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Osun Osogbo Shrine Receives $127k Grant for Conservation

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Osun Osogbo Shrine

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel

The Busanyin Shrine located in the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove has received $127,000 from the  United States Embassy in Nigeria for digital documentation and conservation of the site.

This is also to revamp the damages wrecked on the archaeological site throughout the years due to extreme flooding.

The grant was transacted to CyArk, a non-profit organisation in Oakland, California, via the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

According to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Mary Beth Leonard, CyArk and its local partners were awarded a $127,000 grant under the AFCP small grant programme to help document a series of shrines in the sacred grove and provide training to local professionals to build capacity and digital documentation skills and cultural heritage management.

She said this while signing the project’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), adding that her country and Nigeria are in talks on a bilateral agreement to establish restrictions against importing prohibited items of cultural property into the US.

“Today, we’re proud to be launching our 2020 AFCP award to digitally document and conserve the Busanyin shrine located within the Osun Osogbo sacred grove.

“The 3D digital documentation of the shrine is the necessary first step to provide the most accurate record of the current conditions of the site and effectively plan a restoration project that will increase resilience at the site during a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions,” Mrs Leonard explained.

Commenting on the agreement, the Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mr Abba Tijani, noted that this opens an excellent opportunity to train some staff of the commission and carry out more works at the Osun Osogbo Shrine.

According to him, the commission will continue to liaise with relevant stakeholders to protect, conserve and manage national assets.

He said, “The grove is important to many of its devotees both within and outside the country and other stakeholders, hence, the need to keep it in good state of conservation at all times.

“This training programme will not only empower the staff of the commission in 3D documentation of cultural heritage but also assist in conservation works to be carried out in the grove.”

It would be recalled that the NCMM collaborated with CyArk sometime in 2019 to launch a Bootcamp that successfully equipped stakeholders with 3D documentation.

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FCCPC Seals Illegal Consumer Protection Group in Abia

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FCCPC

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed the premises of an entity operating under the name Community Crime Prevention Initiative of Nigeria (CCPIN) in Aba, Abia state.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s director of corporate affairs, said the enforcement operation took place on Wednesday at Number 214 Aba-Owerri Road, in collaboration with law enforcement agents.

Mr Ijagwu said FCCPC’s action followed credible intelligence that CCPIN was falsely claiming affiliation with the commission and misleading the public by representing itself as an “authorised consumer protection NGO”.

“The entity had issued public notices alleging joint surveillance operations with FCCPC and was soliciting consumer complaints through unauthorised telephone lines,” the statement reads.

“During the operation, the operator of the facility, Dr Onwuka K. Okorie, was arrested on-site and is currently in police custody at World Bank Police Station, Abayi-Aba, Abia State, pending further investigation and prosecution.

“A number of exhibits bearing FCCPC’s name, logo, and false enforcement materials were recovered from the premises.”

The official said the commission has no affiliation with CCPIN and does not authorise or partner with the group or any similarly styled organisation for enforcement or consumer protection operations.

He added that FCCPC does not delegate such enforcement powers to NGOs, private entities, or individuals without formal legal authorisation.

Mr Ijagwu advised the public to disregard any announcements, sealing notices, or consumer-related campaigns issued by CCPIN or its representatives.

“To verify any enforcement or communication, members of the public can contact the Commission through its hotlines: 08056002020 and 08056003030. Official FCCPC activities and communications can also be verified via fccpc.gov.ng or social media handles (@fccpcnigeria),” he added.

The recognised consumer protection body also reaffirmed its commitment to operating with the highest level of transparency while ensuring consumer protection and market integrity.

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Navy Destroys Nine Illegal Refineries in Rivers, Seizes Stolen Oil

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Nigerian Navy

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder has dismantled nine illegal refining sites in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, seizing over 170,000 litres of suspected stolen and illegally refined petroleum products.

This is the latest in a long series of efforts to curb oil theft hampering crude oil production and economic growth in Africa’s largest oil producer.

The operation, carried out yesterday (Wednesday) uncovered a sprawling network of criminal infrastructure, including 45 ovens, 30 reservoirs, and 75 dugout pits, according to Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, Commander of NNS Pathfinder.

He revealed that the illegal sites were stocked with approximately 60,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, 80,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) known as diesel, and 33,000 litres of kerosene.

He said, “During the operation, the Tactical Riverine Assault Squadron Team acting on credible intelligence discovered two wellheads connected with pipes used for siphoning crude oil to illegal camps.

“The team dismantled the connected pipes to the wellheads and destroyed the illegal refining sites. The products were handled in accordance with anti-crude oil theft procedures,” he added.

The outfit could not make any arrests as the perpetrators fled on sighting the patrol team, the scale of the seizure underscores the magnitude of oil theft operations still active in the Niger Delta.

Commodore Aniaku praised the bravery and professionalism of the personnel involved and reaffirmed the Navy’s unwavering resolve to stamp out economic sabotage.

“Under the leadership of Vice Admiral E. I. Ogalla, the Nigerian Navy remains committed to combating crude oil theft and illegal bunkering activities which pose significant threats to the nation’s economy and energy security,” he stated.

The latest crackdown comes as the Navy intensifies its riverine operations across the oil-rich region, aligning with national efforts to boost crude production and plug revenue leakages caused by pipeline vandalism and illegal refining.

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Petrobas Mulls Re-entry into Nigeria, Eyes Deepwater Exploration

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Petrobras Oil

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.

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