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NNPCL To Hand Over Port Harcourt Refinery To Private Operators

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As the Port Harcourt oil Refinery comes to life, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has concluded plans to hand over the government refinery to private operators.

The NNPCL said it is seeking to engage reputable and credible operations and maintenance companies to operate and maintain the Port Harcourt Refining Company.

This, it said, was “to ensure reliability and sustainability towards meeting the nation’s fuel supply and energy security obligations.”

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In a publication on its website on Monday, the NNPCL said the contract scope shall cover refinery business processes like long-term and short-term production/operations planning; production and operations execution; monitoring, reporting, and optimisation of operations; maintenance execution; health and safety; environmental management; minor projects and others.

READ ALSO: Port Harcourt Refinery Begins Operations – FG

NNPCL requested that interested companies must demonstrate “a minimum average annual Turnover of at least $2 billion USD for the financial years ending: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.”

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The NNPCL had commenced the supply of crude oil to the Port Harcourt refinery to test-run it.

On December 21, 2023, the Federal Government announced the mechanical completion of  work on the Area-5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State.

READ ALSO: Five Things To Know About Port Harcourt Refinery

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It said the first phase of the plant had been completed, as the facility would start refining 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily after the Christmas break.

The Port Harcourt Refinery, situated in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, has been in operation since 1965. The Alesa Eleme refinery complex is situated in Rivers State, Nigeria, approximately 25 kilometres east of Port Harcourt.

In March 2021, the Nigerian government approved a GBP 1.08 billion ($1.5 billion) budget for the renovation and modernisation of the refinery complex.

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Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

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A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

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READ ALSO:Indian National Arraigned In Lagos Over Alleged N22m Supermarket Fraud

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

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The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts Indian Lady With 72 Parcels Of Heroin ON n Chocolate Wraps

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

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Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

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Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

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The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

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READ ALSO:Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

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Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

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US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

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The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

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READ ALSO:US Restricts Entry Routes For Travellers From DRC, Uganda, South Sudan Over Ebola Outbreak

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

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Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

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