News
Reps To Investigate NNPC’s $2.26bn Debt
Published
10 months agoon
By
Editor
The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives on Monday, constituted two sub-committees to ascertain the state of indebtedness of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other players in the oil and gas industry to the Federation Account.
The committees are also expected to analyse the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s Remitta records.
The two sub-committees are to be chaired by Jeremiah Umaru, and Olusola Fatoba, from Nasarawa and Ekiti States respectively.
PAC made the decision over the issue raised in the Auditor-General 2021 report on the consolidated financial Statement against the NUPRC.
The report raised three queries against the commission.
READ ALSO: Dangote Refinery In Court Seeking Annulment Of Import Licences To NNPCL, Others
The issues include, “Outstanding royalties due from NNPC-COMF MCA/PSC totalling $253,952,693.07, unjustified deductions from joint venture royalty by NNPC before remitting to Department of Petroleum Resources (now NUPRC) totalling $204,853,744,047.39.
“Outstanding royalties on oil, gas, concession rentals and gas flared payable by operators to Federation Account totalling $2,260,448,992.45 and N48,216,163,192.67, among other.”
The Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe while responding to the issue of outstanding royalties, said the outstanding revenue due from NNPCL as of Dec31, 2021 has been paid to the tune of $224.3m, leaving a balance of $29.6m still outstanding.
“NUPRC has sent a series of demand notices to the NNPCL to clear the outstanding debt and even reported them to the Honourable Minister of Finance to intervene but to no avail.
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“The NUPRC has a revenue collection strategy which includes sanctions and invocation of fine and penalty sections of PIA 2021,” he stated.
While explaining the limitations of the NUPRC in applying necessary sanctions against the NNPCL and other licensees in the oil and gas sector, the NUPRC Managing Director said the agency was aware of the volatility of the industry as well as Nigeria’s economic dependence on oil revenue to avoid negative impact.
He, however, assured the committee that the agency will always operate within the law and uphold the best corporate governance policies.
Members of the committee demanded proof from the NUPRC that the various sums of monies alleged by the Auditor General of the Federation as uncollected revenue from the NNPCL and major oil and gas operators have been recovered since the end of the 2021 financial year.
READ ALSO: Stop Importing Fuel, We Have enough, Dangote Tells NNPCL, Oil Marketers
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, assured all parties involved in the hearings of fairness and openness in considering all queries by the Auditor General as well as other issues before it.
Salam said as a committee that sits in an investigative capacity, it would not pronounce anyone guilty without providing ample opportunity for defence through an open hearing.
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News
Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X
Published
16 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.
The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.
“Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.
READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X
Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.
“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”
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Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.
“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.
In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.
News
Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead
Published
16 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.
Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.
Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.
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“A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.
“Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”
Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.
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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.
Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.
This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.
Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.
News
Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management
Published
19 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.
Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.
Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”
But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”
READ ALSO:Edo Govt Denies Shares As Ownership Tussle Rocks Ossiomo Power
He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.
According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”
“The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.
“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”
READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down
Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.
“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”
He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”
He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”
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