News From Nigeria
The Management and Staff of Energy Commission of Nigeria felicitate Dr Mustapha Abdullahi Director-General/CEO of the Commission on the occasion of his birthday.
In a statement released on Friday, 17 January 2025, they lauded the leadership style of their DG, Dr. Mustapha whom they describe as not just a good manager of men and resources, but a man with an amiable personality and God -fearing disposition.
“Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi has displayed an enviable leadership quality in the development of the sector through his significant contributions to the Commission including the energy sector that has witnessed sustainable growth in energy solutions that has also fostered appreciable levels.
“His unwavering dedication to duty, improvements to staff welfare have remained a rallying point that has continued to encourage staff, attract admiration and support to his policies for the overall good of the sector.
While wishing the indefatigable DG a happy birthday anniversary celebration, the Management and Staff of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN called on Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha to remain focused on his vision to take the Commission to the enviable heights for all and the nation at large.
The statement commended Dr Abdullahi Mustapha for the Renewed Hope that has uplifted the spirit of the workforce from its near-obscurity in its over four decades of existence
They further commended Mr. President for appointing a sound visionary and genuinely dedicated person as Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria in the person of Dr. Mustapha, who on assumption to office had assured that under his leadership, “the ECN will set the tone for economic development based on progressive innovation and policy initiatives as envisioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.”
The hope of Ndigbo in Lagos was rekindled on Thursday as business leaders of South-East extraction reiterated their choice of Seyi Tinubu as the next governor of Lagos State.
‘’The 2027 governorship election lies in the hands of the electorate. They have the ultimate say in election matters’’
The South-East body also advised the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, detractors and willful critics to steer clear of Lagos politics.
‘’Certainly by 2027, Primate Ayodele and others like him, will acknowledge the people’s verdict and the present position of Igbo Entrepreneurs within and outside the shores of Nigeria’’
A statement in Lagos by the President of the Ndigbo Entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Abroad, Chief Hon Linus Obi described the comments of Primate Ayodele as diversionary, misleading and part of a larger plot to market his candidate.
‘’It is very clear from his misguided statements that Primate Ayodele has suddenly forgotten his past failed prophesies on football in Europe and politics in Nigeria. Perhaps Primate Ayodele has been out of touch with political realities which may explain why he seems not to have noticed the current direction of Lagos politics and development’’
The Igbo businessmen and women applauded the good people of Lagos for refusing to be hoodwinked by the tissues of lies, propaganda and fake prophesies manufactured and disseminated by people seeking attention and recognition in the country.
‘’We wish to reiterate that Seyi Tinubu is the choice of the stakeholders in Lagos State’’
The Igbo entrepreneurs praised Seyi Tinubu for his humility, diligence and respect for constituted authority.
‘’The governorship role requires a successful entrepreneur with wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility and discipline. Seyi Tinubu is decent, kind-hearted, approachable, generous and very bright’’
The pan-Igbo group is out to vigorously champion the cause of Igbo businessmen and women in a manner that is just, fair and constitutional.
Renewable energy (RE) solutions present a practical and sustainable way to address the challenges created by persistent national grid collapses and other energy crises. The national grid in its current state requires more reliable alternative within the power generation ecosystem.
The need to infuse RE solutions, such as solar energy, wind power and hydropower, remains crucial in addressing current power generation challenges. The federal government has already begun to implement the National Renewable Energy Roadmap (NRER) developed by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) with a clear aim of providing alternative power that reduce reliance on the centralized grid while maintaining at least an average power supply through decentralization.
Decentralized RE systems will play a key role in bridging the current power supply gap. For instance, photovoltaic solar and onshore wind systems can power rural and semi-urban areas often neglected by the national grid. These systems will not only provide consistent electricity but also empower rural economies, enabling micro-businesses to grow and improving access to essential services such as healthcare and education. With meaningful local and global collaborations, we can achieve the optimal installed capacity of electricity by leveraging on RE sources to ensure energy stability across the country.
The Energy Commission of Nigeria, under my stewardship, stands as a catalyst, championing policies that attract private sector investment, build local capacity, and prioritize renewable energy integration through extended collaborations with stakeholders, governments, and global communities. The National Energy Policy and it’s Master Plan recently unveiled by the Federal Government through ECN seek to increase the renewable electricity generation by aggressively pursuing RE energy integration into the Nation’s energy mix.
The RE systems have become more efficient and cheaper over the years, a paradigm shift to renewable energy will substantially close the energy gaps, reduce grid disruptions, and accelerate its journey toward energy independence and economic growth.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Mr Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited to “account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing N825bn and $2.5bn meant for ‘refinery rehabilitation’ and other oil revenues, as documented in the 2021 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
SERAP said the annual report was published on Thursday 27 November 2024.
SERAP urged Mr Kyari “to identify those suspected to be responsible for the disappeared oil money and hand them over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”
SERAP also urged him “to formally invite former president Olusegun Obasanjo to tour Nigeria’s refineries and to extend your invitation to the EFCC and ICPC to monitor the operations of the refineries, and any spending on them, including the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.”
In the letter dated 4 January 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We welcome your timely public invitation to former president Obasanjo ‘to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.’”
SERAP said, “while your invitation is clearly not ‘disrespectful’, contrary to the claims by the former president because no one is above the law, we urge you to formally invite him, and to extend your invitation to the EFCC and ICPC for the sake of transparency and accountability.”
SERAP also said, “Your public invitation to Obasanjo is well-justified, and entirely consistent with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations on the obligations of the NNPCL and the roles of citizens in preventing and combating grand corruption.”
The letter, read in part: “The grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anticorruption laws, and the country’s international obligations.”
“The allegations have also undermined economic development of the country, trapped the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprived them of opportunities.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel the NNPCL to comply with our requests in the public interest.”
“According to the recently published 2021 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) failed to account for over N825 billion and USD$2.5 billion of public funds meant for ‘refinery rehabilitation’ and repairs, and other oil revenues.”
“The Auditor-General fears that the money may be missing.”
“The NNPCL reportedly failed to account for over N82 billion [N82,951,595,510.47] meant for ‘refinery rehabilitation and repairs.’ The ‘money was deducted from the sale of Crude Oil and Gas between 2020 and 2021’.”
“The Auditor-General fears the money may be missing. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the Federation Account. He also wants the NNPCL ‘to ensure that the amounts due for the Federation Account are not subjected to any deductions before remittance of net.’”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N343 billion [N343,642,598,726.51] ‘being proceeds from domestic crude sales.’ The ‘money, meant for ‘pipelines maintenance and management costs, was unilaterally deducted from the gross domestic crude sales.’”
“The Auditor-General fears ‘the money may have been diverted.’ He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury. He also wants the NNPCL to hand over those suspected to be involved to the EFCC and ICPC.”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N83 billion [N83,659,813,739.99] ‘being miscellaneous income from the NNPC joint venture operations from 2016 to 2020.’ The ‘money was withdrawn from the CBN/NNPC sinking fund account [a suspense account].’”
“The Auditor-General is concerned that this practice ‘has led the Federation to resort to borrowings.’ He wants ‘the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.’”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N204 billion [N204,853,744,047.39] ‘being unjustified deductions from the oil royalties for 2021.’ The ‘money was due to Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) now Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).’”
“The Auditor-General fears ‘the money may have been diverted.’ He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N3.7 billion [N3,748,581,281.27] ‘being money purportedly paid to a Company as a shortfall on sales of MT cargo of PMS.’ The Auditor-General fears the money may be missing. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N28 billion [N28,654,179,867.00] ‘being outstanding bridging allowance from NNPC retail for 2021.’”
“The NNPCL failed to account for over N13.5 billion [N13,5559,658,148.91] ‘being outstanding bridging allowance claims from three major oil marketers in 2021.’”
“The Auditor-General is concerned that this ‘may have resulted in difficulty in funding the 2021 budget.’ He wants ‘the money recovered from both the NNPC retail and the major oil marketers and remitted to the Federation Account.’”
“The NNPCL also reportedly failed to account for over N15 billion [N14,134,947,949.80 and N1,087,533,332.62] ‘being outstanding revenues from debts owed by twenty-six marketers for 2021.’ The Auditor-General wants ‘the money recovered from the oil marketers and remitted to the Federation Account.’”
“The NNPCL reportedly failed to account for over $29.6 million [$29,648,970.36] ‘being outstanding royalties payable to the Department of Petroleum Resources CBN account.’ The Auditor-General is concerned this ‘may have resulted in difficulty in funding the 2021 budget.’ He wants the money recovered.’”
“The NNPCL failed to collect over $2 billion [$2,260,448,992.45] ‘being outstanding oil royalties from oil companies for 2021’, and failed to collect over N48 billion [N48,218,163,192.67] ‘also being outstanding oil royalties from oil companies.’”
“The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may be missing.’ He is concerned that this ‘may have resulted in difficulty in funding the 2021 budget.’ He wants ‘the money recovered from the oil companies and remitted to the Federation Account.’”
SERAP notes that Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) requires public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
“The Auditor-General has for many years documented reports of disappearance of public funds from the NNPC. Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of these missing public funds meant for refinery rehabilitation.”
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
5/1/2025
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202
FOUNDATION CELEBRATES LAMONDE OGHENEKEVWE EBIRERI
The Ebireri Foundation on Thursday highlighted the unique perspective of first-rate writer, Monday Oghenekevwe Ebireri, to a variety of issues in the intellectual world.
‘’Monday Oghenekevwe Ebireri was healthy and had the posture of a man whose future was assured. Sadly, that future was cut on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 19; 00 hours. The cold hands of death snatched him at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital shortly after a ghastly auto crash along Benin-Sagamu Expressway at the age of 42’’.
The foundation also praised Monday Ebireri for his kindness, wisdom, profound reading and simplicity of his thoughts and explanation.
‘’The late historian and journalist was immensely gifted in practical matters. He was also deep and blessed with high intelligence’’
The Ebireri Foundation in a statement in Sagamu celebrated his good deeds, good works and good thoughts.
The statement issued by the Chairman of Ebireri Foundation, Henry Ovie Ebireri, praised Monday Ebireri for his exciting sense of humour, sound character and integrity.
The statement also applauded the highly respected reporter in Nigeria for pushing the family in the right direction. .
The foundation said Monday Ebireri made beautiful contributions towards the advancement of knowledge and people in Nigeria and abroad.
Born in Sapele into a Christian family, Lamonde Ebireri attended St Peter’s Claver’s College, Aghalokpe, James Welch Grammar School, Emevor and College of Arts and Science, Sokoto. Thereafter, he attended University of Benin.
Fondly called Lamonde, the man from a distinguished family of bright minds, began his journalism career with The Guardian.
He was laid to rest on Friday, January 26, 2007 in his hometown of Igbimidaka-Elume in Sapele Local Government Area.