Headline

Environmental Organisation Wants Govt To Intensify Fight Against Oil Theft

Published

4 years ago

January 19, 2022

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged the Federal Government and its regulatory institutions to be at the forefront of the fight against oil theft and artisanal oil refining.

The environmental organisation further called on the federal and state governments in the Niger Delta region to, as a matter of urgency, convene a national dialogue to discuss and agree on practical steps to take in the short, medium, and long term to holistically deal with the menace of oil theft and artisanal oil refining.

ERA/FoEN, in the short term, called on all state governments in the Niger Delta region to immediately identify and properly decommission all artisanal refining sites in their states, and ensure that this process of decommissioning does not contribute to further release of soot into the atmosphere.

Mike Karikpo, Director of Programmes and Administration of ERA/FoEN, who made the call in a statement made Available to INFO DAILY, by Nosa Tokunbo, spokesperson of ERA/FoEN, alleged that “security agencies in the Niger Delta region aid, influence and provide protection for oil thieves and artisanal oil refining activities.

“A recent report by the federal government confirms that over 200 million barrels of crude oil worth about $3.5 billion was stolen in 2021. Considering the heavy reliance on borrowings to fund government activities.”

Karikpo added, “This is therefore a matter of national security and President Buhari needs to wield the big stick and cleanse the Augean stables that has become the security architecture in the Niger Delta region.”

The statement continues, “Work with the youths particularly the ERA-led Young Friends of the Earth ambient air quality monitors, who have been trained and have been conducting air quality investigations in communities in the Niger Delta since 2018 to provide quarterly updates on ambient air quality as well as household air quality to enable adequate development planning and actions.

“Conduct health surveys across the region to ensure early detection and treatment of air pollution related illnesses.

“Identify and shame or prosecute filling stations and their owners who buy and sell their illegal products to the unsuspecting public. Also identify, shame and or prosecute big companies and other businesses that use diesel from artisanal refineries to power their generators for dealing in stolen items.

“Provide alternative clean renewable energy in local communities as well as fuel efficient clean cook stoves to drive down demand for illegally refined crude products.

“The Federal Government should identify, investigate, and prosecute all members of our security agencies in the Niger Delta region who are active owners and participants in the stolen crude oil trade, those who aid and abet the operations of gangs involved in stealing crude oil for illegal refining and those who provide protection at artisanal refining sites while being paid with public funds.

“The Federal Government must address the huge electricity supply gap and the rising cost of cooking gas that is driving demand for artisanal oil products.

“Governments at all levels should develop a national just transition development plan that prioritizes environmental protection and conservation as well as the efficient utilization of resources in a circular economy model”, ERA/FoEN posited.

Headline

‘Pioneer Of Cable TV News’: Key Facts About CNN Founder, Ted Turner

Published

6 days ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

Ted Turner, the media businessman who founded CNN died at the age of 87. He died peacefully on Wednesday, surrounded by family, according to Turner Enterprises.

Contents

Launched 24-hour news television

Built a media network

Expanded through sports

Recognition and influence

Philanthropy and global causes

Environmental efforts

Health and later years

Early career path

Leadership and legacy

Personal life

Exit from business

Family

Below are key facts about his life and impact:

Launched 24-hour news television

Turner founded CNN on June 1, 1980, introducing the first 24-hour news channel and changing how audiences follow global events.

Built a media network

He moved from billboards into broadcasting, turning an Atlanta TV station into a national superstation in 1976. His business later grew to include CNN International, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network.

Expanded through sports

Turner invested in sports broadcasting and owned teams including the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks, using television to reach wider audiences.

Recognition and influence

In 1991, he was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for his role in shaping modern news coverage.

Philanthropy and global causes

He founded the United Nations Foundation and supported campaigns against nuclear weapons. In 1997, he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations.

Turner supported conservation work, including reintroducing bison in the United States, and backed environmental education through the “Captain Planet” cartoon.

Health and later years

In 2018, Turner revealed he had Lewy body dementia. He also recovered from a mild case of pneumonia in early 2025.

Early career path

He took over his father’s billboard company at 24 after his father’s death and later expanded into radio and television, despite limited experience in journalism.

“I worked until 7 o’clock, and when I got home the news was over,” he once said. “So I missed television news completely. And I figured there were lots of people like me.”

Leadership and legacy

“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”

Personal life

Turner married actress Jane Fonda in 1991, and they later divorced after 10 years, though they remained close.

“I would never love anyone like I love him,” she said. “But I just couldn’t keep moving in his world, along the surface for the rest of my life. I knew that I would get to the end of my life and regret not doing the things that I also needed to do for me.”

Exit from business

He sold his company to Time Warner in 1996 and later stepped away following its merger with AOL.

Reflecting on his life, Turner once said: “I lost Jane. I lost my job here. I lost my fortune, most of it. Got a billion or two left. You can get by on that if you economize.”

Family

He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Headline

Iran’s Nationwide Internet Shutdown Hits 70 Days

Published

6 days ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

NetBlocks, a monitoring group, has disclosed that an internet shutdown enforced by the Iranian regime has entered its 70th day, severing key access from swathes of the population under the shadow of war.

NetBlocks reported on Friday that the blackout has now surpassed 1,656 hours, marking more than two months since US-Israeli strikes pounded Tehran and escalated across the Middle East.

“Digital connectivity is vital in times of crisis,” NetBlocks said in a post on X. “Limiting service harms those most in need – people with disabilities, students, small businesses and the general public.”

According to CNN, Iran imposed a separate internet shutdown on the country’s 92 million people earlier this year, when it launched the most lethal crackdown on anti-government protesters since the Islamic Republic’s founding 47 years ago.

CNN further reports that the latest blackout has cut off another potential lifeline for Iranian residents faced with high unemployment and economic pressure exacerbated by the US-Israeli campaign.

(CNN)

Headline

Gas Prices In US Edge Down After Two Weeks Of Increases

Published

6 days ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

The cost of a gallon of regular gas in the United States (US) has edged down a little more than a penny to $4.55.

According to AAA’s readings, this marks the first decline in the average gas price after 15 straight days of increases.

The decline is minuscule compared to the large increases in gas prices over the last two weeks.

According to CNN, gasoline costs rose an average of nearly 4 cents a day during that period and had several daily increases of between 7 and 9 cents.

Also Read: Trump insists US-Iran ceasefire intact despite recent exchange of fire

CNN also reports that based on past gas spikes, it will likely take weeks for gas prices to get down below $4 a gallon.

The report, however, states that a previous two-week stretch of gas price declines only shaved 14 cents off the average price, taking the average price to $4.02, before the recent 15-day run of increases.

According to CNN, it could take months for the average price to fall below $3 per gallon, as it did before the war in Iran.

CNN further reports that only one state – Oklahoma – now has an average price of less than $4 a gallon, and its average stands at $3.98. California has the highest average price at $6.16.

(CNN)