Headline

FG Disburses N173bn For Uniform Fuel Price Nationwide

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2023

Editor

The Federal Government disbursed about N173.2bn for the equalisation of over 11.6 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, between 2019 and 2022, data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources on Tuesday showed.

PMS price equalisation is done by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, in which the NMDPRA ensures price uniformity of petroleum products via the reimbursement of marketers for trucking products to filling stations anywhere in Nigeria.

A document obtained by our correspondent from the FMPR in Abuja, on the scorecard of the ministry since 2019, showed that over N173.2bn had been disbursed to equalise the cost of petrol nationwide.

But despite the hundreds of billions spent on PMS price equalisation, the cost of the commodity has hardly been equal in various states, outside Lagos and Abuja.

Currently, for instance, the price of petrol at mega stations owned by major marketers in Abuja and Lagos hovers between N179 and N180/litre, but the cost of the commodity in many independent retail outlets in other states is usually higher than N250/litre.

The price disparity across states has lingered for years, as one hardly gets the commodity at the same cost in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

In fact, in some retail outlets operated by independent marketers in major cities like Abuja and Lagos, the cost of PMS is over N200/litre, whereas the approved rate is N179-N180/litre. This, however, is despite the equalisation fund being disbursed by the government.

Providing a progress report on efforts to eradicate the smuggling of PMS across Nigerian borders, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, stated in the document that “a total of 255,659 truck-outs were equalised during the review period.

“N173,200,284,779 (approx.) equalisation paid. 1,277 supplying vessels tracked. 25,525,688,042 litres of total PMS discharged.”

The minister explained that 66.7 million litres of PMS was the average daily sufficiency during the period, adding that the total truck-out volume was 24,346,614,589 litres.

He also stated that the target of the FMPR was to ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, as well as reduction in the volume of smuggled PMS through improved technology.

Others include PMS equalisation to close differential cost, and to undertake routine end-to-end tracking of petroleum products cargos using Lloyds List Intelligence and Refinitiv.

Sylva, however, stated that the key challenges to achieving these targets were market infractions, defaulting marketers, delay in submission of out-turn forms by marketers, arrival/discharge quantity variation, and sharp practices by operators.

On the support that was required, he said there was a need for full system automation, review of existing policies, ensure strict compliance with regulations and strong inter-agency collaboration and transparency for petroleum product supply value chain activities around the border.

On the gas flare commercialisation programme, the document stated that the government had identified 48 flare sites, adding that the plan was to allocate them this year.

“48 flare sites have been identified. Six of them have been taken out of the basket because they are not commercially viable (because the flare volumes are minimal). The plan is that these flare sites will be allocated by Q4 2022,” the petroleum ministry stated.

Headline

Kenya Deports Nigerian Captured On CCTV Assaulting Woman In Wheelchair [VIDEO]

Published

14 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

A Nigerian national who was caught on CCTV camera assaulting a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair in Nairobi has been deported.

In the footage that went viral on April 26, 2024, the Nigerian man identified as John Nwankwo Noko, is seen clobbering a helpless Ms. Pauline in the head before two other ladies looking on intervened to stop the act.

In a statement signed by State Department of Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang’ombe, Nwankwo was deported on Saturday, May 4, 2024, for assaulting his partner, Ms Pauline.

He is accused of physically assaulting his partner, a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair, raising concerns about cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

“The act of violence has not only violated the rights of an individual but has also highlighted the broader issues of gender-based violence, that is rampant in our society,” Orwoba said in the statement.

The case was first brought to the attention of the police by Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba on Wednesday, May 1.

Orwoba, acting on the video that first went viral on social media on April 29, visited the woman at her home, who confirmed that her life was in danger.

She [the woman] claimed that her Nigerian partner “had been threatening to kill her and her two domestic workers if they outed him,” Orwoba said.

Senator Orwoba then reported the matter to Karen Police Station, after which it was picked up by the offices of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure, and that of Immigration PS Julius Bitok.

“Mr Nwankwo Noko has been arrested and processed for deportation,” Gender PS confirmed.

The nominated senator, who has continually advocated for violence against women has since demanded an end to the rising cases, saying they not only leave women with physical and emotional damage but also tear the moral fabric of our society.

“We strongly condemn such behavior and we shall continue working towards creating a safer environment for women, free of fear,” Orwoba added.

Watch footage below:

John Nwankwo, a devil, assaults woman in wheelchair in Kenya…
Criminal:
John Nwankwo Noko
Crime:
Nigerian man by the name of John Nwankwo Noko was captured on CCTV assaulting a woman in a wheelchair. In the footage, the ruthless man is seen raining kicks and blows on the… pic.twitter.com/COGgqaFEzd
— CitizenOlu (@jagabanolu) April 26, 2024

Headline

Woman Wins $1million Lottery For Second Time In 10 Weeks

Published

15 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

Christine Wilson of Attleboro recently claimed a $1 million jackpot, the Massachusetts State Lottery announced on Wednesday, May 1.

Amazingly, it marked the second $1 million prize she’d won in just 10 weeks.

Wilson’s latest winnings came from playing the 100X Cash $10 instant ticket game. The scratch game involves matching any of the player’s numbers or bonus numbers to any winning number.

In February, Wilson claimed her first $1 million lottery prize after playing the Lifetime Millions $50 instant ticket game.

When she won her first prize, Wilson said that she would use some of the money to buy an SUV. Now she plans to put her new winnings towards savings.

As with her first jackpot prize back in February, for her latest win, Wilson opted for the cash payout option of $650,000 before taxes.

And it’s not just Wilson who is reaping the rewards for her latest jackpot. The Family Food Mart that sold her the ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus.

Wilson joins other lucky folks who have won a lottery jackpot twice in the last year. In February, a Michigan man won a $110,000 prize by playing the state’s Fantasy 5 Double Play drawing. Six months earlier, the man had also netted $110,000 via the same game.

Meanwhile, in October 2023, Jennifer Minton of Gloucester, Virginia, won $50,000 playing that state’s Safari Quest online game. A week later, she won again, netting a $1 million prize.

And in March of that same year, a couple from Australia scored two $1 million prizes on separate tickets in the same drawing for Australia’s Monday & Wednesday Lotto game.

Headline

70 Passengers Fall Ill, Vomit Bug During Flight From Mauritius To Frankfurt

Published

15 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

About 70 passengers fell ill with a vomiting bug mid-way through their flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt.

According to Mail Online, Condor airline Flight DE2315 was travelling on Thursday, May 2, from Mauritius to Frankfurt when it became clear that many passengers on board were suffering from the bug.

The aircraft landed in the German city at around 5.33pm where it was greeted with a large contingent of emergency services.

Crew had called ahead to alert officials on the ground of the unfolding emergency.

It was found that 70 of the 290 passengers onboard had suddenly reported symptoms including nausea and vomiting.

A spokesperson for the Germany airline confirmed the incident to the country’s Bild tabloid, adding that the crew was not affected by the illness.

‘She [the pilot/crew] is also educated and trained for special situations like this,’ the statement to the newspaper said.

‘After carefully examining the overall situation, the flight continued. The aircraft landed safely in Frankfurt, where medical professionals were available to care for the affected guests.’

The airline, however, did not confirm the cause of the sudden illness, but noted that the food onboard would have been prepared in Mauritius.

‘Condor has already initiated an investigation into the case to get to the bottom of the cause and to derive possible measures from it,’ the spokeswoman added.

‘Condor is working closely with all responsible partners and authorities. There is currently no result available.

‘We generally do not participate in speculation about the cause, for example about individual menus on board that were prepared in Mauritius,’ the statement added.