Victor Ojeamiran: Soldier Commits Suicide In Yobe, Leaves Note For Wife(Graphic)

North-East: A Soldier Commits Suicide after Leaving a Note for Wife
A serving Lance Corporal in the Nigerian Army has committed suicide at his duty post in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State in North-East Nigeria.

PRNigeria gathered that the soldier who left a suicide note behind for his wife was alleged to have shot himself on the head and bled to death.

While his body had been evacuated, the Nigerian Army has commenced an investigation into circumstances leading to the incident.

#nairaland

Victor Ojeamiran: Soldier Commits Suicide In Yobe, Leaves Note For Wife(Graphic)

North-East: A Soldier Commits Suicide after Leaving a Note for Wife
A serving Lance Corporal in the Nigerian Army has committed suicide at his duty post in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State in North-East Nigeria.

PRNigeria gathered that the soldier who left a suicide note behind for his wife was alleged to have shot himself on the head and bled to death.

While his body had been evacuated, the Nigerian Army has commenced an investigation into circumstances leading to the incident.

#nairaland

NNPC’s Legal Team Wins Africa Arbitration Award

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said on Wednesday said that its legal team has saved about $5.4 billion in court cases through the victories it recorded in four court judgments involving the company.

A statement by the Corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr Kennie Obateru, said the favourable judgments obtained in the cases also won the national oil company’s litigation team the “Leading Case Counsel Team” of the 2020 Africa Arbitration Awards (AAA).

Obateru noted that the award was given to the NNPC team in recognition of its “stellar performance” at the 8th edition of the East African International Arbitration Conference (EAIC) which held in Nairobi, Kenya, recently, with participants joining in virtually.


NNPC listed the successful arbitration cases showcased by its legal team at the conference as the IPCO (Nigeria) Vs. NNPC’s in respect of the dispute over the Bonny export terminal project in which $367.5 million was saved after 13 years of litigation.

It also named the ESSO E&P Nigeria Limited Vs. NNPC in respect of the dispute over the interpretation of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) covering Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 209/Oil Mining Lease (OML) 133 in which the enforcement of a $2.7 billion claim was dismissed.



Other recent arbitration cases presented at the conference, the company said, include ESSO & Others Vs. NNPC in respect of alleged breaches in interpretation and implementation of the PSC covering OPL 222/OML 138 with over $380.141 million saved.


Also mentioned by the corporation was the case between the Atlantic Energy Group vs. NPDC in respect of an allegation of wrongful termination of Strategic Alliance Agreements (STA) over eight OMLs resulting in the award of $1.6 billion in favour of NPDC.

“At the conference which was aimed at promoting commercial arbitration and showcasing African lawyers and law firms which have performed well in arbitration practice, the NNPC legal team gave a presentation on the challenges and lessons learnt from arbitrations and the successes recorded.

“Besides the presentation, the NNPC legal team’s entry for the leading case counsel team category of Africa Arbitration Award was adjudged the best amongst entries from 100 other institutions across Africa resulting in the award,” the corporation said.

It added that the award was a testimony to the commitment of the legal division and indeed the staff of the corporation to the Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE) agenda of the Mallam Mele Kyari-led management of the national oil company.

#orientenergyreview

Distribution Of Oil Revenues Dominate Discussions To Restart Libyan Output

Talks to restart the bulk of Libya’s crude output and end the eight-month long blockade on the country’s oil exports are ongoing, with the issue of distribution of oil revenues still being ironed out.

Platts said in a report yesterday that these negotiations have been making some progress, but the situation is still volatile as the country remains fractured along eastern and western lines.



“We could see a deal agreed to restart output by the end of this week. There has been progress but it is also realistic to have a healthy dose of skepticism,” Platts quoted a Libya-based source.



The North African oil producer has been wracked by conflict between the UN-backed Government of National Accord, and the self-styled Libyan National Army that has almost completely halted oil output.

On January 18, eastern tribes, supported by the LNA, halted exports from five key oil terminals, which dramatically reduced the country’s crude production, pushing it to its lowest levels since the 2011 civil war.

National Oil Corporation is still in talks with the GNA and the LNA along with regional countries, under the supervision of the UN and the US to restart its oil output. Libya is currently pumping around 120,000 b/d compared with around 1.10 million b/d before the blockade, which began on January 18 and caused a collapse in oil production.



The distribution of oil revenues has been at the heart of the oil blockade. LNA’s Khalifa Haftar controls the bulk of Libya’s key oil infrastructure, but does not have access to oil revenues via the Central Bank of Libya. Neither does he hold the reins of the state-owned National Oil Corporation.

Negotiations are currently underway to find a revenue mechanism whereby the LNA or the eastern government gets access to these oil and gas revenues.


“In reality, LNA doesn’t want oil out now because Haftar fears being sidelined,” said another source, noting that keeping the oil blockade gives Haftar more leverage compared to his rivals.

Increased US and domestic pressure has also contributed to some more optimism that a restart of Libyan crude production is near.



“The audit of Central Bank of Libya is ongoing and we are cautiously optimistic that some revenue mechanism is being worked out,” said a third source.

The US embassy in Tripoli said in a statement on Sept. 12 that the LNA has promised to reopen the country’s energy shipments following talks after it had imposed an oil blockade in mid-January.



But the LNA hasn’t officially confirmed this. LNA spokesperson Ahmed al Mismari told domestic news media on Sept. 13 that the recent US statement was “optimistic.”

Mismari admitted that negotiations are still continuing, but reiterated a deal will hinge on a “fair revenue-sharing arrangement.”

State-owned NOC couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

Since July, NOC has been preparing for a resumption of oil production and exports from its eastern terminals, but it has faced several obstacles in recent months.
Force majeure on crude loadings out of the terminals of Marsa el-Hariga, Brega, Es Sider, Ras Lanuf and Zueitina remain in place, as the ports are still being blockaded by the guards.

Recent attempts to exports crude and condensate out of storage from the port of Es Sider have also been thwarted due to security issues.

Crude production in Libya, which holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, has been slashed from more than 1.1 million b/d before the blockade to around 70,000-120,000 b/d in the past three months due to the oil embargo.

Last week, NOC reiterated the need to lift the oil blockade, decrying the stoppage of gas production for power generation, which has forced it to import diesel and deplete cash reserves.

The NOC had previously said the cessation of the bulk of its output due to the current civil conflict had caused “significant damage to the country’s oil reservoirs and infrastructure.”

The blockade has inflicted a lot of damage to the Libyan oil sector from both a budgetary and technical perspective, with severe repercussions for future output capacity, according to NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla.

Libya holds Africa’s largest proven reserves of oil and its main light sweet Sharara and Es Sider export crudes yield a large proportion of middle distillates and gasoline, making it popular with refineries in the Mediterranean region and Northwest Europe.

#orientenergyreview

Shell Grows Oil Output To 514,000 Bopd In Nigeria

The chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN), Osagie Okunbor, has said that the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has grown its oil output to an average of 514,000 barrels per day (bpd).

He said the company also has developed additional capacity to produce more. On the other hand, the managing director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), Mr Bayo Ojulari, has advised industry players and firms ready to be creative and develop quality solutions to the challenges that are facing the oil and gas industry, especially those hindering the sector from implementing local content as required by the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.



Okunbor said the SPDC achieved the feat last year when its production rose more than 10% to 514,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) due to enhanced exploration and production activities.



Speaking at the 12th PSRG–Richardson Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Forum, Mr. Ojulari said while there is increasing support, regulations are going to get stricter to ensure compliance by firms.


“There are areas where we can quickly close gaps identified in local content implementations”, Ojulari reiterated at the forum, which held as a webinar with the theme “Nigerian Content Development: Facing the future”,

He stressed the need for collaboration among Nigerian firms as a reliable way to harness the different skills that will grow the industry. “Collaboration is key to unlocking value. Don’t do it all alone, you always benefit from partnering,” he said.



Ojulari underlined the need to reinforce established processes and framework that will lead to achieving the goals of Nigerian Content.

He reminded indigenous firms to continue to invest in improving the quality of their products and services.

He said: “We cannot implement Local Content at the expense of quality. Don’t compromise on quality or safety. Instead, have a system in place to manage both quality and safety.”

With the extension of the implementation of Nigerian Content to other industries, like mines, power and information technology, Ojulari projected that there is more potential for success in these industries if the learnings from the pioneering example of the oil and gas industry are applied.

“The oil and gas industry is very complex and highly technical. With the success achieved in the oil and gas industry, other industries have good example to follow,” he said.

The SPDC managers said the company fed the domestic market and the export market through the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) plant, adding that it supplied approximately 50% of the NLNG plant’s capacity.



The company’s gas feed to the NLNG facility in Bonny Island in Rivers State comes largely from the Gbaran-Ubie and Soku plants in Bayelsa and Rivers states.

#orientenergyreview

NERC Says Payments Made For Meters Will Be Returned

…Says meter payment will hence forth be through Cost of Tariff
Commissioner for the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Mr Nathan Rogers Shatti, has explained that consumers of electricity in Nigeria are not expected to pay for meters in the new guidelines.

According to him, payment for meters be would be covered through tariff costs.
Speaking during a webinar organized by the electricity regulator for customers and stakeholders in the power sector on Wednesday evening, Mr Shatti pointed out that customers who had paid for their own meters would be compensated.

The Commissioner and other senior officials of NERC used the event to educate customers on the new service-based tariff and other complaints regarding their meters.

“Service based tariff is important. It would be applicable for those who are getting the services; let them pay for it.


“There would be a new mechanism for people who used their money to buy their own meters. There have been delays in the implementation; all those who paid for their own meters will be compensated.”

According to him, in the future, the cost of paying for the meters would be added to the new service costs, saying, “Metering, going forward won’t be paid for, but through the costs of tariff.”

He also explained how customers who had paid for their own meters would be compensated. “Their costs would be computed and they would be compensated overtime,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the much-anticipated electricity tariff increase effective from September 1st, 2020.

#orientenergyreview

Nigeria Must Strengthen Local Content To Achieve Economic Growth – Lawan

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said for Nigeria to experience exponential growth in the economy, efforts must be made to strengthen the country’s local content capacities particularly against the backdrop of realities that are fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawan made this known yesterday at the virtual opening of the Nigerian Content Summit jointly organised by the Senate Committee on Local Content and House of Representatives Committees on Content Development and Monitoring.

According to him, the Summit, which is the first of its kind as a pre-public hearing stakeholders’ engagement, seeks “to stimulate understanding on the short- and long-term implications of relevant Bills before the two houses.”

He added that, “the Bills, including the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (SB.417), Nigerian Local Content Enforcement Bill, 2020 (SB. 419), and the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act, 2020 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2020 (SB. 42, are obviously to increase composite value addition.


“This value addition expectedly developed from within, with the aid of local services and resources in the petroleum industry, should contribute to local capacity building, with considerations for the elements of health, safety and quality,” he said.

While underscoring the need to develop the nation’s local capacities, he said the country needs to appreciate that its social and economic conditions need continuous reviews for development, with a good quantum of home-grown fundamentals, and especially considering the new realities, brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic reminds us of the need for resource independence, the strengthening of local capacity, and the importance of increasing indigenous variables in the Oil and Gas production, and in other areas.

“The overall aim of this is the promotion of industrialization of the nation’s all-important oil and gas sectors, for enhancing the wellbeing of those in the industry and the overall growth of the Nigerian economy.

“We are actually at a time for more inward reflection, through the enhancement of internal capacity, towards productivity and efficiency, for national progress. This is all to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of the people,” Lawan added.

#orientenergyreview

Prince Ojukwu’s Death: Tension In Awka-Etiti

The mystery surrounding the gruesome murder of Prince Angus Chukwuma Ojukwu, first son of the former traditional ruler of Awka-Etiti in Idemili South local government area of Anambra state, Joachim Okwudili Ojukwu, has sent the royal family and the community into panic mode.

Orient Weekend gathered that Prince Ojukwu was killed by yet-to-be identified assailants around 8:30 pm on September 7, 2020, in his Nkolofia country home in Awka-Etiti. Even as his community leaders and police authority in Anambra state were making frantic efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder, tension has soared amid suggestion of plausible leads to solving the puzzle. So cited are the deceased’s controversial bid to succeed his father, business deal gone wrong and possible cold war within the royal family.

A source, simply identified as Miss Abigail, who claimed to be the deceased’s fiancée and who was with him when the tragic incident took place, told Orient Weekend that she had lived with the deceased in Awka Etiti during the coronavirus lockdown. Abigail spoke from her hospital bed where she was being treated for injuries she sustained while escaping from the assailants.

Estate sharing feud

She suggested that the death may not be unconnected with the problems within the royal family; problems involving the deceased’s mother, his siblings and the deceased’s wife that bore three kids for him. The Cross-River state born lady disclosed that she accompanied the deceased to the police headquarters in Awka on September 7, 2020 where he told the commissioner of police, CP John Abang, that his life was in danger.

She claimed: “After laying his complaints, the CP called the queen mother on phone, asking her to come with the prince and other children to Awka on Tuesday, September 8, so that their differences would be resolved. The queen agreed.



“When we returned in the evening, I called the attention of the prince that a padlock we used in locking the entrance gate was unlocked, that his seat was brought outside, and somebody stepped on it and that some windows at the first floor of the building were open. Again, I called his attention that somebody might have climbed the house using his seat. But told me his mother had the spare key to the gate and that siblings might have come for an errand, and because the entrance door was locked, they might decide to climb. The signs of intrusion into the house unsettled her and she suggested spending the night elsewhere but the prince rejected it.

According to her, the prince suggested that they should buy fuel and run their generator for lighting for the night, just to dispel her fears. That proved to be their last outing together.

She recalled: “We went out, sipped bottles of beer, and also bought for friends. We also bought fuel and put the generator on when we returned. But I insisted that I was afraid. Shortly after the prince put the generator on and joined me in the room, it went off. This heightened my fear and I told him not to go downstairs to fix it. I told him that since his flat was secured, it would be difficult for thieves to enter; but that if he moved out, he might be caught. He ignored me and, as soon as he got to the point where the generator was kept, some people accosted him.

“I heard when they told him, ‘stop there! Don’t run!’ I heard when they told him, ‘Prince, so you get this kind of mind? Have you finished burning? It is now our turn to burn you!’ As they were hitting him, I heard him talking to them in Igbo language, ‘Nwannem kedukwanu ihem mere gi? Ichoro igbu nwanne gi?’ (My brother, what did I do to you? Do you want to kill your brother?

“In the midst of that commotion, I came out of the room, jumped down from first floor through the back; then, scaled the fence from the backyard and ran into town to inform people. Before I could get to a shop where I saw people, I could not walk again but I managed to crawl to the shop and told them what was happening to the prince.

“It took about an hour or more before help came. Before the prince could be taken to hospital, he became too weak. The medical doctor on duty confirmed him dead.”



“On the day that the properties were to be shared, the queen mother came to the palace in the company of two policemen. The prince did as they agreed but, later, they said he took a bigger share. I remember one of his brothers came back and said the prince must give him a portion of land near the palace; but the prince refused. The prince quickly fenced the portion of land; but later, we found out that people broke the fences.”

Efforts by our reporter to get the queen mother or any family member to react to the claims made by Abigail against her and her children were unsuccessful as at press time. When this reporter visited the palace, the royal house was under lock and key and deserted. None of them could be reached on phone for clarifications.

Succession bid

Orient Weekend also reliably gathered that Prince Ojukwu’s controversial proclamation of himself as the traditional ruler of the community shortly after the traditional “last Ofala” of his father in 2015 had pitched him against certain powerful elements in the kingdom. Although, he was said to have formally withdrawn his bid to succeed his late father and apologised to the community for upsetting the apple cart, it was unclear if he had obtained absolution from those who felt aggrieved by his actions.

A member of the Awka-Etiti royal cabinet, talking to this paper in confidence, also pointed to the kingship claim as the source of odium and wrath of many against the prince. He said: “Kingship had not been rotational in the town until sometime during the reign of Joachim Okwudili Ojukwu [1999] when a resolution was reached that, after his reign, kingship would be rotational. After Joachim’s death, the community wanted to implement the resolution but Prince Ojukwu refused.”

He said the town elected Chief Michael Ezeudenna October 2016 and planned his coronation for December same year only for Prince Ojukwu to send out invitations for his coronation on October 16, 2016 and, later in 2018, an elaborate Ofala festival which was, however, foiled by the police.”



The chief said that Prince Ojukwu later reversed his decision and “In 2019, he personally wrote the Awka-Etiti town union, apologising for his past mistakes and misdeeds and expressed deep regret over his past actions in laying claim to the throne against the decision of the community, and promised never to lay claim to the throne again. “Since then, he turned a new leaf and had been a good son of Awka-Etiti, attending ceremonies in the town, including those of Igwe Michael Ezeudenna,” he adds.

Contacted, the traditional ruler of Awka-Etiti, Igwe Michael Ezeudenna, however said Prince Ojukwu’s death would not have any link with the previous kingship tussle in the town. “The kingship tussle was a thing of the past. The prince retraced his steps long ago. The town mended fences with him and, until the time he died, we were like brothers and sisters,” he clarified.

Business dispute

Meanwhile, some suspect that business dispute between Prince Ojukwu and a major cement dealer in Anambra state might have contributed to his untimely death. They imply that the dealer sold two trailer loads of cement to the deceased who refused to repay.

A cement trader at the Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, Anambra state, who claimed to be a very good friend of Prince Ojukwu, told this paper on the condition of anonymity that “Between 2016 and 2017, the cement dealer, who was a good friend of the royal family, sold two trailer loads of cement to the prince; believing that after selling them, he would return the capital; but after selling, he took the gains and also refused to pay.

“It was in anger that the businessman arrested and had him jailed in Port Harcourt where he spent over one year,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the Anambra state police command has declared its readiness to find killers of Prince Ojukwu. The public relations officer of the command, SP Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the murder, assured that “the police are making every effort to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death.”

Also, when contacted, the acting president general of Awka-Etiti Improvement Union, Chukwudiaso Philip Ojukwu, described the death of the prince as a very big shock to the entire community, just as the chairman of Nkolofia, the deceased’s village, Chief Adigwe Izundu, told this paper that the atmosphere in the village became sullen due to the death. He further disclosed that the community was also making every necessary effort to get the perpetrators.

#orientdailynews

Ebonyi Govt. To Re-Open Schools On Oct. 5

The Ebonyi Government has announced that it will re-open schools in the state on Oct. 5, 2020 with the exception of kindergarten and crèches.

The the Commissioner for Education, Dr Onyebuchi Chima, announced the plan on Thursday while briefing newsmen at the end of the state’s Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki.

Chima described the executive council meeting as a “good one’’ for the state ministry of education as it approved the memo from the ministry for the re-opening of schools.


“The resumption will be for the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education as academic activities will be ‘staggered’ according to the ministry’s recommendation.

“This means that there will be two sections for schools: morning and afternoon sessions with the morning sessions starting from 8 .a.m to 12 p.m., while the afternoon will start from 12.15 p.m. to 4.p.m.

“The junior primary section: 1–3 and junior secondary 1-3 classes will have their sessions in the morning, while the senior primary: 4–6 and senior secondary 1-3 classes will run in the afternoon session.

“This implies that each session will run for four hours and we will dedicate the first two to three weeks of academic resumption to intensive studies to conclude the remaining programmes of the 2019/ 2020 academic sessions,” he said.



“We will subsequently conduct a mini-promotional examination to enable the schools move fully into the 2020/21 academic session.

“The ministry applied and the executive council approved that we will not resume kindergarten and crèches in the state for pupils from 0-5 years.

“This is because we know that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding but we should not give it the opportunity to spring its ugly head again.”

Mr Cletus Ofoke, the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, disclosed that the governor assigned portfolio to former Local Government Area (LGA) Chairmen as his Special Assistants (SAs).

“Chef Sunday Ogodo is the SA on school monitoring and will operate from Ezza South LGA and Chief Ogonnaya Chukwu-Ude is SA on school monitoring as well operate from Ivo LGA.

“Chief Ogbonnaya Oko-Enyim is also SA on school monitoring and will operate from Afikpo North LGA.

“They all will ensure that teachers and civil servants in their councils and development centres attend to their duties such as monitoring of schools’ re-opening among others,” he said.

Mr Uchenna Orji, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, said that students in tertiary institutions were adults as their respective institutions would determine the schedule for their academic activities. (NAN)

#orientdailynews

Edo 2020: PDP Leaders Move To Secure Votes, Ask Supporters To Stand By Party

The people’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state, has charged its supporters not to fret over activities of some politicians but to stand by the party at the September 19, 2020 governorship polls.

The state chairman of the party, Mr Tony Aziegbemi, who spoke to our Correspondent in Benin said that the call became necessary considering the desperation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to grab power at all costs, and urged the supporters not to be afraid but come out en- masse and vote the PDP candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.


While saying that PDP was ready to defend every single vote cast, Aziegbemi noted that those who came to Edo join one man to determine the fate of Seen, Mathew Urhoghide representing Edo South Senatorial District, adding that it was evidently shown that the PDP candidate enjoyed the support of Edo people.

Meanwhile, tension has continued to mounts in the ancient Benin Kingdom following strong indications that the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, had fully mobilized to ensure victory through alleged vote buying and secret gifts to the electorates wooed to vote for him . while there is sleepless nights ahead of the Saturday election, the Media Director for APC campaign train, Mr John Mayaki, described the allegations as untrue adding that such unfounded allegations were handiwork of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).



Sources said that the election would be between integrity and desperation, while others said that Obaseki and his led PDP will suffer massive defeat that will be land marks for All Progressive Congress (APC).

With the sing song “Togba, Ogbane, Ochestrated by PDP supporters in the state, visibly angry supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) have vowed to make the election a huge disgrace for the PDP as both parties have resolved to cheap blackmails among others.

It was gathered that Edo people would have preferred Obaseki for second tenure, but for the alleged masterminds ochestrated by his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu including his threats to deal with those who failed to vote for PDP in case the party won the election.

Although security agents, the Police, NSCDC, among others are glaringly seen in the streets of Benin Kingdom, there is palpable tension and fear of the unknown that the security agents might descend on innocent people in anger considering their fierce dispositions and prowling activities

Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Johnson Kokumo, who spoke to our correspondent assured that the police will do everything possible to ensure free and fair election, warning that election riggers will be severely tortured when caught.

He said” we are determined to make sure that the election is free and fair and anyone caught rigging, will be dealt with severely no matter highly place personalities.”

#orientdailynews