Business

Court awards N82bn damages against Mobil, NNPC over oil spills

Published

5 years ago

June 22, 2021

A federal high court in Abuja has ordered Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to pay N81.9bn as damages to communities in Ibeno LGA of Akwa Ibom State over oil spillage.

The court awarded the sum of N42.8bn as damages for intangible losses, N21.9bn for special damages as annotated and N10bn as general damages.

Delivering the judgment on Monday, the judge, Taiwo Taiwo, said the companies must make payment to the communities within 14 days.

The judge said failure to make payment on the date would attract eight per cent interest on the principal sum annually.

The suit was instituted against the two defendants by the aggrieved oil-producing communities led by Obong Effiong Archianga and nine others through their lawyers, Lucius Nwosu.

They had sought about N100 billion compensation for economic losses suffered from oil spillages caused by the defendants during exploration, NAN quoted court papers.

The judge held that the negligence of Mobil and NNPC caused environmental degradation in the communities.

He said NNPC is only interested in the revenue generations from the oil exploration at the expense of the people’s lives in the communities.

Taiwo said that he believed the oral and documentary evidence adduced by the plaintiffs to support their claims that lives were made miserable for them when their water and land were polluted through crude oil leakages from old oil pipelines.

He noted the claims of Mobil that it did clean up exercise and held that the oil giant failed to address the compensation that would have mitigated the economic losses of the people said to be mainly fishermen and farmers.

The judge also described witnesses called by Mobil as unreliable, adding that for no reason they became evasive during cross-examination by counsel to the plaintiffs.

He held that the oral and documentary evidence produced by Mobil Company were not in any way helpful to the court as they were targeted at serving predetermined interest.

The judge further said that some of the witnesses ought not to have come to the court at all going by the discrepancies in the documents brought to the court, adding that they only embarked on guess research that was not reliable.

He further held that both Mobil and NNPC were negligent by their failure to visit places of the leakages of the crude oil that led to the contamination of rivers and creeks.

The judge rejected the claims of the Mobil joint venture partner, NNPC, that the suit was statute-barred in 2012 when the aggrieved plaintiffs filed it.

The NNPC had claimed that the suit was not filed within 12 months by the plaintiffs as required by the provision of Section 12, Sub Section 1 of the NNPC Act, 2004.

However, the judge held that the instant suit had to do with fundamental rights that cannot be rendered impotent by the statute of limitations.

He stated further that Section 11, Subsection 5 of the Oil Pipeline Act made it mandatory for oil companies to monitor and repair their pipelines to avoid spillages and environmental degradation.

Auto

NADDC Pushes Affordable Auto Loans to Boost Vehicle Ownership, More Jobs

Published

11 hours ago

September 21, 2026

Trends Admin

NADDC Pushes Affordable Auto Loans to Boost Vehicle Ownership, More Job

The National Automotive Design and Development Council has called for far-reaching reforms in vehicle financing to make car ownership more affordable while boosting local vehicle assembly, job creation and industrial development.

The Council said a properly structured financing system could turn vehicle credit from a mere consumer lending product into a major economic tool for expanding productive mobility and strengthening Nigeria’s automotive value chain.

Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Joseph Oluwemimo Osanipin, stated this in an address delivered on his behalf by the Council’s Principal Information Officer, Tanko Kyumnom, at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Auto Sectoral Group Symposium in Lagos.

The symposium, held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Henry Fajemirokun Hall of LCCI, was themed: “From Subsidy to Credit: Can Vehicle Financing Replace Fuel Subsidy as Nigeria’s Mobility Equaliser?”
Osanipin said the growing cost of mobility had made it necessary to explore financing models that would enable individuals, businesses and transport operators to acquire vehicles without bearing the full cost of ownership upfront.

According to him, spreading vehicle payments over an agreed period could provide a more sustainable pathway to vehicle acquisition, provided that the financing products are affordable, accessible and structured around the economic realities of Nigerian consumers.

He, however, cautioned that simply making credit available would not be enough.
“Vehicle financing offers a more sustainable approach by enabling individuals, businesses and transport operators to acquire vehicles and pay for them over time,” Osanipin stated.
The NADDC DG said the bigger opportunity lies in linking vehicle financing with the growth of locally assembled and Nigerian-made vehicles.

He explained that increased access to credit for locally produced vehicles could generate wider economic benefits by stimulating demand for domestic assembly, supporting component manufacturers, creating jobs and strengthening local supply chains.

Osanipin therefore urged stronger collaboration among government institutions, financial institutions, vehicle manufacturers and other stakeholders in designing financing schemes capable of supporting both mobility access and automotive industrialisation.

The NADDC boss identified affordable vehicle loans, leasing arrangements, fleet financing, credit guarantees and appropriate interest-rate support as mechanisms that could broaden access to vehicle ownership and productive mobility.

lt also stressed the need for repayment structures that take into account the earning patterns and business realities of Nigerians, particularly transport operators and small businesses whose vehicles are directly linked to their income-generating activities.

Osanipin maintained that the objective should extend beyond increasing the number of vehicles on Nigerian roads.
“The goal is not simply to put more vehicles on Nigerian roads. It is to ensure that Nigerians can access productive mobility without placing an unsustainable burden on government finances or household incomes,” he said.

According to him, a properly structured automotive financing system could create a stronger connection between mobility, economic inclusion and domestic vehicle production.

“With the right policies and partnerships, vehicle financing can become a powerful instrument for mobility, economic inclusion and automotive industrial development,” Osanipin added.

The NADDC’s position places vehicle financing within the broader effort to build a sustainable automotive ecosystem in Nigeria—one in which access to credit supports vehicle users while also creating stronger demand for local assembly, components and associated automotive services.

Auto

Jetour T1 Storms Abuja as Automaker Accelerates Nigeria Expansion

Published

16 hours ago

September 21, 2026

Trends Admin

Jetour T1 Set to debut in Abuja as Expansion Gains Momentum

Following a successful debut in Lagos, Jetour Nigeria will host the Jetour Experience Abuja from September 22 to 24, 2026, positioning its all-new T1 model as a major competitor in the country’s growing adventure SUV market.

The three-day event in the Federal Capital Territory will give prospective buyers and motoring enthusiasts direct access to product demonstrations, expert-led technical sessions, and hands-on test drives.

“Strong participation, extensive test drives, and significant sales enquiries at the Lagos edition, coupled with growing demand from Abuja residents, influenced the decision to bring the experience to the nation’s capital,” the company said in a statement. The show holds at Maha Event Centre, Area 8, Garki.

To support its growing national footprint, Jetour Nigeria has established a network of seven accredited dealers: Elizade Nigeria Limited, New Era AutoVehicle Services Limited, Kojo Motors, Germaine Auto Centre, Tab Autos Limited, R.T. Briscoe Motors, and Mandilas Autos. The partnerships cover retail sales, genuine spare parts supply, and comprehensive after-sales maintenance.

Jetour T1 Set to debut in Abuja as Expansion Gains Momentum

Auto

Abuja Demand Rises as Jetour Brings X70 Plus Experience to FCT

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2026

Trends Admin

Abuja Demand Rises as Jetour Brings X70 Plus Experience to FCT

Jetour Nigeria is taking its seven-seater X70 Plus SUV to Abuja as rising interest from motorists in the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring states fuels the brand’s latest push to deepen its presence across Nigeria.

The X70 Plus will headline the Jetour Experience Abuja, holding from September 22 to 24 at Maha Event Centre, Area 8, Garki, following the strong response recorded during the Lagos edition, where motorists turned out for test drives and made enquiries about Jetour models.

The Abuja activation is designed to give prospective buyers direct access to the X70 Plus and other models, with opportunities to test-drive the vehicles, engage product specialists and experience their technology, safety and comfort features.

The X70 Plus is positioned as a family-oriented SUV, offering seven-seat capacity and a range of features targeted at customers seeking comfort, technology and practicality.

The SUV is available with 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre turbocharged engine options, with outputs of up to 145kW and 290Nm of torque, paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission.