By Adedapo Adesanya

Brazilian state oil company, Petrobras, is seeking a return to Nigeria’s oil sector with a renewed focus on frontier deepwater exploration.

This came as part of efforts to strengthen ties between both countries.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, announced that the development came during an interministerial review meeting.

The meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, was held to prepare for the second session of the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM) in June 2025.

Petrobras, the equivalent of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, had previously wound down its Nigerian operations at the Agbami Field.

Now, with renewed economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu, the company is actively engaging the Nigerian authorities for fresh investment opportunities.

Speaking at the session, Vice President Shettima underscored the strategic importance of Nigeria’s relationship with Brazil, especially as Brazil prepares to host a series of global summits this year.

Providing further insight into Petrobras’ return, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed ongoing discussions with the state owned oil company.

“Apart from ethanol, which they are hoping to engage the NNPCL for blending, Petrobras is also being actively engaged, and we expect they will form part of the delegation to Nigeria,” Mr Tuggar said.

“Petrobras is no longer active in Nigeria, but they are very keen on coming back. They said they want frontier acreage in deep waters.”

Brazil is one of the leading crude oil producers in the world and the largest in Latin America, producing 3 million barrels of crude oil per day.

In addition, the country has proven oil reserves of over 12 billion barrels, primarily located offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

Petrobras dominates the sector, especially in offshore exploration and production but has joint ventures with international oil companies such as Shell, TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Chevron.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Some electrical materials have been handed over to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to enable about 21 communities in Yewaland, Ogun State, to have power restored to them after three years of blackout, thanks to the Ibese plant of Dangote Cement Plc.

This gesture spurred traditional rulers from the affected towns to shower praises on the chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Mr Aliko Dangote, for approving over N100 million for the procurement of the needed electrical items, which were handed to electricity distribution company for the area, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The Olu of Imasayi, Oba Lukman Kuoye, described the donation as the result of some positive engagements the management of Ibese Plant had with various interest groups especially the communities and the IBEDC on the way out of the protracted blackout.

“We thank God it is a reality today that we are on the way to getting reconnected to national grid after over three years in darkness. We want to thank Dangote Cement Ibese Plant for this development. We are not taking this for granted.

“Dangote Cement is the only transformer that is illuminating the Yewa communities and Ogun State in general with its CSR projects. The management did not even consider the IBEDC’s inertia but still went ahead to donate materials that are supposed to be provided by the distribution company,” he enthused.

On his part, the Aboro of Ibeseland, Oba Rotimi Mulero, thanked Dangote Cement and Mr Dangote for always rising to the task of helping the communities, saying the provision of the electrical materials would go a long way to further cement the existing cordial relationship between the company and the communities.

The monarch promised that the communities would do everything possible to ensure the protection of the electricity infrastructure when installed and warned that the people would not take kindly with vandals any longer

The Ibese Plant Director of Dangote Cement, Mr Roy Uttam, while handing over the electrical materials within the premises of Ibese Police Station, said the donation was part of efforts made by the cement plant management to halt the prolonged blackout in the affected towns and villages, and advised the people to ensure the electrical installations are protected.

Mr Uttam pointed out that the plant management had invested millions of Naira to purchase the electrical materials in the spirit of good neighbourliness, noting that, “Otherwise it should be the job of the IBEDC to provide the materials as a business venture that would be collecting money from the customers after reconnecting them.”

“The management of Dangote Cement Plc is donating the electrical materials to close out the lingering power outage in the affected communities which have been in darkness for years due to vandalisation of cables and other installations by unscrupulous elements,” he added.

He further explained that the decision to intervene was borne out of genuine care for the people and the desire to help mitigate the negative impact of the outage on socio-economic activities of the people. He reiterated the cement company’s commitment to the sustainable development of its host communities and continued collaboration on initiatives geared towards the general wellbeing of the people.

Receiving the materials on behalf of the management of IBEDC, the Technical Engineer for the Sango Business Hub, Mr Ayodeji Taiwo, thanked the cement maker for the provisions, assuring stakeholders of speedy action by the electricity distribution company to facilitate quick reconnection of the communities within timelines.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Lagos State government has maintained that no agent or landlord should charge more than 10 per cent of the annual rent for tenancy agreement fees in the state, warning against illegal charges.

The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Housing, Ms Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, while speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, warned against the imposition of excessive tenancy agreement fees on house hunters.

She underscored the clarity and unambiguous nature of the Lagos State Tenancy Law, stating unequivocally that any landlord or agent found demanding or collecting more than 10 per cent of the annual rent as agreement or legal fees is in direct violation of the state’s tenancy regulations.

Expressing concern over reports of unscrupulous practices, the Governor’s aide said, “We have been overwhelmed by reports of the activities of these unscrupulous elements making life hard for Lagosians with agreements and commissions that are like asking for an arm and a leg.

“We are calling on members of the public not to keep silent but to report such agents and landlords to us for the government cannot be everywhere, every time.”

Acknowledging the significant challenges posed by the nation’s burgeoning population and increasing rural-urban migration on the state’s housing sector, Ms Odunuga-Bakare recognised that this situation has unfortunately created opportunities for some individuals to exploit vulnerable residents.

However, she firmly asserted the state government’s unwavering commitment to regulating and sanitising the housing sector to protect the interests of Lagosians.

Furthermore, the Special Adviser highlighted the collaborative efforts between the government and recognised associations of real estate agents.

“We have met with associations of real estate agents, and they have assured us that the people who are engaging in such practices are not registered agents that identify with their associations,” she noted.

The legal practitioner suggested that these illegal activities are often perpetrated by unregistered individuals operating outside the purview of established professional bodies.

She called on all residents who encounter demands for tenancy agreement fees exceeding the legally mandated 10 per cent to report such incidents through the Lagos State Real Estate Regulating Authority (LASRERA) on Facebook, Instagram: lasrera 1 and X (formerly Twitter) @lasrera, noting that this call to action aims to empower citizens and ensure the effective enforcement of the tenancy law, thereby fostering a fairer and more transparent housing market in Lagos State.