General
Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea Target Joint Operations in Oil and Gas
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, two member nations of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have opened discussions regarding new partnerships, such as establishing a joint logistics base, deploying indigenous capacities across the countries, and lowering the costs of major oil and gas operations.
These were the points of discussion when the Minister of Planning and Economic Diversification of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Mr Gabriel Mbega Obiang Lima, led a delegation to engage the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Simbi Kesiye Wabote, at the Board’s liaison office in Abuja recently.
Mr Lima called on Nigerian oil and gas service companies to establish their operational bases in Equatorial Guinea, whereby the companies would use the country’s ports to launch their activities in neighbouring countries such as Gabon, Cameroon, and Angola.
The Minister promised to send a formal request for the partnership to the NCDMB, adding that the support of government institutions would be needed before such business opportunities could be explored successfully.
The Minister complained about the exorbitant cost of key oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Guinea.
He further suggested that operators in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea could significantly lower their costs by collaborating in the scheduling of their respective work programmes, such as mobilising and demobilising drilling rigs and other assets.
He hinted that the proposed business relationship and pooling of demand profiles were necessary to attract key investments. He said this was because big companies like General Electric would only invest in a jurisdiction if they were assured of markets from neighbouring countries.
Speaking on the debate around energy transition and plans to displace fossil fuels with renewable energy solutions progressively, the Minister and the Executive Secretary re-echoed their positions that fossil fuels would remain the world’s dominant energy source for several decades and that Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea would not hurriedly abandon their natural resources to embrace renewable energy where they lacked competitive advantage.
Rather both nations would continue to exploit their oil and gas resources to the fullest and use the proceeds to develop their national economies, including renewable opportunities, they stated.
On his part, NCDMB Executive Secretary, Mr Wabote welcomed the Minister and his entourage, noting that both nations have collaborated closely in the energy sector in recent years and representatives of the Portuguese-speaking nation have participated in several Nigerian oil and gas conferences and visited some oil and gas facilities as well.
He confirmed that the Board and Nigerian oil and gas services companies were keen to participate in the proposed collaboration. He said such arrangements were identified in the Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap under the pillar of Sectorial and Regional Market Linkages.
He further explained that Nigerian services companies had developed surplus capacities in several key areas. Hence, it is imperative to explore opportunities across the Gulf of Guinea, where their expertise and collaboration with players from other nations are needed.
He assured that NCDMB “will galvanise Nigerian services producers under the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and make sure they come with us to your conference, and we will synergise.”
He added that “there is no need going to US or Singapore. We can work out areas where we can partner. It might be in the marine sector, logistics base. There are huge opportunities.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, has affirmed the right of Nigerians to film personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on duty.
The judgment was given by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa on Tuesday in a case filed by Mr Maxwell Uwaifo in suit number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025.
The court held that Nigerians have the constitutional right to use any device to record police officers executing their official duties in public.
It was ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.
The court awarded the applicant N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and N2 million for the cost of litigation.
Business Post reports that the respondents in the case were the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPF, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer filed the case in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution of Nigeria and others.
“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria,” Mr Uwaifo said after the judgement.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The General Manager in charge of Transmission for Lagos Region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Adeshina Adeonipekun, has stressed the critical role of Lagos in the national grid.
While receiving the chief executive of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ms Wola Joseph Condotti, at his office on Monday, he said the Lagos region accounts for about 30 per cent of total power off-take in Nigeria.
He stated that TCN was implementing strategic expansion and project upgrades aimed at enhancing grid stability and operational efficiency in response to rising demand.
Mr Adeonipekun highlighted recent key milestones achieved in the region, including the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at the Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, a 300MVA transformer at the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation, and a 125MVA unit at the Agbara 132/33kV Substation, among others.
According to him, these additions have further increased the region’s installed capacity to 5,470MVA on the 132/33kV network and 4,110MVA on the 330/132kV network.
He further said that there were several ongoing rehabilitations at key substations within the region, including Amuwo GIS, Akoka 132/33kV, and Itire 132/33kV Transmission Substations, all geared towards further improving reliability, reducing system constraints, and enhancing the overall efficiency of power delivery.
In her remarks, Ms Condotti expressed appreciation for TCN’s continued partnership and support, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration between transmission and distribution companies in building a more stable and efficient electricity transmission and supply network.
Both parties explored ways to strengthen collaboration and ensure a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Anambra, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, says the years-long sit-at-home is now a thing of the past in the state as it will bring back lost economic viability to the South East state.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term as the leader of the state, noting that security has improved in Anambra.
“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Reports say that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Mr Soludo said.
The second inauguration of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) witnessed eminent Nigerians, including ex-presidents Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, among others.
“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, it was not possible,” he said at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.
Primarily associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, the sit-at-home saw millions of South-East residents remain indoors, shut their businesses, and stay off the roads on Mondays. Initially, it was declared as a weekly protest (especially on Mondays) to demand the release of IPOB leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021 by the Federal Government and draw attention to the separatist cause.
The cause had significant socio-economic consequences in the South-East states like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
However, Mr Soludo referenced several milestones, including the destruction of criminal camps and the “mass return” of Anambra indigenes during the Yuletide, as evidence of improving security in the state.
“Some 62 criminal camps have been dismantled, and 8 local governments previously under total siege have been liberated,” the governor said.
“Anambra had its best Christmas season in decades last December with a mass return and over 10,000 visitors per day to the Solution City every day until the 10th of January.”
Part of the measures to address insecurity in Anambra was the Homeland Security Law 2025, a measure the governor said contributed to the reduction in criminality.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Soludo as the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State. The APGA candidate polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Mr Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
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