General
IPMAN Backs Appointment of Cordier by NNPC
By Adedapo Adesanya
Following a spate of backlash faced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited over the appointment of a French-Swiss national, Mr Jean-Marc Cordier, as the head of the company’s oil trading subsidiary, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has shown solidarity with the state oil company.
NNPC recently announced Mr Cordier to head NNPC Trading Limited, making him the second after another expatriate, Mr Hubb Stockman, who heads NNPCL Retail Limited.
The announcement of the employment of foreigners to head NNPC Ltd subsidiaries has triggered mixed reactions among Nigerians, especially since the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board is targeting 70 per cent Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector by 2027.
IPMAN, reacting to this, said the decision of NNPC Limited to engage foreigners was the best innovation for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, as it shows that NNPCL was committed to operational effectiveness and efficiency of the downstream sector of the industry.
IPMAN Chairman in Rivers State, Mr Joseph Obele, said before now, marketers had to bribe and lobby to get product allocation from NNPC.
This, he claims, will end, as he charged the new bosses to ensure the necessary things are done.
He also tasked Mr Stockman to end the suffering of marketers by introducing the seamless application, approval, and allocation of products to marketers.
Mr Obele urged the management of NNPC Limited not to be distracted by the protesters, who he described as friends of the corrupt regime and enemies of reformations and also tasked them to engage more foreigners to handle key offices.
“The decision to engage foreigners is the best innovation for the downstream sector of Nigeria’s oil & gas industry, and we found nothing wrong with the development as it will usher in a corrupt free system. It will eradicate ethnic dominance, survival of the fittest, jumping the queue, bribery, and religious connections.
“Evidence and observations show that engagement of a foreigner in the person of Mr Hubb Stockman as the Managing Director of NNPCL Retail Ltd. has brought a series of reformations in the downstream sector as it concerns retail outlets.
“It takes less than one hour to apply for a product on the portal and get approval electronically. You don’t need to make any phone calls, beg or neither bribe anyone to get your allocation as a licensed Petroleum Marketer with NNPC Retail Ltd.
“Before now, you will have a make several phone calls, bribe some officers, travel to Abuja for lobbying or contact someone who knows someone for you to get your allocation.
“Mr Hubb Stockman is less than five months in office as the Managing Director of NNPC Retail Ltd, and the achievements are obvious for all to see.
“The process of applying for allocation is now automated courtesy of Mr Hubb Stockman’s team. Petroleum Marketers now apply for Products from the comfort of their homes and get approval automatically without any stress.
“The automated system is configured in such a way that each Marketer gets one truck within seven days. This is a great achievement for us in the industry, as it has eradicated the dichotomy between super marketers and lesser Marketers. Each marketer gets one truck of PMS per retail outlet in seven days irrespective of the status of the Marketer.”
The IPMAN chairman also revealed that it was easier to access the expatriates than it was difficult to access other Nigerian managers, drawing on a recent experience.
“Recently, we visited Mr Hubb Stockman in his office in Abuja, it didn’t take five minutes to see him, and you don’t need to pass through any Personal Assistant or junior manager to see him. Family members and friends of previous Managing Directors of PPMC will make things difficult for anyone to see the MD in the office. The case is different with foreigners in the office as we speak, you can reach him on the phone anytime, and you can see him in the office as a marketer without connections.
“With the recent reforms in the sector, you don’t even need to see or visit the MD for any reason. Nigerians should be watchful to ascertain the intent of those that are aggrieved with the engagement of foreigners to head key subsidiaries of NNPC Ltd.
“We had earlier alerted that the beneficiaries of the bottleneck administration will not be comfortable with the reformations. The expatriation process involves many technical and professional aspects.”
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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