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Senate Mulls Stiffer Sanctions For Oil Thieves

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The Senate is currently considering the enforcement of stiffer penalties against oil theft, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said.

Speaking during the opening of a two-day public hearing on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, Akpabio, represented by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), said the 10th National Assembly will do all within its powers to safeguard the Nigerian economy.

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He said, “We are prepared to strengthen laws, enhance oversight, and ensure that agencies responsible for protecting our oil assets are held accountable.”

The Senate, he said, is considering stiffer penalties for oil theft, with terrorism charges for major offenders and compulsory digital metering and real-time monitoring of oil production and exports.

READ ALSO:VIDEO: Aiyedatiwa Returns To Classroom, Teaches Pupils In Ondo School

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Other measures include greater transparency in crude oil lifting and revenue reporting; enhanced collaboration between the military, police, anti-graft agencies, and international partners to track and intercept stolen crude.

He noted that the fight against oil theft is not solely the responsibility of the government, even as he called on oil companies to invest in modern surveillance technologies and secure pipelines.

This is just as he urged host communities to act as first-line defenders of these assets in the interest of Nigeria and millions of citizens.

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“As I declare this public hearing open, I charge all stakeholders to engage with utmost seriousness. The recommendations from this session must lead to actionable, measurable, and time-bound solutions. Nigeria’s survival depends on it,” he stressed.

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Akpabio warned destroyers of oil assets that their time is up, saying, “To the criminals stealing our crude oil, your time is up. To the agencies tasked with protecting our resources, the nation is watching. The Senate expects nothing less than a robust, no-holds-barred report that will guide decisive legislative and executive actions. It is time to take back what belongs to Nigeria.”

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He expressed displeasure over reports indicating that Nigeria loses between 150,000 and 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily to theft, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue annually.

This theft is not a victimless crime. It directly undermines our economic stability, devalues the Naira, starves critical sectors of funding, and perpetuates poverty in oil-producing communities. Worse still, it finances illegal arms, fuels violence, and emboldens criminal networks that threaten national security,” he added.

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Lagos Suspends BRT Lane Enforcement On Eko Bridge, Odo Iya-Alaro

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The Lagos State Government has temporarily suspended enforcement of the Bus Rapid Transit lane along the Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro corridor to ease growing traffic congestion.

This gridlock is a result of the ongoing structural rehabilitation on the Ogudu-Ifako Bridge expansion joint.

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Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa announced the suspension on Wednesday, describing it as a strategic move to tackle gridlock in affected parts of the city.

This remedial measure, conceived as a palliative response to mitigate commuter hardship, aligns with the Lagos State Government’s forward-thinking and adaptive transportation strategy under the THEMES Plus Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, particularly within the framework of sustainable traffic management and infrastructure modernisation,” Giwa said.

READ ALSO:Lagos Monarch Dethrones Six Chiefs For ‘Impersonating’ Him At Labour Party Campaign

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He explained that the temporary suspension is a transitional and conditional measure aimed at absorbing the anticipated vehicular overflow caused by the partial closure of the Ifako-bound carriageway of the Third Mainland corridor.

We are fully cognizant of the immense strain currently imposed on key ingress routes into the Lagos Mainland. Consequently, this tactical suspension of BRT lane enforcement is a calculated response designed to deliver immediate relief, reduce commuting time, and preserve the fluidity of vehicular movement throughout the duration of the bridge repairs,” he added.

According to him, the directive takes immediate effect and allows general vehicular access to previously restricted BRT corridors on Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro, particularly during peak travel periods.

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He said this move is expected to expand available road capacity and ease traffic along critical routes.

READ ALSO:Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks

Giwa, however, stressed that commercial buses and articulated vehicles must remain in compliance with existing safety rules and loading guidelines to avoid worsening traffic conditions or compromising public safety.

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He also disclosed that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been mobilised to strengthen its presence along the affected corridors.

Enhanced personnel deployment and traffic equipment are now in place to ensure orderly conduct, prevent exploitation of the temporary suspension, and respond promptly to any emergent traffic disturbances,” Giwa stated.

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Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks

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The Lagos State Government has announced the reactivation of its teaching job recruitment portal to allow qualified individuals to apply for entry-level teaching positions.

In a notice issued by the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission on Tuesday, the portal will be open for applications from Tuesday, July 1 to Monday, July 14, 2025.

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The Lagos State Teaching Service Commission is set to reactivate its Recruitment Portal as a bold step towards improving access to employment opportunities, equity, and fairness.

READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa

The job portal, which will be accessible for two weeks (Tuesday, July 1st 2025, to Monday, July 14th, 2025), is intended to provide a centralised platform where individuals can apply for State Teaching jobs at the entry level (GL 08) in their relevant fields,” the notice read.

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The move, according to the Commission, is aimed at improving access to employment opportunities in the education sector while ensuring equity and fairness.

TESCOM urged interested applicants with a degree in Education or other relevant qualifications to visit the official portal https://tescomjobs.lagosstate.gov.ng and apply for teaching roles at Grade Level 08.

The notice was signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission.

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FG Unveils N50m Grant To Boost Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship

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The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced a N50m Student Grant Venture Capital Initiative to support scaling student-led enterprises in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Alausa said the initiative aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by turning homegrown research into commercially viable products and services.

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The minister made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja when he inaugurated the Research and Innovation Commercialisation Committee.

READ ALSO:NSCDC, Immigration, Others: FG Postpones Recruitment, Changes Portal

He said the scheme, which will be anchored by TETFund in partnership with the Bank of India, targets undergraduate students in 300-level and above with viable business models and innovations ready for market expansion.

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According to the minister, the development is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of transitioning Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-driven one.

We have hundreds of thousands of young geniuses across our institutions. This fund is designed to unlock their potential and help them build globally competitive enterprises,” the minister said.

READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa

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On her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the inauguration as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s education and innovation history.

For too long, research in our tertiary institutions has been reduced to tools for promotion rather than solutions for development. This must change,” she said.

In his response, the Committee Chairman, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, described the RICC as “a matter of national urgency”, noting that Nigeria’s research investment as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest when compared to peer nations.

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