Oil & Energy
Residents, Traders Protest Indiscriminate Location Of Gas Stations
Residents and traders in Akure took to the streets over the weekend to protest what they called indiscriminate location of gas stations in their neighbourhood.
The protesting residents and traders, mainly from Ireakari and Temidire quarters at the popular Roadblock area of Akure, alleged that petrol dealers attempted to erect two more gas stations near an existing one.
They said that the step could lead to fire incident capable of consuming the entire neighbourhood.
According to one of the protesters, Mr Abayomi Ajijola-Ajofe, a youth leader, the protest was triggered by a midnight inferno, which occurred behind the proposed site of a new gas station, 24 hours ago.
“We are protesting because we don’t want any more gas stations in our area, we have one already and that is okay.
“We fear fire incident that could consume our houses if another one is located here. We are concerned about our safety, the one we have already is okay.
“Therefore, we the youths will take unpleasant actions against the dealers of the proposed gas stations if they continue with the construction. We learnt that one government agency has given them licence or permission to operate, we will not take that. They should withdraw the licence now or else, we will make this area unpleasant for them,” Ajijola-Ajofe said.
The chairman of Temidire landlords, Mr Ibrahim Adeuyi, called on the Ondo State Government and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to withdraw the certificate of allocation of gas stations in the area.
Adeuyi, who noted that a plank market was located behind the proposed gas station, pointed out that locating gas stations in residential areas would be prone to fire incidents.
A trader, Mr Kazeem Jinadu, said residents would resist any attempt by the petrol dealers to induce officials of the DPR or that of the state government to approve such new gas stations at the roadblock axis of the town.
A plank trader among the protesters, Mrs Jumoke Akinsele, said that nobody would be safe again if new gas or filling stations were allowed to be located in the area.
“We, plank sellers here appealed to our baba (father), Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to stop the location of another gas station beside a filling station and a house that was on fire yesterday.
“Most of us are widows, this is where we get money to feed our children and send them to school, we don’t want fire to consume our markets,” she said.
Another plank seller, Mrs Eunice Akeju, who also spoke with journalists, said it was unacceptable to have three gas stations in such an area.
“We discovered recently that another gas station is about to be located around us here, we are protesting against this. We have a gas station, we also have petrol stations there, and that is why we are saying that we don’t want another one here because of our safety,” Akeju said.
The residents said they had written a petition to the state government and the DPR not to allow another gas station in the area.
Meanwhile, one of the victims of fire incident, Mrs Monisola Adewumi, pleaded with the state government to come to her aid as she took loan to set up her business.
Adewumi, who was crying profusely, appealed to well meaning individuals to assist her and other victims of the inferno.
An eyewitness also told newsmen that the fire which started in the night, gutted five rooms and shops with three big deep freezers, four big generators and other electronic appliances worth millions of naira.
The Tide recalls that last week, the Federal Government, through officials of the DPR, in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, started clamping down on illegal “roadside dealers” of cooking gas, originally known as Liquefied Petroleum Gas, to prevent fires.
Researchers in Hong Kong and China have developed a new form of battery that is more eco-friendly and longer lasting than lithium ion batteries – and it runs on tofu brine. The new water battery is still in research phases, but if the technology proves to be scalable enough to hit commercial markets, it could be a game-changer for the energy and tech sectors.
“Compared with current aqueous battery systems … our system delivers exceptional long-term cycling stability and environmental friendliness under neutral conditions,” the research team, composed of scientists from the City University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, Guangdong, said in a paper published this month in Nature Communications.
The researchers found that their battery model can be recharged over 120,000 times. “At over a hundred thousand cycles, this could mean a single water-based battery could last at least a decade or so,” states a recent report on the breakthrough from Interesting Engineering. “For applications like grid storage (solar farms, wind balancing), that’s extremely valuable,” the article went on to say.
This kind of lifespan would represent a drastic improvement over the battery technologies that dominate today’s market. Lithium-ion batteries degrade after between 1,000 and 3,000 charge cycles. This could prove revolutionary, as finding an alternative to lithium-ion batteries to power rechargeable devices is a major priority for Big Tech and the global energy sector.
Moreover, these tofu-brine batteries could prove safer and more environmentally friendly than lithium-ion batteries. According to the study authors, the full cells are environmentally benign and nontoxic and can be directly discarded to environments according to various standards.” Water based (also called aqueous) batteries can also potentially be cheap to produce as they rely on ingredients that are less rare in addition to being less hazardous.
Lithium is environmentally harmful to extract, prone to fires, and its supply chains are geopolitically fraught. Currently, China alone controls half of the global lithium market, and is rapidly increasing its stake. In 2024, more than eight in ten battery cells on the planet were made in China. This means that finding a battery model that can compete with lithium-ion batteries in applications like grid-scale energy storage and electric vehicles would have revolutionary implications for global markets.
Researchers around the world have been racing to develop battery models that could diversify the market and make it more competitive and resilient. These models range widely in size, components, and application, with models currently under development for next-gen sodium-ion batteries, quantum batteries, nuclear batteries, and even sand and dirt batteries.
Of course, the irony is that the leading alternatives to lithium-ion batteries are also being developed in Chinese labs. If this new tofu-brine battery proves scalable and applicable outside of a laboratory environment, it could just be another step toward Beijing’s goal of near-total domination of clean energy technology value chains and status as the world’s first and premiere ‘electro-state.’
China’s extreme advantage in global battery making gives it a major point of leverage in global economies as the world continues to electrify at a rapid pace. It is estimated that European demand for lithium in batteries will reach kilo tonnes (thousands of tonnes) of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent by next year, and North American demand will reach 250 kit LCE. it’s all but certain that the vast majority of that demand will be supplied by China.
Other nations are aware of the risk of this dependency, and are taking pains to protect and promote domestic battery manufacturing, but these efforts may be too little, too late. “For globally competitive battery manufacturing industries to emerge outside of Asia over the next ten years, companies will need to do far more than ensure regulatory compliance,” summarizes a McKinsey & Company report released in January. “Challenges will need to be overcome on multiple fronts spanning supply chains, talent management, operations and technology.”
By: Haley Zaremba
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) says it will spend N100 billion in 2026 to deploy hybrid mini-grids for government agencies within and outside Abuja.
The Managing Directors, REA, Abba Aliyu, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the 2026 budget defence session
The approved funds form part of the National Public Sector Solarisation programme, a component of the agency’s broader N170 billion budget proposal for 2026.
The initiative is designed to improve electricity reliability for public institutions while reducing operational costs and easing pressure on the national grid.
Aliyu explained that the agency’s total proposed budget for 2026 stands at N170 billion, with N100 billion of the amount dedicated specifically to the solarisation initiative targeting government agencies.
He said the hybrid mini-grid systems combine solar power with complementary energy sources to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply.
“The total budget size for 2026 operations is N170 billion, out of which N100 billion had been approved for National Public Sector Solarisation.
Aliyu cited the National Hospital in Abuja as an example where similar infrastructure had been deployed to ensure stable power and cut operational expenses.He added that beyond the Solarisation
Recall that earlier in February 2026, REA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy solar power systems to 15 public institutions across Nigeria.
The project will be implemented under the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), a World Bank-supported initiative aimed at expanding off-grid electricity access across West Africa and the Sahel.
ECOWAS will provide a $700,000 grant to fund the installation of solar photovoltaic systems in selected rural health centres and schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Nasarawa States.
Oil & Energy
PIA: TotalEnergies Transfers OLO Oilfield HCDT Obligation To Aradel ……Says HCDT Enabled Completion of 100 Projects In 2 years
In his remarks, the Community Affairs Manager, Aradel Holdings Plc, Blessyn Okpowo, affirmed the company’s commitment to honouring all PIA obligations and continuing Total Energies’ community engagement approach.“We want to say that in line with the PIA, we will honour commitments and duties required of the settlor and we want to work very smoothly with the way TotalEnergies has worked with them,” he stated.
He recognised the Commission’s role in approving the Community Development Plan (CDP) before project start, underscoring regulatory excellence.The parties noted that between 2023 and 2025, the trust has enabled the completion of more than 100 community projects, spanning water supply, electricity, road infrastructure, education, and healthcare with a further 40 projects currently ongoing.