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NSCDC Says Rumuekpe Explosion Should Be Big Lesson to Vandals

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said that the pipeline fire explosion in Rumuekpe, Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State, which killed at least 12 persons at the weekend, should be a big lesson to perpetrators and intending perpetrators of illegal oil bunkering activities.

It condemned the illegal oil bunkering activities in the area, which led to the explosion that claimed the lives of about 12 people whose identities are yet unknown, while five cars and four tricycles were burnt to ashes.

The Rumuekpe fire explosion, which occurred at an illegal crude oil tapping point from a pipeline operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, came about 18 months after a similar fire explosion rocked an illegal refining site in the area in 2021, killing at least 22 persons.

Speaking, the Rivers State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Michael Ogar, while on an assessment tour to the scene of the incident, condemned the defiant behaviour of those engaging in illegal oil bunkering activities in the community.

Mr Ogar maintained that though the Command condoles with the families of those who lost their lives in the incident, this should be a very big lesson to perpetrators of such a heinous act.

He explained that several attempts were made to combat illegal oil bunkering in Rumuekpe by the command’s anti-vandal operations when several illegal refineries were destroyed, but it was unfortunate that the vandals have unrepentantly continued in the illegal oil bunkering business.

“Our Antivandal Squad repeatedly destroyed a good number of illegal refineries in the area, but as you destroy one, they refabricate another, there were times our personnel were repelled during operations, but we stood firm and undeterred. This should be a warning signal to all unrepentant vandals and perpetrators of illegal dealings in petroleum products.”

The NSCDC boss in Rivers State further reiterated the need for collaborative efforts of security agencies to strengthen the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products in the area and the entire state.

He also called on the traditional institutions, opinion leaders, and respective stakeholders to put all hands on deck in order to end illegal oil bunkering activities in the various communities across the state.

Mr Ogar urged members of the public to freely relay credible information to the NSCDC, being the lead agency in the fight against vandalism of oil pipelines and the overall safeguarding of all critical national assets and Infrastructures in the State.

“While soliciting for actionable intelligence and credible information from the public, let me use this opportunity to also call on the Multinationals to see the need for collaborations with the security agencies in the provision of advanced technological equipment that would effect signal and raise the alarm when oil pipelines are being tampered with.”

He further disclosed that the Command’s Disaster Management Department was assisting in the rescue operations and would continue to patrol the area to forestall escalations and further disaster.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Boosting User Trust and Conversion in Egypt with Reliable Registration Numbers

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virtual egyptian number

Egypt’s digital economy is expanding fast. From fintech and e-commerce to SaaS and online services, businesses are onboarding more users than ever. Yet a common bottleneck remains: verification. When potential customers can’t verify their accounts quickly and reliably, conversion drops and support costs rise. The solution many successful companies use is persistent, reusable registration numbers—virtual phone numbers that maintain long-term validation capabilities and work across multiple services.

This article explains why reliable registration numbers matter in Egypt’s market and how Egyptian businesses can use them to strengthen user trust and operational performance.

The Verification Reality in Egypt

Phone verification is a standard part of onboarding worldwide. However, in Egypt, traditional SMS verification often faces hurdles:

  • Carrier filtering and delays: SMS from generic or foreign sources may be filtered or delayed.
  • One-time limitations: Disposable SMS numbers often fail when users need to re-verify.
  • User frustration: Failed verification attempts increase drop-off rates and inflate support tickets.

In markets with high mobile adoption like Egypt, these issues have measurable impacts on growth and retention.

What Makes Persistent Registration Numbers Better

Unlike temporary SMS numbers, persistent registration numbers are stable, reusable phone numbers designed to support:

  • Repeated verification across platforms
  • Long-term association with a user or business
  • Cross-service compatibility
  • Local presence perception

They act as dedicated verification endpoints and communication channels, allowing businesses to maintain consistent contact points with users.

You can explore reliable options for these numbers at https://africavirtualnumbers.com/number-for-registration/.

Why Local Egyptian Numbers Change the Game

Using virtual numbers with Egyptian country codes enhances both trust and delivery success. When users see a number with an Egyptian prefix, it:

  • Signals relevance and proximity
  • Improves SMS delivery reliability
  • Increases user willingness to complete onboarding
  • Reduces suspicion during verification

Egypt-specific virtual numbers and their availability can be found at https://africavirtualnumbers.com/country/egypt/.

For businesses targeting Egyptian customers, this local presentation significantly improves engagement metrics.

How Egyptian Businesses Benefit

1. Higher Conversion on Onboarding

Persistent, reliable numbers reduce failed verification attempts. This directly increases the number of users who complete account setup and start using services.

For example, an Egyptian fintech platform that transitioned from temporary SMS lines to persistent registration numbers saw measurable reduction in drop-off during signup, attributed to improved delivery and reduced friction.

2. Reduced Support Load

Verification failures often convert into support cases. When numbers deliver consistently and accept re-verification, support teams spend less time on account recovery and more on value-added interactions.

3. Consistency Across Platforms

Many platforms and marketplaces enforce strict verification rules. Temporary SMS numbers get blocked or rejected after initial use. Persistent numbers, on the other hand, maintain reputation and deliver consistently across sessions and services, reducing repetitive errors.

4. Stronger Fraud Control

Verified accounts backed by persistent phone numbers reduce fraudulent signups. This is especially important in sectors like digital finance and online marketplaces, where trust is foundational.

Implementing Registration Numbers Effectively

Choose true registration numbers.
Not all virtual numbers are equal. Prioritize those designed for repeated verification and long-term use.

Use local prefixes.
Egyptian country codes signal legitimacy and improve delivery.

Monitor performance.
Track delivery rates and user success to optimize your verification workflow.

Integrate with backend systems.
Tie verification logs to analytics, CRM, and fraud detection tools for end-to-end visibility.

Conclusion

In Egypt’s competitive digital landscape, verification failure represents lost users and operational inefficiency. The right solution is reliable, persistent registration numbers that work repeatedly across platforms and are perceived as local by users. These numbers increase trust, improve conversion, reduce support costs, and strengthen fraud defenses.

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Obi, Atiku Slam Tinubu on Tax, Economic Policies

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By Adedapo Adesanya

Former presidential candidates at the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi and Mr Atiku Abubakar, have separately slammed President Bola Tinubu on issues relating to economic conditions of Nigerians.

Mr Obi in a statement argued that taxation must be rooted in transparency, fairness, and concern for citizens’ welfare, cautioning that the ongoing controversy over the alleged manipulated tax law threatens economic growth and public trust.

Despite recent controversies, the new tax laws regime have officially kicked off.

“For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a tax law has reportedly been forged. The National Assembly itself has admitted that the version gazetted is not what was passed into law,” he said.

“Yet, citizens are being asked to pay higher taxes under this manipulated framework, without transparency, without explanation, and without corresponding benefits,” the candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 noted.

Mr Obi, who is now with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that “taxing poverty does not create wealth; it deepens hardship,” urging the government to focus instead on empowering small and medium-sized enterprises, which he said are critical for job creation, income growth, and the natural expansion of the tax base.”

“You cannot tax your way out of poverty, you must produce your way out of it,” he noted, calling for a lawful, fair, and people-centered tax system that supports production, rewards enterprise, protects the vulnerable, and restores trust between government and citizens.

“Nigeria needs a fair, lawful, and people-centred tax system, only then can taxation become a true tool for unity, growth, and shared prosperity,” Mr Obi concluded in the statement posted on his official X handle.

On his part, Mr Abubakar, a former Vice President, warned that policy failures under President Tinubu are deepening business distress, accelerating job losses, and pushing the country toward economic collapse.

In a New Year message to Nigerians, he described 2025 as “one of the most punishing years in our recent history,” marked by what he called “economic suffocation” and governance devoid of empathy.

He said the Tinubu-led administration presided over months of fiscal drift, borrowing heavily while businesses struggled to survive.

“The past year exposed, in stark terms, the incompetence and policy bankruptcy of President Bola Tinubu,” Mr Atiku said, adding that the government governed “for months without a functional budget, relying on propaganda while borrowing recklessly.”

From a business perspective, Mr Atiku, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last presidential poll, warned that the operating environment for enterprises deteriorated sharply, with small and medium-sized businesses bearing the brunt of inflation, weak consumer demand, and policy uncertainty.

“Industries shut down. Workers were sent home. Hunger spread. Suffering became normalized,” he said.

He also questioned the credibility of the government’s reform agenda, citing what he described as a scandal involving a forged tax law.

“Nothing better captures the decay of this government than the scandal of a forged tax law, shamelessly branded a ‘reform’,” Mr Atiku, who has also now defected to the ADC, said, warning that “a government that begins reform with forgery cannot end with prosperity.”

Mr Atiku further dismissed official claims of revenue performance, arguing that worsening insecurity and debt accumulation were eroding investor confidence.

“While drowning the nation in debt, the government falsely claimed to have met revenue targets,” he said, noting that kidnappings and violent crimes had disrupted livelihoods and economic activity nationwide.

He said unemployment, labour unrest and collapsing enterprises defined the year, contradicting repeated assurances of economic recovery.

“Small businesses, the backbone of job creation, are collapsing. Workers are losing jobs,” Atiku said, arguing that policies demanding sacrifice from citizens were unjustified.

He warned, however, that weak institutions and disregard for due process could undermine future economic stability and elections. “A government capable of forging or tampering with laws cannot be trusted to conduct free and fair elections in 2027,” he said.

Calling for civic engagement, Mr Atiku urged Nigerians and the business community to organize for change through democratic means. “Democracy gives the people the power to change a failing government, peacefully and decisively, through the ballot,” he said.

He concluded with a call to action: “Let us vote out hunger, insecurity, unemployment, dishonesty, corruption, abductions, lies, and propaganda. Nigeria deserves better. Nigerians deserve dignity.”

Business Post reports that both Mr Obi and Mr Atiku are planning to work with other politicians to oust Mr Tinubu in the 2027 general elections through the ADC.

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Nigeria Now Saves N10trn Yearly After Fuel Subsidy Removal—Yayi

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Mr Solomon Adeola, otherwise known as Yayi, has revealed that Nigeria now saves approximately N10 trillion annually following President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy.

Mr Adeola, who doubles as chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, stated this on Saturday during his new year thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Ona-Nla, Ilaro.

The Senator noted that within two years in office, the President had succeeded in removing a major cankerworm that had undermined the nation’s economy and finances.

According to him, before the removal, few Nigerians were benefiting from the fuel subsidy at the detriment of the overall population of the nation.

The lawmaker noted that prior to the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria borrowed an estimated N6 trillion to N7 trillion each year to finance the subsidy.

“I am a living testimony to what the president has done. Within his two years of assumption of office, he succeeded in removing the cankerworm in our economy that has affected our finances over the years.

“That is, the fuel subsidy; which benefited very few Nigerians at the detriment of the overall population of this nation.

“With that singular action, the president is saving the country over N10 trillion on annual basis.

“I used to be the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance during the last senate and I know on a yearly basis, what we go to bank to borrow to fund the subsidy is in the region of N6 trillion to N7 trillion on an annual basis,” he said .

Mr Adeola said the president was working round the clock to ensure a secure and prosperous Nigeria that citizens can be proud of, adding that extensive infrastructural renewal is currently ongoing across the country.

“The President is creating a new Nigeria . The Lagos-Calabar expressway will cut across 10 or 15 states and that is a new Nigeria being born. Also the Sokoto -Badagry way, a popular road, which we are also a beneficiary.

“Along that road alone, we have a total of 66 dams. When that road is fully completed, the president has also succeeded in creating a new Nigeria and a new economy for our country as a result of these 66 dams across the highway,” he said.

In his sermon, the Diocesan Bishop of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Ilaro, Rt. Rev. Micheal Oluwarohunbi, appreciated the federal legislator for changing the landscape of development in Ogun west senatorial district.

“Every new beginning is a gift from God. To work and do well is only by the grace of God. Gratitude is not optional, but mandatory in order to enjoy divine endorsement,” he said.

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