Tag: Niger Delta

Crude Oil Theft: ‘Criminal foreign shipowners, FG officials behind illegal shipments in Nigeria’ – SDP presidential candidate

Aminu Imam

The presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo has revealed that Nigeria loses about $4.4 billion monthly to oil theft masterminded by Nigerians who have become International Criminals, with its attendant effect on environmental degradation. Adebayo made the disclosure on Monday, during the commissioning of the SDP campaign secretariat for Delta Central along Effurun-Sapele road, Delta State. The SDP presidential candidate, while accusing the Federal Government of being behind oil theft activities in the Niger-Delta region, revealed that the country is currently losing the said amount of…

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Pipeline Surveillance: Tension, asN’Delta youths agitating for a slice of Tompolo’s contract

Aminu Imam

The new pipeline surveillance contract given by the NNPC Limited to the ex-Niger-Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has triggered a crisis, with Ijaw youths agitating for a slice of the contract. Ekpemupolo was the former commander of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, (MEND). However, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has moved to douse the tension by inaugurating a committee to interface with the angry youths. The INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, performed the inauguration of the five-member committee at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa,…

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Pipeline Contract: Replace Service Chiefs with Tompolo, Northern Youths tell Buhari
Demand revocation of pipelines contract in seven days

Aminu Imam

A Coalition of 225 Youth Groups mainly from Northern Nigeria, Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Service Chiefs over their failure to secure the nations pipelines against vandals. In a press statement issued by its spokesman, Comrade Victor Duniya, Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, condemned the award of pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo, describing it as an empowerment scheme for Niger-Delta Youths, despite the billions of Naira spent on what it called the failed amnesty programme that is exclusively designed for them. The Coalition was…

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N/Delta: Kaduna Group fumes over the award of pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo

Aminu Imam

…Calls for Sylva, Kyari, others’ removal A group, Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups yesterday kicked against the award of the pipeline surveillance contract to an ex-militant leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, (MEND) Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo by the Federal Government. The group, in a statement by its Spokesman, Comrade Victor Duniya, said it received the news of the award of a pipeline surveillance contract worth over N4bn monthly by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd to Tompolo with rude shock. According to him, the group…

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Ex-militant leader, Tompolo, wins multi-million dollar contract to curb oil theft

Aminu Imam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd has renewed a multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract to a former militant leader and Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo. It was gathered that the government and the NNPC signed the deal with Tompolo to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger-Delta region. A source close to Tompolo, who spoke in confidence, said the deal was worth over N4billion monthly. However, the figure and details of the…

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Disquiet in Niger Delta over plot to cancel 13% derivation fund

Aminu Imam

An alleged plot by some northern members of the House of Representatives to expunge the 13 percent Derivation Fund from the 1999 Constitution has ignited tension in the Niger Delta region. The leadership of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF) on Friday convened an emergency General Assembly meeting of leaders of the South-South region to deliberate on and take possible actions over the plan. According to an invitation letter to the South-South General Assembly meeting, signed by PANDEF’s National Chairman, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, who is a former Deputy Chief Whip…

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Developmental Strides: President Buhari Has Broken The Niger Delta Jinx – APC Group

Ishaku Yohanna

Godwin Amunde The APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign (APCLAC) – a voluntary think-tank group of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) – said that no previous administration has paid more attention to the plight of the Niger Delta region like the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the group, the achievements of the President Buhari-led administration in the oil-rich Niger Delta region are phenomenal, noting that the Ogoniland clean-up exercise has commenced, while modular refineries are springing up in the region, among other developmental strides. In a statement…

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Oil spills: ‘Polluted Nigerian communities can sue Shell in English courts’, U.K. Supreme Court rules

Aminu Imam

The United Kingdom, (UK) Supreme Court has ruled that polluted Nigerian communities can sue oil giant Shell in English courts. The decision is a victory for the communities after a five yr-long battle and also overturns a Court of Appeal ruling. The Niger Delta communities, which comprises of more than 40,000 people, say decades of pollution have severely impacted their lives, health and local environment. Shell is responsible for about 50% of the delta’s oil production. It had argued that it was only a holding company for a firm that…

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N712bn wasted by Officials of Presidential Amnesty Programme NSA Monguno

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The National Security Adviser to the President, retired Major General Babagana Monguno, says N712 billion has remained unaccounted for by former officials of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Monguno stated this when he addressed State House correspondents after presenting the recently appointed interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Colonel Milland Dokio, to President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja on Friday. He frowned at the way and manner the amnesty programme was plagued by a lot of corruption, waste and mismanagement of funds by the previous administrators. He…

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Niger Delta group petitions UN over massive corruption in NDDC

Ishaku Yohanna

A group, the Restore Initiative has petitioned the United Nations (UN) over massive corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), while seeking for the prosecution of indicted persons involved in corrupt acts in the agency over the years. The petition which was signed by Gloria Okolugbo national leader of the group a copy which was made available to BusinessDay, Sunday. The group noted that it was saddened that despite the vast resources of the region which is the main sources of income for the nation, the people of the…

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