By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) says it is collaborating with the World bank, European Investment Bank, development agencies and stakeholders to upgrade the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) to a principal legislation.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner (NC) of NDPB disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja while recounting the achievements of the bureau.

The NDPR, established in January 2019, was signed by Prof. Isa Pantami as the then Director- General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The NDPR came as a subsidiary legislation and fallout of the NITDA Act of 2007; the agency is backed by law to create subsidiary legislations as potent as the Act.

He recalled that licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) were engaged, awareness done and implementation strategy developed to ensure building data protection ecosystem that played a major role in boosting the economy.

We are working with the subsidiary legislation to make it a principal legislation.

We are working with World Bank, European Investment Bank and different development agencies expecting to have a policy dialogue where we are going to take input from all stakeholders based on the NDPR.

We are going to be asking questions about the NDPR, mirroring the issues why it was not assented to by the President in 2019.

We are trying to aggregate all these inputs to form a position of what to present as the principal legislation.

If we have that, in terms of enforcement and more powers to the bureau, that will to a large extent give us powers to do our work, Olatunji said.

In developing a good structure for the bureau, Olatunji said that the bureau had set up a committee to develop a roadmap for general data protection in the country.

According to him, the team has worked for more than two months now, hoping to have a clear roadmap for data protection in Nigeria.

Responding to the Data Protection Bill of 2020, for the establishment of Data Protection Commission, Olatunji said that the bureau was the same and is the supervisory data protection organisation in Nigeria.

The bureau is the commission now, what we are doing is to align what we are already doing with the bill and have a law.

Mr President has the power to set up structures to implement the objectives of the government and this is not the first agency that has been set up while the bill is still being processed.

The most important thing is that we now have an organisation that will be in the front lines to ensure that the bill scales through.

The NDPB is now the champion of the Data Privacy Protection Bill which we will soon take to the national assembly to drive the process, he said.

Olatunji decried that the 2022 annual budget had already been passed before the launch of the NDPB, which was challenging the implementation of its activities, among other challenges.

He, however, said that the Federal Government with an alternative funding plan, approved that the Nigeria Communications Commission, NITDA and the National Identity Management Commission fund the bureau for two years.

NITDA provided the physical office, furnished it, provided 12 staff and paid their salaries.

In implementing activities that we need to do, we are still having that (funding) challenge.

Looking at the issue of data protection, it is huge, the issue of compliance, investigation with 12 staff members, 10 Police investigation team, it is still not enough to do proper enforcement.

We are working with over 200 million people and land mass of over 923,000 square kilometres, 36 states and the FCT and 774 local governments, that is huge, the Commissioner said.

He further said that achieving the mandate of the bureau required more manpower, workers with sound knowledge of data privacy, protection and infrastructure.

According to him, part of what we are working on too is our condition of service which is almost ready.

By the time we have that and we have money, we will engage experts that will assist us achieve our mandates.

NAN reports that the NDPB was launched in February, following the approval by President Muhammadu Buhari, with the mandate to implement the NDPR and other data privacy issues.

The NDPR was under the purview of the NITDA, hence the creation of the bureau. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abubakar Ahmed/Donald Ugwu

Source: NAN News

By Maureen Okon

The Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, on Tuesday in Abuja said that access to digital, ground-truth data would increase the electrification planning rate in Nigeria.

The minister said this at the official inauguration of the upgrade of Nigeria Sustainable Energy for All (Nigeria SE4ALL) platform version 3.0 (https://nigeriase4all.gov.ng), with extended datasets from field data collection and brand new web apps.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative is under the Nigeria Energy Support Programme which is a technical assistance programme.

It is also co-founded by the European Union (EU), BMZ, and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Gmbh in collaboration Federal Ministry Power.

Aliyu, speaking at the cutting of the ribbon ceremony of the new web platform, said that access to digital, ground true data is key to increase the electrification rate in Nigeria.

That is why the ministry under the umbrella of the nationwide SE4ALL initiative has developed this platform, which will serve as the go-to platform for data-driven electrification planning to achieve Nigerias Vision 30:30:30, he said.

Ms Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Green and Digital Economy at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, speaking at the event, said the delegation was delighted about the website.

The EU is happy to have supported the government to develop the new Nigeria SE4ALL web platform.

The collected data and the new tools would be used to serve as pre-feasibility for private sector investment, allow development of policies and frameworks as well as monitoring policy target.

Mr Martin Huth, the Charg daffaires of the German Embassy to Nigeria, highlighted the importance of the platform for the energy sector in improving the energy sector.

These interactive platform with intuitive web apps will greatly assist the Nigerian Government in improving the regulatory framework for the set targets of electrifying Nigerians.

Also, it will provide the private sector with necessary information for the business plans for investments, he said.

Mr Abubabar Ali-Dapshima, Acting Director, Renewable Energy and Rural Power Access Department for the Ministry of Power, said the platform launched provided the availability of primary and empirical data for key investors.

He added that the investors that were in the Mini-grid, renewable energy, energy efficiency sub-sectors of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) would gain access.

NAN reports that the inauguration presented lessons and insights from stakeholders, the private sector, companies, industry association, ministry of power, the World Bank Group, and donor organisations on the new platform and introduced new features.

Mr Duke Benjamin, Head of Programme, NESP, said that Nigeria SE4ALL project team had carried out further special projects on field data collection including energy supply assessment.

Also on off-grid settlement surveys, and mobile mapping of grid network, in collaboration with national partners, he said.

NAN further reports that the high point of the event was the demonstration of the collected data and data collection methods including the demonstrations of the mobile mapping device Trimble MX.

It is a vehicle-mounted imaging system enabling fast and productive capture of road, infrastructure and city environmental data.

It captures 360-degree, geo-referenced images with highway speeds to vastly reduce project operating cost whilst improving public safety. (NAN)

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Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam/Vivian Ihechu

Source: NAN News

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu has promised to pay all outstanding liabilities owned to contractors who have completed various contracts awarded by the immediate past administration of the council.

Mr Kingsley Madaki, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs to AMAC Chairman, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said Maikalangu, gave the assurance while addressing aggrieved contractors yet to be paid for jobs executed for the past administration.

The chairman, who appealed to the contractors to exercise patience, however, disclosed that despite the challenges of funding, the administration had paid one month salary owned by past administration.

Maikalangu, who attributed the delay in payments to dwindling Internal Revenue Generation (IGR) and expected funds from the Federal Government, expressed optimism that the contractors would be paid as soon as possible.

It will be unfair for your money to be tied down somewhere for number of years. As you all know, this is a new administration. I resumed office on the June 14.

So, I felt that we should invite all the contractors owned by the previous administration to know ourselves. You have worked for the council and you deserve your payment.

I want you to have it at the back of your mind that very soon, we will call you on a proper inspection of all the projects you said you have have completed. We are going to focus on projects that have reached 100 per cent completion.

Let the truth be told, we may not pay all. Dont expect us to perform magic, because all the necessary findings must be done before any payment.

Most of the debts are traced to 2016 to 2019. Government is a continuum, we want to assure you that we will gradually pay it.

The AMAC boss disclosed that the council was making serious efforts to get the expected funds from the Federal Government.

We will also ensure that we scale up our Internal Revenue Generation (IGR) to enable us offset our liabilities. I want to assure you that all our contractors will be paid soon, he said.

While thanking the chairman on his promises to offset the debt owned by the previous administration, Mr Bello Shafiw, the Managing Director of Christal Love and Tina Nigeria Ltd., said the audience given by the new council chairman was a huge step in the right direction.

With this kind of chairman in the leadership of the council, the residents should be rest assured that things will work well for good.

We didnt expect you to call us or have any interest in paying a debt he didnt acquire. Most of us have lost hope since, but with this assurance we have gotten here today, our hope is revived already.

Some of us are being owed for years after the completion of jobs. We have been asking and nobody answered us but thank God for the answer we have gotten from this present administration. (NAN)

Edited by Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News

By Jacinta Nwachukwu
The Nigerian Army Officer Wives Association (NAOWA) has underscored the need for women in the Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) camps to observe family planning for improved family life.

Members of NAOWA expressed the concern when they visited some women in Durumi IDPs camp, in Abuja on Monday with some relief materials to commemorate the 2022 Nigerian Army Day Celebration.

According to them, family planning is central to gender equality and womens empowerment is a key factor in reducing poverty.

The wife of the Military Secretary, Mrs Maryam Abdussalam, said that the association would engage some medical doctors who would educate the women in IDPs camps on effective family planning.

Abdussalam said that controlling the number of children individuals or couples have as well asspacing and timing of their births would help for proper family management.

We see a lot of children that are being born here and there is no place for recreational activities for them.

I am going through some emotions seeing the children and the women here; honestly there are a lot that needs to be done.

We are going to involve some doctors, or corps members to come here and talk to them on what to do, she said.

Earlier, Mrs Asmau Garba the Coordinator, NAOWA, said that the association was built on the principles and norms of Nigerian Army with its motto: Unity and Charity.

On this occasion of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration 2022, we strive to exemplify this by reaching out to less privileged within and outside our environs.

Durumi Internally Displaced Persons Camp has been chosen as the reach out location for the less-privileged to commemorate the day.

To this end, the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association Army Headquarters Garrison is using this medium to empathise with you and extend our hands of fellowship, Garba said.

She said that this was to also encourage the women not to give up on themselves.

On behalf of the women, Mrs Liyatu Ayuba, Women leader, IDPs camp Durumi, appreciated the leadership of NAOWA and her team for the kind gesture.

Ayuba, who is also a traditional birth attendant, while appreciating God for their lives said that she had helped the women to deliver about 218 children in the camp.

She said that they have spent about nine years in the camp.

We have 13 groups and we are 300 in all. We are just managing our lives because we are not in our homes, our children dont go to good schools because of our condition.

We are very happy because of the women organisation that came to our camp today.

We are happy because we have been thinking of the Sallah celebration and how to celebrate it without food but here they have brought enough food to us, she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association donated about 30 bags of rice and other food items including toiletries to the women in the IDPs camp.(NAN)()

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria on Monday called on women, youths and Persons With Disabilities(PWDs) to participate actively in the electoral processes ahead of the general elections in 2023.

The Project Leader of FIDA Nigeria, Ms. Esther Ikenye, made the call at the community sensitisation for Gwarko and Kutunku communities in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.

Ikenye in her speech during the sensitisation which was supported by Action Aid, said there was the need for more women, youths, PWDs to be more involved in political activities.

Women have always been at the background in key governance, even though we make the highest number in Nigerias population.

The Gender Responsive Bill suffered a set back on the floor of the legislative house; we are trying to see how more women, youths and PWDs will be part of electoral process and in governance.

We are not competing with anyone but the women, youth, PWDs should be given a chance to contribute and be part of the electoral process, Ikenye said.

She also called on women, youths and PWDs to make use of the extended continuous voter registration opportunity to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) .

The purpose of the sensitisation is to educate them on continue voter registration and key provisions under the Electoral Act.

And to promote the inclusion of women, youths and PWD in key electoral and governance processes across the FCT ahead of the 2023 general elections, Ikenye said.

She said that the simplified version of the Electoral Act was given to members of the communities for them to enhance their knowledge on voters education and their rights.

Ikenye, however, advised women, youths and PWD to ensure they exercised their franchise in line with the nations constitution.

She further advised them against double registration, saying it is punishable in the Electoral Act with a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for not more than a year.

She said FIDA had previously been in six communities across three area councils in the FCT, adding that this was the second phase of the project.

The Project Officer of FIDA Nigeria, Mr Abu Ayuba advised Nigerians to resist all forms of vote buying during elections.

He said they should not allow themselves to be used by desperate politicians, rather they should abide by the requirements by INEC.

The Programme Officer of FIDA Nigeria, Mrs Chioma Okoye-Chukwuma said the programme was to encourage and strengthen the capacities of young persons and women on campaign strategies policy and participation in leadership positions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FIDA Nigeria as a resource partner under the Action Aid Elections, work under Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) programme.

The aim is to implement the innovation campaign omponent for inclusion of women and young people in political and governance processes (WE-YOU Pro) in FCT.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Editted by AbdulFatai BEKI/GRACE YUSSUF

Source: NAN News

By Lizzy Okoji

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the German Development Commission (GIZ) have urged West African journalists to create awareness on the many trade benefits in the sub-region.

They made the call on Monday at the opening of the Five-Day Capacity building training for some West African journalists in Lagos, noting that the media plays a critical role in promoting trade initiatives in the region.

Mr Kolawole Sofola, Director, Trade, ECOWAS Commission, said that Africa and the ECOWAS have developed a lot of initiatives like the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) to boost trade opportunities.

Sofola, however, noted that many citizens of the region were, however, have little knowledge of the benefits of these opportunities which sought to create a new era of economic transformation in the continent.

In spite of the numerous trade agreements signed by African countries, there are number of factors that continue to keep the continent in marginal world trade among which is our lack of productive capacity.

These include our limited trade infrastructure, the high cost of trading across borders, as well as the lack of awareness of trade benefits and also a large volume of informal trade.

The media plays a key role in educating and informing the public on the latest development, also helps provide opinions and monitor government actions to also hold them accountable, he said.

According to him, it is very much your role to make sure that government develops its policies, it is implemented and also the citizens are aware of what is happening.

The objective of this training is to allow media to contribute to the facilitation of cross-border and international trade by reporting and providing critical information on trade issues in the region.

Promoting and facilitating multi-stakeholders dialogue including both the public and private on issues related to trade policies, and trade agreements.

And creating platforms for consultations between stakeholders along particular key corridors, Sofola said.

Mr Bernard Tayoh, Head of Component, GIZ Trade Facilitation West African Programme said that the workshop aimed at building the capacity of West/African journalists on existing trade protocols and initiatives of the ECOWAS region.

Tayoh said that the training will also strengthen the reportage of the journalists who play key advocacy role in the reform of trade initiatives in the West African region.

He said that the Trade Facilitation West African (TFWA) Programme under which the training is conducted is geared at improving the free movement of goods and services in the region.

This, he said, includes improving corridor efficiency, focusing of key trade corridors in the region.

With new protocols coming up both in the region and in the continent, including under the AFCTA we deem it necessarily to build the capacity of CSOs and journalists to understand the implication of these measures.

For them to be able to play a key role to ensure those private sectors are able to take advantage of all the opportunities that are created by the new protocols, Tayoh said.

Dr Ken Ukaoha, Director-General, West African Institute for Trade and Agriculture Development (WAITAD), asked journalists as agenda setters to make economic reportage a priority.

Ukaoha said that all sector of humanity would be greatly improved when more attention is given to economy and trade reportage.

This training is long overdue, looking at new instruments on trade, also at key issues that are coming out within the region as well as Member States, looking at also specifically on what we tend to benefit and what we are losing on trade.

Also looking at the fact that major newspapers in Member states, trade and economic issues hardly come to the front burner.

And, it appears that politics have taken over major chunk of activities. And if they are people who should reinvent, rediscover where we should be as a region, Ukaoha said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the TFWA programme is a multi-donor programme funded by the EU, U.S Germany, EU and the Netherlands and co-implemented by GIZ and the World Bank Group. (NAN) ()

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Edith Ike-Eboh and Emmanuel Afonne

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) started its weekly activities with a resolve to quickly end the incessant queues at various filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

By this resolution, the company in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) stepped up the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the FCT from 70 to 140 trucks to combat the lingering fuel queues.

Speaking to newsmen during an inspection tour of filling stations in Abuja, NNPCs Group Executive Director, Downstream, Mr Yemi Adetunji, explained that there were enough petrol in the nations strategic reserve to last 32 days.

We have 1.9billion litres of PMS that can last for 32 day. NNPC is making every effort to ensure energy security for the country.

We have sorted out Lagos. We are working with all relevant stakeholders to bring the situation in Abuja under control; normalcy will be restored in the next few days.

Speaking earlier, the CEO of the NMDPRA, Mr Farouk Ahmed, said that the improvement in the supply of products from an average of 70 to 140 trucks was made possible by the Presidential approval of a 10 freight rate discount increase to petroleum products transporters as part of solutions to the fuel supply challenge.

He charged marketers to play by the rules as NMDPRA would not hesitate to sanction anyone found to be involved in underhand practices.

We are doing everything to bring the situation to normal. We also want to state that there is no increase in the pump price of PMS, and any such sharp practice will be sanctioned accordingly by the Authority, he said.

The tour of the filling stations was to monitor developments and ensure compliance.

In another development, Major stakeholders in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry have suggested ways to mitigate the continuous rise in prices of diesel and cooking gas in Nigeria.

Among the stakeholders who spoke at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Joint Committees on Downstream and Gas Resources in Abuja were the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, Mr Farouk Ahmed and the Group Managing Director/CEO of NNPC Ltd, Malam Mele Kyari.

Leaders of Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association Of Nigeria (IPMAN), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Gas Marketers Association, among others, were also in attendance.

Fielding questions from members of the committee, Ahmed said that the current geopolitical crisis in Ukraine and Russia had affected the global crude oil supply resulting in the increase of petroleum products prices across the globe.

Ahmed said that the rise in the prices of petroleum products was a global phenomenon and not a local problem peculiar to Nigeria.

He added that the landing cost of petroleum product was also a major factor affecting the price of petroleum products.

We need to see what can be done to alleviate the suffering of the people.

If our refineries come back on stream and make foreign exchange available at the official rate of N400 per dollar, things will definitely improve.

We also need to address the issue of vandalism, he said.

On his part, the GMD/CEO of NNPC Ltd., Malam Mele Kyari, said the only way to tackle the rising price of diesel and cooking gas was to increase the production of crude oil.

Kyari said that acts of vandalism of oil facilities have been responsible for the decline in production which in turn was responsible for the unavailability of foreign exchange.

He disclosed that 27,000 barrels were lost in a recent attack on one of the companys facilities.

According to him, besides the Russia-Ukraine war which is affecting the supply of products across the world, most major oil companies are also shutting down in keeping with global emphasis on the shift from fossil fuels over environmental concerns.

No one can guarantee stability of petroleum products supply; the world has never seen this kind of uncertainty. Today, countries are stockpiling products.

Shortly before COVID-19, the world was already facing shortfall of 3 million barrel of supply of oil but with the ongoing intervention, by the end of July we will restore production to a level that is reasonable.

The Chairman, House Committee on Downstream, Rep. Abdullahi Gaya, said that there was need to find solution to the high cost of diesel and cooking gas in order to alleviate the hardship on Nigerians.

Some of the lawmakers said that although Kyari and Ahmed candidly presented the worrisome situation the industry was faced with, they, nevertheless unanimously expressed confidence in their ability to bring the situation under control.

The stakeholders present at the hearing include the Independent marketers, suggested a short, medium and long term solutions to combat the challenges.

They also pledged to work with the NNPC and the regulatory agency to redress the situation.

Meanwhile, the Management of NNPC Ltd. sensitised members of staff to the challenges and opportunities inherent in the transition from a corporation to a limited liability company.

This was in continuation of its stakeholders engagement to achieve a smooth transition.

The NNPC GMD/CEO, Kyari, said at a town hall meeting which held at the NNPC Towers, that it was imperative for all staff to embrace the change with courage and look beyond the temporary discomfort to the huge opportunities that lie ahead of the new NNPC.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the courage to have signed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) into law, pointing out that the lack of effective regulatory framework and unbridled government interference were responsible for NNPCs losses in the past.

NNPC is now free of burden.

Nigerians are looking up to us, they expect NNPC to lead the way in making profit and adding value for the benefit of the over 200 million stakeholders.

Kyari said that given the volume of the Companys assets that was signed and transferred officially on July 1, 2022, by the Ministers of Petroleum Resources and Finance respectively, the new NNPC would be the most capitalised company in Africa and would be poised to announce its first Initial Public Offer (IPO) in the next three years.

He also informed that the companys financial statement for the year 2021 would be better than that of year 2020 when NNPC reported a profit after tax of 287 billion naira.

In her remarks, the Chairman of the NNPC Ltd., Sen. Margery Chuba-Okadigbo, assured of the Boards continuous support towards the realisation of the goals of the new NNPC Ltd., while encouraging members of staff to imbibe the concepts of dynamism and creativity required for global competitiveness.

She said that deducing from her experience at the helm of the NNPC Board, she had conviction to endorse the GMDs policies on transparency and accountability, noting that the company as envisioned by the PIA can only achieve its objectives through firm commitment to excellence on the part of the entire workforce.

Also in the week under review, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) concluded the marginal oil fields bid rounds kick-started in the year 2020 with the award of Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) to 161 successful companies.

The commission also officially unveiled the Host Communities Development Regulations and model PPLs.

Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said that the presentation of the Licences was part of the implementation of the PIA 2021.

He also noted that the category was being handled for the first time.

The minister who commended the management and staff of the NUPRC for ensuring the successful completion of the process, described the conclusion of the process as a giant milestone for the administration.

The implementation of the PIA 2021 is in top gear. Consequently, the new awardees should note that their assets will be fully governed by the provisions of the PIA 2021.

As you develop your assets with the special purpose vehicles (SPVs), ensure that good oilfield practice is employed, environmental considerations and community stakeholders management are not neglected.

It is my strong belief that the awardees will take advantage of the current attractive oil prices to bring these fields into full production within a short period to increase production, grow reserves and reduce cost of production.

The onboarding of new oil and gas players in the petroleum sector is part of this governments policy to encourage more indigenous participation in our petroleum operations, Sylva said.

He added that the development would boost activities in the oil and gas sector, increase production output and create additional employment opportunities for Nigerians.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, said that the Marginal Field Bid Round was one of the major tasks inherited by the commission on its inauguration in 2021.

He listed some of the constraints that caused the delay in the conclusion of the exercise to include, the interruption brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, partial payment of Signature Bonuses by some awardees, and the unwillingness of some co-awardees to work together in forming SPVs for field development.

Recounting the history of the marginal fields award initiative, Komolafe said that the process which began in 1999 was borne out of the need to entrench the indigenisation policy of the Federal Government in the upstream sector.

He also said that the aim was to boost local content, stressing that since its inception, a total of 30 fields had been awarded with 17 currently producing.

He disclosed that the 2020 Marginal Field Bid Round exercise raked in revenue of about 200 million naira and 7 million dollars into the Federal Government coffers.

Komolafe added that the conclusion of the 2020 Marginal Fields Bid Round brought to an end the era of Marginal Field awards as stipulated by the PIA.

Section 94 (9) of the Act states that no new marginal field shall be declared under this Act.

Accordingly, the minister shall now award PPL on undeveloped fields following an open, fair, transparent, competitive, and non-discriminatory bidding process in line with Sections 73 and 74 of the Act.

He urged the winner of the marginal fields to take advantage of the current market realities and quickly bring their fields to production, stressing that Nigeria was not benefiting much from the upswing in crude oil prices because of production disruptions occasioned by sabotage, theft, and other operational challenges.

A total of 57 marginal fields were presented in the 2020 bid round out of which 41 were fully paid for and 37 fields were issued with the PPL, having satisfied all conditions for award.

Out of the 665 firms that expressed interest in the exercise, 161 emerged as potential awardees.

Some of the successful companies that received their licences include: Ardova Plc, Matrix Energy Ltd., Sun Trust Oil Company Limited, Deep Offshore Integrated Service Ltd., Island Energy Ltd., Sigmund Oil Field Ltd., and Shafa Exploration and Production Company Ltd., among others.

Still in the week, NNPC Ltd. said it was committed to fast-tracking efforts to identify new gas resources and develop existing ones amidst current global yearning for cleaner fuels.

NNPC also said it was making efforts to identify new gas resources to boost revenues for investment in other sectors of the economy as part of its preparation for the global energy transition.

The NNPC GMD/CEO, Malam Mele Kyari, stated this in a keynote address at the First E

National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has urged pilgrims to cooperate with national and state officials to get the best from the various modifications in the conduct of this years Hajj.

NAHCON Deputy Coordinator for Makkah, Alhaji Alidu Shutti, stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of Muna, Arafat, Muzdalifa and Jamrat Holy sites in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday.

He said that the officials had been working with different service providers assigned to Nigeria to schedule movements of pilgrims during the three-day stay in the Holy sites.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Holy sites, which are core rituals in the performance of Hajj, are the locations where all the pilgrims from across the globe will camp for the four days and be performing the same act simultaneously.

NAN also reports that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah introduced the movement to reduce incidences of getting lost and overcrowding as well as avoiding fatalities among pilgrims.

It reduced the number of pilgrims going for the stoning of the devil at Jamrat from 250 to 90 at a time from each state.

It also scheduled the time that buses would convey the pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifa for staying some part of the night.

Similarly, to ensure better control, the Saudi authorities also introduced a fine of 50,000 riyals (about N11.5 million) and six months imprisonment for anyone doing the Hajj without permission.

Shutti said that NAHCON would ensure that pilgrims were given the best service in the Holy sites.

For the past three weeks, the Saudi authorities have been working on these sites and today, you can see the difference, even from when we visited last week Monday.

The sleeping spaces are ready; the toilets have been modernised, while the air conditioning system is also working.

Nigerian pilgrims have been allocated service areas from one to 18. One to 14 is allocated to states pilgrims while four is for private tour operators to camp their pilgrims.

NAHCON will ensure that pilgrims perform their religious rites comfortably, he said.

Similarly, Head of NAHCON Medical mission in Madina, Dr Hamidu Liman, has urged pilgrims to keep fit for the five-day stay at the Holy sites and beyond.

He urged them to take time out of their spiritual exercise to rest and eat good food in order to maintain good health.

The Hajj rites, as you know, are very tedious and rigorous exercise. We are here for Ibadat and we must do it, but as much as possible, we must find time in-between to rest and eat good food, he said. (NAN)
Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani/Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News

The latest outbreak of the Ebola disease in Congo has officially been declared over, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday.

The organisation said that the outbreak affected the north-western quateur province, with the first case recorded there on April 23.

It said that in total, there were four confirmed cases and one suspected case, all patients died of the disease.

In a previous outbreak in the province between June and November 2020, a total of 130 cases were detected and 55 people died.

However, the latest outbreak was the 14th recorded in the country of 90 million since 1976.

Between 2014 and 2016, the largest-ever outbreak of the disease took place in West Africa with more than 11,000 deaths.

Ebola infection often leads to high fever and internal bleeding, and is life-threatening. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Halima Sheji/Sadiya Hamza

Source: NAN News

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday promised to ease economic and financial sanctions on Mali.

Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, made the announcement at the closing press conference of the 61st Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Accra.

According to Brou, Malian authorities have taken steps in passing the electoral accord and in setting up a monitoring mechanism for transition.

He said that the authorities had also taken steps to prepare a new constitution for the country.

He said that Malis transition would end in March 2024 in a framework of a 24-month transition period.

Brou said that ECOWAS decided to lift all the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Jan. 9.

That means, essentially, the closure of the border, the freezing of financial assets.

Those sanctions are lifted, he said, adding that ambassadors of ECOWAS member-states to Mali would return to Mali.

However, as the process needs to be monitored, the heads of state decided to maintain individual sanctions and maintain suspension of Mali from the organs of ECOWAS institutions, he said.(Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed/Edited by Ijeoma Popoola

Source: NAN News