News
Flaring: Fear Grips FG Over Modular Refineries
Following investors’ bid to establish modular refineries, the Ministry of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday, expressed fear that the rate of gas flaring in the country will rise.
His Senior Technical Adviser on Investment, Dr. Tim Okon, who represented him in Abuja during the presentation of the report on “New Nigeria Oil &Gas Framework and Policy”, however, vowed that the government will control the operations of the refineries.
His words: “Modular refineries will worsen our flare. We have to use economics of scale. If we have many refineries, they will accentuate problems. So, we will have to control them.”
He announced that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNP) will, next year, call for expression of interest (bids) for marginal fields, which will be opened for companies’ participation.
According to him, prior to the exercise, the marginal field policy would have come into force.
The NNPC, the minister added, will ensure that the Niger Delta gets micro businesses to play in the sector as the government is keen about providing a business-friendly environment.
He revealed that there will be a critical legislation to make gas independent of government subsidy, which has caused significant loss of revenue from the product.
Kachikwu added that, “We want to make sure that gas can economically stand on its own.”
He said that in the new regime, government intervention in the petroleum sector will focus on developing entrepreneurs in the country to discourage “sharing money that distort political discourse and value system.”
The minister said that besides oil, Nigeria was a country with deliverable resources, with an educated and aggressive populace.
Commenting on the economic state of the nation and taking into cognizance its potentials, Kachikwu said “I imagine what Nigeria could become, if we do the right thing.”
He noted that the essence of the seven big wins is to bring out the latent opportunities in the oil and gas system to take a collaborative responsibility to assist those who really want to become players in the field.
The minister said that the sector had been locked down by interest groups for too long positively or negatively, adding however, that time has come to open up the areas that are there.
Kachikwu pointed out that it was now the responsibility of the ministry to assist those that have creative ideas about the industry to “create employment and development.”
The minister recalled that he announced the concept of Project 100 in Houston, which was to identify 100 Nigerians with skills, capacities and enthusiasm for the relevant assistance from government.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.