By Bon Peters

Retirees of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Onne Port complex in Rivers State were honoured at an event on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

The ceremony was full of conviviality, renewal of camaraderie and more importantly a demonstration of love, affection and commitment as shown to the retirees by the management.

The Port Manager for Onne Port Complex, Mr Abdulrahmon Hussain, informed newsmen that the event was to appreciate the retirees who have shown commitment, laid foundation and also mentored most of the workforce at Onne.

“What the Nigerian Ports Authority Onne Port complex management is doing today is to appreciate our retirees,” he said.

“We believe that the foundation we are standing on today was laid by them. While in service, they have mentored our junior staff and contributed immensely to the growth and development of the Port.

“Simply put, you know here is referred to as a family Port and we want to sincerely show them that they are still members of the family though retired,” he added.

Mr Hussain also praised the Managing Director of the NPC, Mr Abubakr Dantsoho, for giving welfare of employees a priority.

“Today’s event is the first of its kind at our Port but we promise to make it more memorable going forward.

“Apart from the multivitamins and other drugs we provided for them, I feel the most important thing is the demonstration of love and care which the management has shown them today, and I promise that the management will do more next year,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Onne Port complex Dr Bashir Kangiwa, applauded the Port Manager for the initiative describing it as the first of its kind.

He noted that when he was assigned to carry out the project from the Medical Department, he embraced the responsibility with all arms and was happy it was successful.

He hinted that the NPA has a policy that even as a retiree, they enjoy an unhindered access to the company’s medical facilities and could also be referred to another hospital if the ailment is beyond the organisation’s control.

One of the retirees, Mr Ndudim Amos Nwaji, a former NPA Senior Staff Association Chairman, thanked the management of Onne Port complex for the gesture.

He advised those in the leadership position of this country to borrow a leaf from the NPA management, insisting that the senior citizens of this country should be taken care of.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to allow him to borrow about $516.3 million for the Sokoto-Badagry highway.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, Mr Tinubu said the loan would be obtained from Deutsche Bank, as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has already approved the financing plan in one of its meetings.

The President begged the upper chamber of the National Assembly for a quick authorisation of the fresh loan to fast-track work on the project, which is expected to further boost the nation’s economy.

According to him, the superhighway project is a flagship initiative under his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda designed to enhance national connectivity, reduce travel time, and improve the movement of goods across key economic corridors.

He informed the Senate in the letter that the loan is structured for nine years, including a three-year grace period, with an interest rate pegged at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange SOFR plus 5.3 per cent per annum.

Speaking on the request, the Senate President, who referred the letter to the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts for legislative action and a report back in one week, emphasised that it is better to borrow for projects to improve road safety and foster national integration.

The proposed 1,000-kilometre road will link Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos States, connecting Illela to Badagry.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and Algeria’s Sonatrach have partnered through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive decarbonisation and innovation in Africa’s oil sector.

The agreement, signed by NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Business Services, Mrs Sophia Mbakwe, and Sonatrach’s Managing Director, Ms Khodjah Mohamed, establishes collaboration in research, technology exchange, and development.

The agreement signed by the state oil companies of both nations took place during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) Forum for R&D Directors at the PTDF Tower in Abuja, Nigeria. The event brought together research and development directors from APPO member countries.

The minister of state for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, said the forum was one of four measures introduced by APPO to address challenges from the global energy transition, which centre on funding, technology and markets.

“The R&D forum tackles technology and expertise needs, the African Energy Bank addresses funding constraints, and the Central African Pipeline System supports regional oil and gas market integration,” Mr Lokpobiri, who was represented by former secretary general of APPO, Mr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, stated.

On his part, the Group chief executive officer, NNPC Limited, Mr Bayo Ojulari, represented by the company’s chief financial officer, Mr Adedapo Segun, said research and development must form a central part of the overall strategy in the African oil and gas industry.

He called for research and development centres to function as engines of industrial competitiveness. “Collaboration in research and development is of strategic importance. The cost of innovation might be high, but the cost of obsolescence would be greater,” he stressed.

Mr Ojulari called for a unified strategic framework through which resources could be pooled, data integrated and risks shared across member countries. He further urged the rapid adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced engineering to improve upstream, midstream and downstream operations.

On his part, the APPO Secretary General, Mr Farid Ghezali, urged African petroleum-producing countries to ensure research in the oil and gas sector produced solutions that are practical and directly relevant to the continent. “We must ensure that our research delivers solutions that are practical and of direct use to Africa,” he stated.

Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Mr Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, highlighted the value of the partnership between NNPC Limited and PTDF in support of decarbonisation and environmental protection work across APPO member countries.

Chief innovation officer of NNPC Research, Technology and Innovation and incoming chairman of the APPO R&D Directors Forum, Mr Rasheed Ojulari, said the forum would give immediate priority to joint programmes in the core areas of upstream optimisation, artificial intelligence, decarbonisation processes and industrial systems development.