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Nigeria To Grow Gas Reserves To 600 Trillion Cubic Feet — Minister

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The Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, says the Federal Government is currently working to grow the country’s gas reserve from 206 trillion cubic feet to 600 TCF.

Sylva gave the assurance on Wednesday at the 23rd World Petroleum Congress in Houston, Texas, U.S.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister spoke at a session themed ” Regional Development and Opportunities in Africa”.

He said the increase would position Nigeria among the countries with the highest gas reserves in the world.

According to him, the 600 trillion cubic feet reserve will enable Nigeria to achieve the desired development required of a gas nation.

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“We have a lot of gas in Nigeria. We currently have 206 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.

“This number is already discovered in gas reserves and the 206 trillion cubic feet reserve were discovered while looking for oil; so it was accidentally discovered.

“We were actually going to look for crude oil and we found gas, and in that process of accidental discovery of gas, we have found about 206 tcf.

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“So, the belief is that if we really aim to look for gas dedicatedly, we will find up to 600 trillion cubic feets of gas,” the minister said.

Sylva said that the forum provided an opportunity to share accomplishments and incentives within the industry which enhance Nigeria’s investment value preposition.

He explained that so far, gas was being used as a transition fuel as Nigeria and Africa as a continent do not contribute more than one per cent as carbon emission aggravating the global warming situation.

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He said: “The future of oil and gas industry in Nigeria is still very bright when we talk about energy transition, we are not expected that oil will be discarded the next day.

” We are saying that over the years, oil will account for less and less percentage in the global energy mix.

” It means that oil is still going to be relevant but it will not to be as relevant as it is today, but it not going to happen just now.

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“It’s going to happen years to come, so there is still a lot of opportunities in growing the oil industry.

“That’s why we are here to collaborate with the rest of the global community to develop oil industry.

“We’ve never discountenance that the world is serious about energy transition.”

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He added that Net-Zero target proposed by Mr President Muhammadu Buhari during the COP-26 conference required sustained financial assistance.

He said that technology transfer and capacity building from international partners willing and able to assist in that regard would be welcome.

The minister added that Nigeria still required fossil fuels, especially gas, as its base-pad energy source to address energy poverty and power supply in the country.

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“We have declared gas as our transition fuel, our pathway to net-zero carbon emissions. This presents investment opportunities given the oil and gas reserves which can be commercialised,” he noted.

Sylva said that despite the challenges and impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy in general, and to the oil and gas industry in particular amid global energy transition drive, the Nigeria oil industry still held profound opportunities.

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The minister said that discussion had commenced with Afrexim Bank to create an energy bank which will finance fossil fuel projects in Nigeria and Africa continent.

He said this had become necessary because of the stance of the international financial ecosystem on funding fossil fuel projects.

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Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty In US To $405,000 Romance Scam Against American Women

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A40-year-old Nigerian man, Daniel Chima Inweregbu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as money laundering, in connection with a romance scam that defrauded American women of more than $405,000.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, in a statement on Thursday, said Inweregbu and his co-conspirators ran the scheme between July 2017 and December 2018, using a fake online persona named “Larry Pham” to lure victims on dating sites and social media targeting US citizens.

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Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson said that Inweregbu, described as a citizen of Lagos, Nigeria, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025 before United States District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown to two of the counts pending against him.

The counts which include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and using an assumed name to commit a mail fraud scheme, Attorney Simpson said were in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1342, 1343 and 1349 (Count 1), and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), 1957, and 1956(h) (Count 12). INWEREGBU’s plea stemmed from his role in a lengthy romance scam targeting American citizens.

READ ALSO:My Wife Sleeps In Leggings, Denies Me Sex —Husband

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According to court documents, a “romance scam” was a confidence scheme in which the perpetrator feigned romantic intentions towards a victim, gained their affection, and used the victim’s goodwill to commit fraud.

These fraudulent acts might involve such acts as obtaining access to the victim’s money, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, e-mail accounts, or national identification numbers; convincing the victim to transmit things of value to the perpetrator or his witting or unwitting co-conspirators; or inducing the victim to, unintentionally, commit or participate in the commission of financial fraud against third parties on behalf of the perpetrator,” the statement read.

It added, “Between at least July 1, 2017, and December 16, 2018, Inweregbu, and his co-conspirators, devised and operated a “romance scam” whereby they sought to obtain money and property from multiple American women, including 4 victims, by means of false and fraudulent representations and promises.

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“Specifically, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created profiles on social media and online dating sites using the alias “Larry Pham,” purportedly a middle-aged male, to attract middle-aged female victims.

READ ALSO:US Court Jails Nigerian For Large-scale Hacking, Identify Theft

The co-conspirators, including Inweregbu, used online messaging platforms and email, to contact victims, introduce themselves, and appeal to victims’ longing for companionship. If the victim responded favorably, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators began to cultivate a romantic relationship that emotionally attached the victims to “Larry Pham.”

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“Once the relationship was established, the defendant and his co-conspirators, posing as Larry Pham, requested victims send them money under various scams and ruses to domestic bank accounts they opened and managed. Inweregbu’s scheme resulted in actual and intended losses to the victims of over $405,000.

“Thereafter, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators laundered the funds, by conducting financial transactions using the proceeds of their wire and mail fraud scheme, designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds, by directing the victims’ funds through intermediaries.

READ ALSO:US Court Sentences American To 40 Years For Beheading Gokada Nigeria Founder

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Inweregbu faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a fine of $250,000 as to Count 1. He faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a fine of $500,000 as to Count 12. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count. Sentencing before Judge Brown has been scheduled for December 4, 2025,” the partly read.

Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson, according to the statement praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the great support provided by United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the United States Department of State.

Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution,” the statement noted.

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UK Bars Over 100 Job Roles From Foreign Recruitment To Curb Migration

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The British government has unveiled major immigration reforms, blocking foreign workers from filling more than 100 job categories in a move aimed at reducing net migration.

The Home Office, in a statement posted on X Saturday morning, said the decision was geared towards creating more opportunities for local citizens while restructuring the visa regime.

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“Cutting net migration means getting the fundamentals right.

READ ALSO:US Envoy, Minister Address Visa Policy Changes, Urge Compliance

More than 100 occupations are no longer eligible for overseas recruitment – opening up more jobs for British workers. A fairer, skills-focused system is now taking shape,” the Home Office stated.

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This policy marks the latest immigration clampdown under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who assumed office on July 5, 2024, after Labour’s sweeping election win that ended Rishi Sunak’s tenure.

However, the measure has drawn criticism, with opponents warning it could deepen staffing shortages in critical sectors such as healthcare and social services.

The Home Office has not yet published the full list of restricted occupations.

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PM Killed In Israeli Strike, Say Yemen’s Huthis

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The prime minister of Yemen’s Huthis was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with other officials earlier this week, the Iran-backed rebels announced on Saturday.

Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, is the most senior official known to have been killed in a series of Israeli strikes during the war in Gaza.

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We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi… along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy,” a Huthi statement said.

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Others among their companions were injured with moderate to serious wounds and are receiving medical care since Thursday afternoon,” it added.

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The Israeli military struck in the area of Sanaa, the Huthi-held capital, on Thursday. The Huthis, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians, have frequently fired missiles and drones at Israel during the Gaza war.

READ ALSO:How Imo Monarch, Cop Suspected Killers Were Arrested — Police

Israeli forces “struck a Huthi terrorist regime military target”, the Israeli military said at the time.

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The Huthis have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which they claim is linked to Israel during the Gaza war.

The rebel group controls large parts of Yemen, which has been gripped by war since 2014, and is part of Iran’s anti-Israel alliance alongside militant groups across much of the Middle East.

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