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House Invites Kyari, Emefiele, Ahmed, Sylva, Others over State of Refineries

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Fix refineries with current oil windfall, Adeyemi tells FG
The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating the state of refineries in the country has invited the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr. Mele Kyari; the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, to appear before the lawmakers on Thursday, March 31, to give account of the true state of refineries and what was needed to be done to function at maximum refining capacity.
The Committee also extended the invitation to other relevant key government stakeholders including the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Auditor-General of the Federation, the Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC), the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had on January, 2022, constituted the adhoc Committee to determine the state of refineries in the country and what was needed to bring them back to maximum refining capacity.
The Committee was mandated to work with the NNPC, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and other relevant stakeholders to obtain the needed information in order to carry out the assignment.
The Committee therefore, on February 24, 2022, requested the GMD of the NNPC for a status report on the nation’s refineries. The lawmakers specifically requested the GMD to provide, “Appraisal of the current state of refineries in the country, from year 2012 to date, copies of annual budgets on rehabilitation by the refineries from year 2012 to date, list of approvals/fund releases for rehabilitation of refineries from year 2012 to date, the list of all contracts awarded for rehabilitation of refineries and award letters issued to service providers and contractors from year 2012 to date, the actual cost of projects (contracts) and review (if any) stated in naira, work completion certificates issued on rehabilitation projects carried out on refineries from year 2012 to date, evidence of payments made for all such contracts awarded from year 2012 to date, list of service providers and contractors that handled the rehabilitation of refineries from year 2012 to date and any other relevant information to assist the Committee in the course of this assignment.”
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The lawmakers, while appreciating the response of the NNPC to their request and acknowledged receipt of their submissions and information so far provided, however pointed out that the submission made by the NNPC did not adequately provide answers to most of the request made to them by the letter.
However, at the hearing yesterday, the Chairman of the adhoc Committee, Hon. Johnson Ganiyu said the summon became necessary following the failure of the ministers and the other invited government officials to honour earlier invitation.
He said Nigerians were pained and not happy with the current state of affairs regarding the oil sector of the economy, hence subsidy was no longer sustainable.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi has advised the federal government to spend the current gains being made from crude oil sales with price above $100 per barrel to fix the nation’s comatose oil refineries or build new ones.
The nation’s 2022 budget was predicated on a benchmark of $62 per barrel of crude oil and the price of the commodity was $120 per barrel as of yesterday.
As a result of this, Adeyemi said, “proceeds from the oil windfall arising from the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war should be channeled into fixing the nation’s comatose refineries or to out rightly build new ones.”
Adeyemi said this yesterday in Abuja, while addressing journalists about the public hearing on his rent bill slated for March 30.
The Senator added: “To me, it is inexplicable and shameful for a nation that is producing crude oil in large volumes on daily basis to be importing refined ones.
“It is like somebody who has a functional borehole in his or her compound, and yet buying water from other sources.
“The serious bleeding the shameful arrangement is causing the nation’s economy must be stopped. Refineries must be made functional or new ones put in place to prevent huge capital flight bleeding the nation’s economy from refined oil importation,” he said.
Adeyemi lamented the federal government’s inability to fast track the completion of the Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Project which he described as a catalyst for full industrialisation of the nation’s economy.
He noted with concern that the abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex had the potential of providing gainful employment to over 50,000 Nigerians if resuscitated.
He added: “It is saddening that a potential game changer for the nation’s monolithic economy which started in 1980s is still at the stage of abandonment.
“If the federal government is not ready to see to its completion and functionality, it should be handed over to Kogi State which I believe will do the needful the way the Kaduna State government built an iron ore firm recently with potential for thousands of jobs creation for the youth and quantum wealth generation for the state.
“The President Muhammadu Buhari led government is no doubt, trying, as far as building of infrastructure are concerned but such legacies without completion of Ajaokuta and provision of functions refineries will not make much impacts economically.”
THISDAY
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BREAKING: Appeal Court stops Sanusi’s reinstatement as Kano emir

BREAKING: Appeal Court stops Sanusi’s reinstatement as Kano emir
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has stopped the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano.
The court on Friday halted the enforcement of its January 10 judgment, which upheld the Kano State government’s repeal of the 2019 Emirates Council Law, pending the Supreme Court’s determination of an appeal on the same matter.
The ruling was unanimously delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Okon Abang.
It ruled that the applicant, having served as Emir for five years before his removal, had legal rights that required protection until the Supreme Court delivers a final verdict.
The appellate court had earlier set aside a June 20, 2024 ruling by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano, which nullified the Kano State government’s dissolution of five emirates in the state and the subsequent reinstatement of Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano.
The Court of Appeal then ruled that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the case
Dissatisfied with the ruling, an injunction request was filed by Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi (Sarkin Dawaki Babba) against the Kano State Government, the Speaker of the State Assembly, the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other security agencies.
Dan Agundi sought to restrain the respondents from enforcing the appellate court’s judgment while awaiting the apex court’s decision.
However, in its unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal agreed that the application had merit and granted the injunction.
Justice Abang stated, “The law is settled. The court is enjoined to exercise its discretion judiciously and in the interest of justice.”
The ruling ordered that all parties must maintain the “status quo ante bellum,” preserving the situation as it was before the Federal High Court’s judgment on June 13, 2024.
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Tragedy as 25-year-old man hangs self in Ogun forest

Tragedy as 25-year-old man hangs self in Ogun forest
The Police Command in Ogun State has launched an investigation into the death of a 25-year-old man, Toye Dominic, whose body was discovered hanging from a tree in a forest near Alagbodagbo Village, Ijebu Igbo.
In a statement released on Thursday, the command’s spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and said the body was found around 4:30 p.m.
According to Odutola, a local hunter, Kareem Olawalose, came across the scene while on a hunting trip and promptly reported the discovery to the Ijebu Igbo Divisional Police Headquarters.
After spotting the body, Olawalose sought assistance from a nearby village, where he met the deceased’s elder brother, Joseph Dominic.
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The brother disclosed that Toye had left for the farm earlier in the day but failed to return, prompting a search by concerned family members.
“Policemen and villagers on arrival at the scene, observed that the deceased had set aside his farm tools before proceeding further into the forest, where he was found hanging from a tree.“No suicide note was found, and family members expressed shock and disbelief over the incident,” Odutola said.
She added that officers documented the scene with photographs, and the body was taken to General Hospital, Ijebu Ode, for further examination.
Odutola assured the public that the police would carry out a comprehensive investigation to determine the events leading to the tragedy.
She also encouraged community members to stay alert and support people who might be experiencing emotional distress, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and timely intervention.
Tragedy as 25-year-old man hangs self in Ogun forest
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Ex-Kwara Gov AbdulFatah Ahmed rearranged in N5.8bn fraud case

Ex-Kwara Gov AbdulFatah Ahmed rearranged in N5.8bn fraud case
The Kwara State High Court has fixed April 10 and 11 for the continuation of the trial of former governor AbdulFatah Ahmed and his finance commissioner, Demola Banu, over the alleged diversion of 5.78 billion naira from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) fund.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the two officials, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Testifying in court, Engineer Abdulsalam Olanrewaju, a former project manager at the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), revealed that despite the state paying counterpart funds in 2014 and 2015, no contracts were awarded.
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He stated that while the 2013 contractors were eventually paid after protesting delays, funds meant for subsequent projects remained unused.
During cross-examination, Olanrewaju clarified that signatories to the SUBEB account were the accountant, permanent secretary, and executive chairman of the board.
Earlier, a second witness, Dr. Musa Dasuki, emphasized that matching grants from UBEC and SUBEB are strictly meant for school infrastructure and cannot be diverted for other purposes.
Ex-Kwara Gov AbdulFatah Ahmed rearranged in N5.8bn fraud case
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