets.

He quoted the NNPC’s GMD as having said that he visited the CDS as a follow up to a proposal the corporation presented to President Muhammadu Buhari, to have the Army Corps of Engineering to maintain and secure the nation’s pipelines.

Abubakar also quoted the NNPC’s GMD as having said that the corporation was taking a holistic step

to ensure that the best hands were used to protect the pipelines.

Alleged $6billion oil theft: Disclose your source – US tells Oshiomhole

Apparently embarrassed by the claim of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that a senior United States official had disclosed that a former Minister under President Goodluck Jonathan stole $6 billion Nigeria’s oil money during the official visit of President Muhammadu Buhari few weeks ago, the United States, yesterday, requested that the name of the US official, who made the disclosure, be made public. 

A top US official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity to Newswatch Times, said at the appropriate time, the US would question Governor Oshiomhole on the comment attributed to him in the Nigerian media. 

He stated further that President Barrack Obama was working on the request of President Buhari, who had sought for the assistance of the US to retrieve monies stolen by Nigerian officials. 

According to him, Oshiomhole was trying to pre-empt the US, which would certainly publish names of those who looted Nigeria’s oil money in no distant future. 

FG appoints KPMG, PWC to audit NNPC, other revenue generating agencies

The Federal Government has appointed international audit firms, KPMG and PriceWaterhouse Cooper, to conduct comprehensive audit of the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other revenue generating agencies from 2012 to 2015.

Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole announced this after the second meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) in Abuja today August 13th.

“The probe will now cover value for expense as the affected agencies will be made to account for things expended on at their correct value. This is about making Nigeria work for the benefit of other Nigerians and we have to bear in mind that governments are not run on the basis of collection of crude oil but government regardless of colour or political affiliation is run on race and so if you have tax generating agencies that are not remitting taxes government cannot run like that" he told state house correspondents

President Buhari to head Ministry of petroleum for 18 months

President Muhammadu Buhari is set to head the Ministry of Petroleum for 18 months before appointing a substantive minister for the ministry.

The President said this while meeting with some members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress, in Abuja recently.

One of those at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, on Sunday said that the President said he would use the 18 months of heading the petroleum ministry to reposition it.

According to him,

“At the meeting we had recently, we discussed the issues of portfolios and other matters,” the President said he was going to handle the Ministry of Petroleum himself for about 18 months.

“He said it was after this that he would appoint a substantive minister for the ministry. He said he would only personally handle the reorganisation of the much-important ministry.

“Besides, he said the ministry needed to be reformed and be rid of corruption. He promised to sanitise the ministry.”

Buhari Begins Total Probe Of Jonathan’s Govt

ABUJA — A total probe of the administration run by immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is underway as the National Economic Council, NEC, Ad-hoc Committee on the Management of Excess Crude Account Proceeds and Accruals into the Federation Account, headed by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, is to hire two international forensic audit firms to probe revenue that accrued into the Federation Account and how it was spent under former Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President.

Mr. Oshiomhole told journalists at the end of the first meeting of the committee in Abuja, yesterday that the auditors would cover the period January 1, 2010 to June 1, 2015.

It put paid to calls by the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, that Buhari should extend his 

probe to the administrations of Jonathan’s predecessors, Alh. Umaru Yar’ Adua.and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Already, some revenue generating agencies have been invited to brief the committee which will take detailed briefings from all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs of the Federal Government that deal directly with revenue.

Buhari's appointment of Igbo Man as NNPC Boss shocks PDP

PDP agents, especially those from South-East who are quick to criticise President Muhammadu Buhari have sworn that Mr President can never appoint a Southerner as NNPC GMD. 

See Ebube Tweet below...

Buhari Appoints ExxonMobil Vice-chair as new NNPC GMD

According to a statement released by presidential spokesperson, president Buhari has appointed Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Dr. Kachikwu, who was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), is to take over from Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha.

Dr. Kachikwu hails from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State. He is a first class graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School. The new NNPC Chief Executive also has Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Law from the Harvard Law School.

Over 100 Oil Pipeline Vandals Burnt To Death At Arepo, Near Lagos State

 

No fewer than 100 persons involved in vandalisation of oil pipelines and theft of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were reportedly killed on Wednesday while trying to steal the product from an oil facility at Arepo near Lagos State.

A source who pleaded anonymity revealed that the vandals had already concluded their operation and were about to leave when their speed boat failed to start, yet they persisted in trying to get the machinery to work.

“It was while trying to start the speedboat that there was a spark. I learnt that many people died, but more than 100 of them were so burnt that we could not even recognize their faces,” the witness 

stated.

FG bars 113 vessels from lifting oil in Nigeria

The Federal government has barred 113 vessels from lifting oil in the 27 oil terminals in Nigeria. The Federal government's directive is contained in a memo sent out by NNPC on July 15th to owners of the affected vessels.

According to Sahara Reporters, the 113 vessels were reportedly involved in a systematic oil theft which was recently discovered by the Federal government. The vessels were also barred from operating within Nigeria's territorial waters.

The 27 oil terminals from which the vessels have been barred from lifting Nigerian crude. The terminals are Forcados, Bonny, Bonga, Sea Eagle, Qua lboe, Erha, Yoho, Usan, Bonny River Terminal, Escravos, Agbami, Pennington, Escravos LPG FSO, Escravos Gas Terminal, Antan, Okwori, Odudu, Akpo, Brass, Abo, Okono, Oyo, lma, Okoro, Ukpokiti, Tulja, and Ebok. Find the memo sent out by NNPC and the list of the oil vessels barred below...

'NNPC must die!' – Governor El-Rufai

“NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) must die!” were the stern words of the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday in Abuja.

A visibly angry El-Rufai, while speaking on Monday at the 7th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series, lambasted the national oil firm, stressing that he was hopeful that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would kill the corporation.

The Kaduna State governor called for the setting up of another national oil firm as he argued that the present NNPC would kill Nigeria if it is allowed to continue running as the country’s oil firm.

“If you don’t kill NNPC, it kill Nigeria,” El-Rufai said.

Details to come…

FG Slashes Import Licenses To Oil Marketers From 43 To 29

The Federal Government has issued licenses to import refine petroleum products to 29 marketers in a bid to end the fuel scarcity witnessed across the country.

The third quarter approval for import allocations to 29marketers signaled a significant reduction in the number of marketers previous issued with such allocations.

Previously, 43 marketers were given import allocation but the significant reduction may be seen as a way of blocking leakages in oil andgas sector as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.The 29 marketers include the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which in the last couple of months struggled to sustain supply.

It was gathered that the approval was given by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to allow NNPC and other oil marketers to import fuel into the country this quarter.