General
18 Illegal Oil Dealers Forfeit N3.5m, Properties
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 17, 2019, secured the conviction and sentencing of 18 illegal oil dealers before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The convicts are: Ayeni John, Emmanuel Tosu, Emopin Monein, Malade Aiyetimiyi, Odroja Ojune, Ikedehinbu Idowu, Abogun Ota, Elamah Augustine, Olarotimi Elikanah and ThankGod Benjami.
Others are: Abbas Friday, Victor Goldsmith, Gbenga Thomas, Ibane Austine, Idowu Surprise, Asemia Thomas, Agbayoh Lawrence, Salihu Malik and Ayetiniyi Ademola.
They were re-arraigned on a three -count charge bordering on conspiracy, dealing in and storing of unlicensed Automotive Gas Oil, AGO.
The suspects were arrested with two fibre boats laden with petroleum products from a hijacked vessel, MT MAMA ELIZABETH, by the Nigerian Navy on August 30, 2018 in Lagos and some parts of Ondo and handed over to the Commission for further investigation and prosecution.
They were alleged to have conspired among themselves to deal in about 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil without appropriate licence.
At the point of arrest, N3.5 million, which was suspected to be proceeds from the sales of the illegally acquired products, was found on one of the convicts.
One of the counts reads: “ That you, Ayeni John, Emmanuel Tosu, Emopin Moneyin, Malade Aiyetimiyi, Odeoja Ojune, Ikedehinbu Idowu, Abogun Ota, Elamah Augustine, Olarotimi Elikanah, ThankGod Benjamin, Abbas Friday, Victor Goldsmith, Gbenga Thomas, Ibane Austine, Idowu Surprise, Asemia Thomas, Agbayoh Lawrence, Saliu Malik, Ayetiniyi Ademola , between August and September, 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: dealing in about 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)without appropriate licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap.17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1(17) of the same Act.”
All but the eighth defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Idris Abdullahi, informed the court that the first, seventh, ninth and nineteenth defendants had entered a plea bargain with the EFCC and sought the leave of the court to review the facts of the case.
The prosecution counsel, Abdullahi, in his submission, informed the court that on August 30, 2018, the Nigerian Navy Beecroft, while on a patrol around the Atlas Cove Island, intercepted two fiber boats that had in its possession 21,840 litres of AGO, the source of the product was hijacked from a vessel named MV Mama Elizabeth.
He also told the court that, at the time of arrest, nine crew members were arrested and 10 others during the cause of investigation.
Abdullahi also stated that the sum of N3.5 million was found on the 18 defendant, while two locally made fabricated guns were recovered from the nineteenth defendant.
He added: “They were all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
“EFCC investigations revealed that the defendants conspired amongst themselves, dealt in and stored unlicensed 21, 840 AGO.
“They were confronted with the findings and volunteered statements to the EFCC.
“The Nigerian Navy arresting officers also volunteered statements.”
The prosecution counsel sought to tender the hand-over notes from the Nigerian Navy to the EFCC, the arresting officers’ statements, the statements of the defendants and two letters from the EFCC exhibit keeper showing deposit of N3,500,000 and two fabricated guns.
The documents were admitted in evidence as exhibits 1, 2, 3, (3A),4(4Q)5, respectively.
The prosecution adopted the plea bargain agreement of one year imprisonment on the defendants each from August 25, 2018, being the day of their arrest and detention prior to their arraignment on February 28, 2019.
It was also agreed that the two fibre boats, 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil and the sum of N3.5 million recovered from the eighteenth convict be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and be deposited by the Commission to the Consolidated Revenue Funds of the Federation.
According to the prosecution, it was further agreed that the two fibre boats and the 2,1840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil be sold by the EFCC in collaboration with the appropriate government agency or private organization, and the proceeds be remitted to Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.
It was also agreed that, upon their release from prison custody, the defendants are to enter a bond with the EFCC to be of good behaviour and never to be involved in any form of economic and financial crimes, illegitimate or criminal acts, both within and outside the shores of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In view of their guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Abdullahi, urged the court to convict the defendants on the three-count charge and also prayed the court to sentence them to the terms agreed in the plea bargain.
Justice Aikawa, while considering the terms of the plea bargain, convicted the defendants on the three counts and sentenced them to one year imprisonment on each count, which are to run concurrently.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of Oando Plc, Mr Wale Tinubu, says the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is now the largest financier of oil and gas projects on the African continent.
Mr Tinubu said the bank has committed over $25 billion in Africa’s oil and gas sector while speaking at the Royal African Society’s conference in London on the next 125 years of mining, oil and gas in Africa, according to a social media post on Wednesday.
“Afreximbank is now the largest financier of oil and gas on this continent, with more than twenty-five billion dollars committed,” he wrote on X.
Mr Tinubu said 20 years ago, when Oando wanted to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, “we were told what would be required of us”.
He said the company was directed to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), while the board was also asked to appoint independent directors who could tell the founder “no”.
“Get on a plane and explain ourselves, quarter after quarter, to people who had never set foot in Lagos. It was uncomfortable. It was also the most valuable thing we ever did to ourselves,” he said.
“I returned to that experience in London at the Royal African Society’s (@royafrisoc) discussion on the next 125 years of mining, oil and gas in Africa, where I was asked what African companies need in order to scale.
“The answer begins at home. Much of African enterprise started out fractured; family-held, informally governed, structurally invisible to anyone underwriting a twenty-year risk. Global capital hesitates over what it cannot examine.”
The Oando CEO said governance is more than a compliance exercise, describing it as an instrument that makes a company legible to the world.
“The second half of the answer sits with the world. When European lenders withdrew from African hydrocarbons in pursuit of their own net zero commitments, they did not end demand for African energy,” he said.
“They ended their participation in it. African institutions stepped into that space.”
Mr Tinubu said African firms have done the harder work “of making ourselves investable”, noting that what does not get financed does not get built, and “there is still much to build in Africa for those willing to build it with African companies”.
In Nigeria, the bank has been a major financier of the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery, including a $1.35 billion facility in 2025 to refinance construction costs and a further $2.5 billion underwriting commitment in 2026.
The bank has also supported the development of the 200,000 barrels-per-day Lobito Refinery in Angola, the 60,000 barrels-per-day Cabinda Refinery, and the refurbishment of Nigeria’s 210,000 barrels-per-day Port Harcourt Refinery. It has additionally approved financing for the BUA and Azikel refineries in Nigeria and supported Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage in Côte d’Ivoire.
Beyond refining, Afreximbank committed up to $400 million in guarantees and direct lending to Mozambique’s Area 1 LNG project, one of Africa’s largest LNG developments, to support the extraction, processing and liquefaction of offshore gas.
In Angola, the bank helped arrange a $1.75 billion syndicated facility for Sonangol to support the national oil company’s operating and capital expenditure requirements. It has also been mandated to advise on raising capital for Equatorial Guinea’s $4.5 billion EG-27 LNG project, which is expected to produce about 2.4 million tonnes of LNG annually. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the lender is supporting preparations for a 200MW reservoir-based hydropower project along the Lufira River, designed to provide electricity to mining operations.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Ogoni people have been assured of a good deal emanating from the ongoing dialogue with the federal government on the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area.
This assurance was given by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) through its leader, Mr Fegalo Nsuke, at the group’s steering committee meeting on Wednesday.
In a statement signed by the Secretary General of MOSOP, Mr Alex Akori, it was stressed that for over 30 years, the Ogoni people have sought a mutual dialogue with the central government, and that is now ongoing, with substantial progress being made on the part of community mobilisation and the dialogue process.
“For over 30 years, we have advocated for a peaceful resolution of the Ogoni conflicts. I am glad that the dialogue is ongoing and it is going well. I am also very optimistic that we will strike a good deal from the process,” Mr Nsuke stated.
He described the dialogue process as a reward for non-violence, urging other regions of the country to emulate the peaceful resistance of the Ogoni people rather than taking to armed struggle.
“The Ogoni dialogue process is significant for several reasons. First, it has gained overwhelming acceptance as a pathway to resolve the Ogoni problem, and that is very important. Secondly, it is an encouragement for non-violent struggles. Thirdly, it is people-centred and designed to accelerate development in Ogoni,” Mr Nsuke added.
He thanked the Ogoni people for giving peace a chance and for accepting to go into a dialogue describing the initiative as one of the best decisions ever taken in the direction of a three-decade search for peace, development and a new beginning for the Ogoni people.
In a related development, the MOSOP Steering Committee, the highest decision-making organ of the organisation, elected Mr Nwale Emereonwi, Mr Kpoobari Gbidum, and Lekue Zini as Deputy President, Assistant Secretary-General, and President of the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has formally transitioned into the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) following President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026.
The Act establishes NPERA as the statutory authority responsible for the economic regulation of ports in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Mr Ibrahim Shema, chairman of the NPERA governing board, described the development as a major institutional reform aimed at creating a more transparent, predictable, and competitive port environment.
Mr Shema said NPERA would be responsible for the economic regulation of port services and related activities, including tariffs and charges, licensing, service standards, fair competition, commercial dispute resolution, trade facilitation, and protection of port users.
He said the new framework is expected to provide greater regulatory certainty for shipping lines and terminal operators, while offering importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and clearing agents more predictable procedures, fairer charges, and improved mechanisms for resolving disputes.
The chairman clarified that the establishment of NPERA does not create a competing authority with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
“While the Nigerian Ports Authority will retain responsibility for port infrastructure and its landlord functions, NPERA will provide independent economic oversight within its statutory mandate,” Mr Shema said.
He said NPERA’s regulatory approach will be anchored on five principles: transparency, fairness, predictability, efficiency, and accountability.
The board’s chairman said the new agency would deploy technology and data to strengthen licensing, tariff administration, monitoring, compliance, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
“The agency also plans to work with key maritime institutions, including the Nigerian Ports Authority, NIMASA and the Nigeria Customs Service, as well as terminal operators, shipping lines, freight forwarders, manufacturers, investors and other industry stakeholders,” he said.
Mr Shema said the immediate priority is to ensure an orderly transition from the NSC to NPERA, while maintaining continuity in essential regulatory functions and preserving institutional knowledge.
The chairman stressed that the success of the new agency would ultimately be measured by its impact on port users and the wider economy.
“Effective implementation of the Act should translate into better services, greater efficiency, lower uncertainty, fair competition, and stronger trade facilitation,” Shema added.
On his part, Mr Pius Akutah, executive secretary and chief executive of NPERA, expressed optimism that the new law would significantly clarify the regulatory environment governing Nigeria’s ports within the next one to two years.
Mr Akutah said the NPERA Act would give the agency stronger powers to improve commercial dispute resolution and protect the interests and welfare of port users and other stakeholders, adding that the new regulatory framework would enable the agency to deliver a more efficient, transparent, and competitive Nigerian port system.
