General

Rivers APC Vows to Tackle Soot Menace in Port Harcourt if Voted into Power

Published

7 years ago

30/04/2018

By Nwaorgu Faustinus

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has once again accused Governor Nyesom Wike of complicity on the soot which has continued to pollute the state, vowing that it would stop all illegal refineries and associated tools that cause soot within six months of assumption of power in 2019.

The opposition party in the state, in a statement by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the Media Consultant to Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, the State Chairman of Rivers APC, said, “The other day, the Governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyesom Wike, in his dramatic pattern, accused the Federal Government of plotting to exterminate the Rivers population by encouraging activities that will sustain the dark, dangerous and mortal cloud on the state capital, which has become known as the dangerous soot.

“He backed his emotional hypocrisy with a lot of lies, but what is not lost on the free mind and those who are not caught in the politically motivated emotional blackmail is that the Governor knows more than he has told the world.

“Ask the governor how the Federal Government had been producing and sustaining the soot, his explanation would be the seldom practice of destruction of illegal refining sites, a practice that goes on in other parts of the region, where oil theft and illegal refining of crude oil into dangerous oil products.”

Dr Ikanya stated that it has come to the notice and understanding of the APC in Rivers state that the so-called crocodile tears of the Governor is just a decoy.

“Reliable discoveries have revealed that the Governor said all he said to buy cover for a well-organized illegal activity going on under his nose,” Mr Ikanya said.

The party said, “Governor Wike knows that the deadly cloud over Port Harcourt is undoubtedly from illegal oil refining, which has been termed as ‘kpo fire’. He knows the leaders of the groups involved in this dangerous illegality, he knows them from the race to the 2015 election and he very well knows what this is all about.

“The blame on the Federal Government was a mere façade. We call on Rivers State Governor, who happens to also be the Chief Security Officer of the state, to call his boys off so we can have a clean, soot-free environment.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the ‘producers’ of the dangerous cloud over Port Harcourt (soot) are Wike’s boys, whom they used to execute the 2015 elections and they have kept in a sort of security immunized zone so that they can make enough money to buy the arms and ammunition they will need to prosecute the 2019 bloodbath, since they won’t have the ‘federal might’ to fight personal wars as they used to.

“The APC in Rivers state, therefore, calls on the Governor of Rivers state to be compassionate and spare the innocent children, women, youths and men of the State capital, who do not have the sort of protection as he does, to call his agents of death off from their daily cooking of illegal crude. They should stop killing us all even before the elections come,” the party pleaded.

The party however commended the Federal Government for its concerted efforts in finding the causes of the soot and how to curtail its menace in Rivers State but reiterated that any effort without Governor Wike collaborating and assisting to call his boys to stop this evil act of operating illegal refineries will be an exercise in futility the party.

The party warned Wike to toe its line of plea for peace and sanity and avoid the plots to destroy the lives of Rivers State people because of elections as such plea should not be taken as the rattling from a disadvantaged body but as a wise counsel to prevent him from turning the State into a worse situation as he did before, during and after the 2015 general elections when he turned the State into a battle field were hundreds of innocent souls of Rivers State people were lost in the bid to install him (Wike) as the Governor of Rivers State.

The party also cautioned that the 2019 general elections will not be a repeat performance of 2015 general elections where he used the militants to execute his evil plots against democracy and good governance in Rivers State.

General

Nigeria’s Daily Fuel Consumption Drops 18.6% to 48 million Litres

Published

1 hour ago

13/08/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that average litres of fuel consumed daily by the country decreased by about 18.6 per cent to 48.0 million litres in June 2025 from the 59.0 million litres recorded in May 2025.

The Director of Public Affairs for NMDPRA, Mr George Ene-Ita, confirmed this in a report on Wednesday, noting that for the full month, the fuel consumption also went down by 16.4 per cent or 290 million litres to 1,440,768,129 litres from the previous month’s 1,768,812,804 litres.

Breaking down the fuel supply figures, the NMDPRA report stated that in June, the Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), called diesel, saw a slight increase in supply by 1.73 per cent, reaching 432.18 million litres compared to May’s 424.83 million litres.

In spite of this, diesel distribution (truck-out) declined by 23.23 per cent, falling from 552.35 million litres in May to 424.06 million litres in June.

It further showed that the Household Kerosene (HHK) supply and distribution both recorded a 13 per cent decrease, with June figures at 7.79 million litres, down from nearly nine million litres in May.

The sharpest decline was seen in automotive gasoline supply, which dropped by nearly 48 per cent from 72.36 million litres in May to 37.66 million litres in June.

Distribution also fell by 16.54 per cent within the same period.

The NMDPRA’s report also detailed fuel truck-out volumes to individual states, totalling the 1.44 billion litres evacuated in June.

The report showed that Lagos received the highest volume at 205.66 million litres, followed by Ogun with 88.69 million litres, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 77.51 million litres, and Oyo with 72.81 million litres.

The decline in overall supply and distribution suggests continued challenges in the petroleum midstream and downstream sectors, impacting national fuel consumption patterns in June.

The NMDPRA, then, pledged to work closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen distribution and guarantee the uninterrupted supply of petroleum products across the country.

General

Court Dismisses Case Against Ibom Air Passenger Comfort Emmason

Published

2 hours ago

13/08/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday discharged the embattled Ms Comfort Emmason of charges bordering on unruly behaviour and assaulting the flight crew aboard an Ibom Air aircraft from Uyo to Lagos on Monday.

Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami struck out the five-count charge against Ms Emmason after the police prosecution team withdrew the case.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecuting council, Mrs Oluwabunmi Adeitan, informed the court of new developments that necessitated the withdrawal.

She tendered an application to the court for the withdrawal of the case, which was admitted by the court.

Earlier today, the federal government announced the withdrawal of a criminal complaint against Ms Emmanson.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday morning, noting that this followed consultations with key stakeholders in the aviation sector over recent incidents involving disruptive conduct at Nigerian airports.

According to the Minister, Ms Emmanson, had showed “great remorse” during a police interview in the presence of her lawyer.

As a result, Ibom Air has agreed to withdraw its complaint, with the Police expected to complete steps for her release from Kirikiri Prisons within the week.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has also agreed to lift the lifetime flight ban earlier imposed on her.

In a related development, popular Fuji musician, Mr Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as Kwam 1 had his six months ban reduced to one-month following an earlier fracas while the pilots involved in the matter also had their suspension reduced to one-month with their licenses re-activated upon expiry of the punishment.

General

FG Gets September Deadline to Close Ex-NSA Dasuki 10-Year Case

Published

6 hours ago

13/08/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has gotten a September 2025 deadline to close the prosecution of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Sambo Dasuki, over alleged money laundering, a case which has been in court for over 10 years.

The Federal High Court through Justice Peter Lifu fixed September 24, 25, and 26 for the government to call any remaining witnesses and tender all exhibits in support of the charges.

Mr Dasuki, who was first arraigned in 2015 was facing a seven-count amended charge and was expected to open his defence once the prosecution closed its case.

At the last hearing, a prosecution witness, Mr Monsur Mohammed, told the court that following Mr Dasuki’s arrest, his residences in Abuja, Kaduna, and Sokoto were searched for arms and cash.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Mr Oladipupo Okpeseyi (SAN), the witness, an exhibits keeper with the Department of State Services (DSS), listed items recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja residence at 46, Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro.

He claimed that at Mr Dasuki’s House at 46, Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro, found items include two Compact Disc of Freedom Radio on Jokolo, two GT Bank Cheque books, two blackberries phones, Nokia phone, flash drive, Apple Laptop and statement of account as part of items found in the house.

Others were a Visa card, approval letter of a radio station granted to Afri-Media Integrated Ltd, one CD on arrest and execution of Mohammed Yusuf, $500 and 533 Saudi Riyadh.

Also recovered were an HSBC account book and a Cheque book of Habibson Ltd of a Mr Abubakar Ibrahim.

The court admitted the items as Exhibits MSD 015 to 034 following no objection from Dasuki’s lawyer, Mr Ahmed Usman.

It was also revealed that at Mr Dasuki’s residence in Sabo Birni, Sokoto State, the exhibits keeper claimed that $150,000 were recovered in the house and subsequently deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The prosecutor said he would ask the DSS to bring the cash to court to be tendered as exhibits.

At the Sultan Abubakar Road, Sokoto house, the witness told the court that no items were found.

At this stage, the federal government counsel applied for an adjournment to enable him bring before the court other items found in Mr Dasuki’s house during the four search warrants executed in the houses.

Justice Lifu while granting the adjournment request directed the federal government to be ready to close its case against the defendant and for Dasuki to open his defence.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case until September 24, 25 and 26.