General
Nigeria Seeks Stronger Ties Against Gulf of Guinea Piracy
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on countries in the Gulf of Guinea to strengthen ties towards ensuring regional stability.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr Clement Agba, made the call at the graduation of the Anti-Piracy Course 3/2022 organised by the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC) in Abuja recently.
The course was organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the support of the Government of Japan.
The Minister was represented by the Director of International Cooperation, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr Lanre Adekanye.
He said the course was meant to checkmate the recurrent phenomenon of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region and countries bordering it.
According to him, being a major international economic route, the need to improve maritime security along the coastlines, territorial economic seas, and exclusive zones cannot be overemphasised.
“It is, therefore, heartwarming to note that the Government of Japan has spearheaded the funding of the project as a bilateral cooperation effort through the UNDP and MLAILPKC.
“This Project aligns with international best practices towards enhancing the capabilities and capacity of relevant security institutions with the assistance of Member State Governments to create a more secure, stable and prosperous continent.
“It is important to protect and utilise our natural resources as a means for economic growth, jobs creation through robust regional and international trade, increased export and import, and balance of payment, amongst others.
“The menace of piracy has, however, denied us these opportunities and has further impoverished the continent,” he said.
Mr Agba emphasised the need for maritime countries in the Gulf of Guinea to be equipped with strong, professional military and law enforcement institutions that could provide the setting for maritime trade to flourish.
He added that when maritime trade freely sailed across the seas, economic development and the opportunity for prosperity were possible.
He said the initiative of the Counter-Piracy and Response Project would help countries in the region protect their resources and help provide these resources for their prosperity and their people.
On his part, the Commandant, MLAILPKC, Maj.-Gen. Auwal Fagge said the objective of the course was to enhance participants’ understanding of the issues involved in piracy, its implications and measures required to counter the high-security challenges, conflicts and other maritime crimes in the region.
He said the objectives had been fully achieved, adding that it had broadened their horizon on the root causes of piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea and measures put in place to counter piracy.
Some of the measures, according to him, include inter agencies’ roles, and member states’ efforts to counter piracy through the judiciary, armed forces and other security agencies.
“It is hoped that what you have learnt here would reflect on your performances and general conduct in your various places of deployment or work,” he said.
The commandant thanked UNDP, the Japanese government, services chiefs and participating countries for making the course a reality.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, represented by the Defence Attaché, Lt.-Col. Kazuaki Uchiumi, urged participants to redouble their anti-piracy efforts upon returning to their home institutions.
He said the government of Japan had emphasised the importance of human resource development and business promotion in Africa and the government of Japan’s contribution to such efforts during the 8th Tokyo International Conference on Africa (TICAD8) in Tunisia.
He also called for stronger collaboration among the countries in the region to tackle the menace of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
One of the participants, Cdr Kanu Kabadi of the Angolan Navy, said the course had broadened his understanding of the need for member states to strengthen partnerships in countering piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, pledging to deploy the knowledge gained in the fight against pirates in the region in various ways.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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