Business

Reps Want Experts To Destroy Illegal Refineries

Published

8 years ago

November 3, 2017

The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated its joint committees to interface with relevant security agencies in the destruction of illegal refineries.
The committees are Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream), Environment, Habitat, Army, Navy, Interior, Niger Delta and Legislative Compliance.
The committees and security agencies would ensure that officials of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were involved in the process of destroying illegal refineries and boats laden with petroleum products in the country.
This followed a motion by Rep. Owoidighe Ekpoattai (Akwa/Ibom-PDP) on the “need for security agencies to involve experts in the destruction of illegal refineries and boats laden with petroleum products to prevent environmental degradation.”
Moving the motion, Ekpoattai said the process would guarantee retrieval of stolen crude oil, avoid spillage, either on land or water as well as minimise economic losses and avoid pollution and degradation of the environment.
She explained that the increase in illegal oil refineries in the creeks of the Niger Delta had become alarming.
The lawmaker said that the development had also added a new twist to the economic and security challenges confronting the nation.
Ekpoattai explained that the quest to acquire crude oil illegally by non-professionals was devastating the environment, destroying wild and aquatic lives as well as stunting the economic development of the nation.
According to her, this has resulted in an estimated loss of 10.9 billion dollars between 2009 and 2011.
“Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that the State shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air, land, forest and wildlife of Nigeria.
”While Section 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, Cap E12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 also provides for restriction on public or private projects without prior consideration of their impact or effects on the environment,’’ she said.
She emphasised that in a bid to curb the menace of illegal refineries, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy had collectively destroyed at least 280 illegal refineries.
The lawmaker added that they had collectively destroyed barges loaded with petroleum products and secured the conviction of 40 perpetrators out of the 118 arrests made in the last one year in the Niger Delta region.
Ekpoattai expressed concern that in spite of the commendable efforts of the various security agencies to curb the menace of illegal refineries, the methods adopted in the destruction of those refineries endangered the environment of the region.
She said it also had negative effect on the general health and well-being of the people because of wastes emanating from the destroyed refineries and barges washed into the creeks and the ocean.
According to her, failure by security agents to involve experts in carrying out the destruction of the refineries poses environmental hazards just as the existence and operation of those illegal refineries themselves.
Supporting the motion, Rep. Henry Ofongo (Bayelsa-PDP) said that soldiers, who were not experts in engineering, environmental or petroleum issues destroying the illegal refineries were causing more harm and damage to the affected areas.
He said that such operations should be strictly carried out by professionals and not any other individual or groups.
Also in her contribution, Rep. Joan Mrakpor (Delta-PDP) noted that the motion was timely since the military carried out its operations every other day, it was good to take precautionary measures now to avoid causing other hazards to the people in the oil region.
The Deputy speaker, Mr Yussuff Lasun in his contribution called for the engagement of those running legal refineries in the Niger Delta in the process.
He said that this would enable them come out with better ways of making use of the refineries instead of destroying them.
The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara.
The Tide source recalls that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had recently said that the Federal Government would establish modular refineries in the region to check illegal oil refineries.
In spite of the pronouncement, the refineries are yet to take off.

Business

Agency Gives Insight Into Its Inspection, Monitoring Operations

Published

14 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

The Director, South South Zone National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacist Chujwuma P.Oligbu has said its thorough implementation of its core mandate of monitoring has no link with witch-hunting or fault finding as perceived at some quarters.

Oligbu, made this known when he spoke as as guest at the maiden Rivers state Supermarkets stakeholders’ Seminar/Workshop in Port Harcourt recently.

Rather, he said they were mere opportunities for education, correction and continuous improvement.

The Agency’s South South Boss, noted that Supermarket operators who maintain transparent records, cooperate during inspections, and promptly address identified gaps demonstrate professionalism and commitment to public health standard.

He listed the deserving essence of supermarket operation to include the key aspects of supermarket operation that deserves emphasis is product sourcing.

“Supermarkets must ensure that all regulated products stocked on their shelves are duly registered with NAFDAC and sourced from legitimate manufacturers or distributors”, he said .

According to him, the presence of unregistered, expired, counterfeit, or improper labelled products undermines consumer confidence and poses serious health risks.

He pointed out that such has the likelihood of exposeing supermarket operators to legal sanctions that could damage their reputation and financial stability.

The NAFDAC Operator, further enlightened the participants that mere registration of a particular product with the Federal agency do not guarantee absolute consumption safety.

“Temperature control, cleanliness, pest control, stock rotation, and proper shelving are not optional practice; they are essential components of compliance”, he said.

The South South zonal director also told the operators of supermarket that their employees rotine training on the basis of the product they display for sale is of utmost importance.

In her presentation a Breast Milk Nutrition Expert , Professor Alice Nte of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), was against the body’s prime attention to breast milk substitute or baby milk in supermarkets as well as its advertisement or promotion.

Nye jerked up the importance of mothers breast milk to the newborn baby and added that it help in fighting against childhood diseases, infections and combating cancer in breastfeeding mothers.

Meanwhile, NAFDAC Deputy Director, South – South Zone , Mrs. Riter Chujwuma educated the participants on the guidelines for global listing, and the need to adhere strictly to rules guiding global listing to avoid confiscation of their imported products.

By: King Onunwor

Business

BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS

Published

15 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.

In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.

According to the data, more than 4.3 million new BVNs were issued within the one-year period, underscoring the growing adoption of biometric identification as a prerequisite for accessing financial services in Nigeria.

NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.

Analysts linked the growth largely to regulatory measures by the CBN, particularly the directive to restrict or freeze bank accounts without both a BVN and National Identification Number (NIN), which took effect from April 2024.

The policy compelled many customers to regularise their biometric records to retain access to banking services.

Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.

The programme has been widely regarded as a milestone in integrating the diaspora into Nigeria’s formal financial system.

A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.

However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.

The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.

Business

AFAN Unveils Plans To Boost Food Production In 2026

Published

4 days ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The leadership of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has set the tone for the new year with a renewed focus on food security, unity and long-term growth of the agricultural sector.

The association announced that its General Assembly of Farmers Congress will take place from January 15 to 17, 2026 at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries, along Lugbe Airport Road, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The gathering is expected to bring together farmers, policymakers, investors and development partners to shape a fresh direction for Nigerian agriculture.

In a New Year address to members and stakeholders, AFAN president, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, said the congress would provide a strategic forum for reviewing past challenges and outlining practical solutions for the future.

He explained that the event would serve as a rallying point for innovation, collaboration and economic renewal within the sector.

Mudi commended farmers across the country for their determination and hard work, despite years of insecurity, climate-related pressures and economic uncertainty.

According to him, their resilience has kept food production alive and positioned agriculture as a stabilising force in the national economy.

He noted that AFAN intends to build on this strength by resetting agribusiness operations to improve productivity and sustainability.

The AFAN leader appealed to government institutions, private investors and development organisations to deepen their engagement with the association.

He stressed the need for collective action to confront persistent issues such as insecurity in farming communities, climate impacts and market instability.

He also urged members to put aside internal disputes and personal interests, encouraging cooperation and shared responsibility in pursuit of national development.

Mudi outlined key priorities that include increasing food output, expanding support for farmers at the grassroots and strengthening local manufacturing through partnerships with both domestic and international investors adding that reducing dependence on imports remains critical to protecting the economy and creating jobs.

He stated that the upcoming congress will feature the launch of AFAN’s twenty-five-year agricultural mechanisation roadmap, alongside the announcement of new partnerships designed to accelerate growth across the value chain.

Participants, he said wi also have opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange aimed at transforming agriculture into a more competitive and technology-driven sector.

As part of its modernisation drive, AFAN is further encouraging members nationwide to enrol for the newly introduced Digital ID Card.

Mudi said the initiative will improve transparency, ensure proper farmer identification and make it easier to access support programmes and services.

Reaffirming the association’s long-term goal, he said the vision of national food sufficiency by 2030 remains achievable if unity and collaboration are sustained.

He expressed optimism that with collective effort, Nigeria’s agricultural sector can overcome its challenges and deliver a more secure and prosperous future.

Lady Usendi