Business
Reps Want Experts To Destroy Illegal Refineries
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.
In a concerted effort to tackle racketeering and reduce inflated transportation costs in the Nigeria’s seaports, Trucks Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) has trained Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders on the use of its Ètò electronic call-up system.
The training was held recently at Customs Processing Centre (CPC) Auditorium, Apapa, Lagos, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and supported by the leadership of the Joint Association of Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders (JALCAFF), Apapa Command.
Speaking at the event, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu expressed appreciation to TTP for facilitating the training and emphasized the need for customs agents to take personal ownership of the Ètò booking process.
“I want to thank TTP for this impactful training. I encourage all customs agents to begin doing their own bookings directly. By doing so, they can take back power from the unscrupulous elements exploiting their lack of knowledge, selling tickets at highly inflated prices,” Olomu declared.
He noted that empowering agents with hands-on training was key to dismantling racketeering networks that have plagued access to the ports and frustrated efficient logistics processes.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, said the engagement was critical to the ongoing push to reduce cargo transportation costs and ease business operations at the Apapa Port.
According to a freight forwarder, “The training is basically for us to have awareness of the operations of the Ètò call-up system through TTP. We also want to brainstorm on ways to reduce the high cost of cargo transportation in Apapa Port.
“This training opened our eyes to how simple it is to book tickets ourselves. We now know the right steps to follow and how to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.”
Earlier, Head of Operations at TTP, Mr. Irabor Akonoman, talked on common misconceptions about ticket pricing, reaffirming that the cost of Ètò bookings had remained consistent since its inception.
“The official price remains the same since inception. What people are paying higher amounts for is the manipulation by racketeers”.
Towards strengthening small businesses and promoting a more supportive regulatory environment, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says it will hold the 2025 edition of its flagship MSMEs Fair on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).
The event, themed, “Galvanising MSMEs for Economic Growth and Stability”, will take place at NECA House in Lagos.
According to NECA’s Director-General, Mr Adewale Smatt Oyerinde, the fair seeks to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises with essential tools, resources, and strategic networks to thrive in Nigeria’s challenging business climate.
He emphasised the vital role MSMEs play in national development, describing them as the “lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy.”
Oyerinde noted that the fair is designed to offer entrepreneurs practical solutions to navigate economic uncertainties, regulatory hurdles, and business scalability issues.
A major attraction of this year’s event is the keynote address by the CEO of FATE Foundation, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, a prominent advocate for MSME development.
She is expected to share transformative insights on innovative strategies for sustaining and growing small businesses in Nigeria.
A unique feature of the fair will be interactive sessions with key regulatory bodies. Entrepreneurs will engage directly with agencies responsible for licensing, compliance, taxation, and business registration.
NECA said these sessions aim to demystify bureaucratic processes and foster a more enabling business environment.
It also said the fair will provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services, connect with potential investors, and explore new markets.
It added that participants would gain critical knowledge on digital transformation, access to finance, and strategies for sustainable business growth.
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· NECA stressed that the fair aligns with its broader mission of promoting enterprise development and economic resilience.
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· “By empowering MSMEs with the right support and information, the organisation aims to stimulate job creation, innovation, and long-term economic stability”, NECA said.
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· The 2025 MSMEs Fair is expected to attract a wide range of stakeholders, including financiers, tech experts, regulators, and industry leaders, all united in advancing the growth of Nigeria’s MSME sector.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says over two million passengers have been transported on the Blue Line Rail since its launch, while state-run buses move an average of 42,000 commuters daily.
Osiyemi, who disclosed this during the Year 2025 Ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on Tuesday, noted that the Lagos State Transport Policy, launched in May 2024, was now in its implementation phase, focusing on inclusivity, safety, affordability, and sustainability.
“On rail development, Phase One of the Blue Line (Marina to Mile 2) has served over two million passengers, with Phase Two (Mile 2 to Okokomaiko) in progress.
“Phase One of the Red Line (Agbado to Oyingbo) is now operational with eight stations and additional rolling stocks procured, while Phase two (Oyingbo to link Blue Line at National Theatre) is underway”, he said.
The Commissioner said in the state-owned bus operations, over 60 million commuters have been served since 2019, with daily ridership exceeding 40,000.
He also said plans were on to deploy new buses with Quality Bus Corridors under construction, adding that the Abule=Egba Bus Terminal had also been commissioned.
“For water transport, 15 locally-built Omibus Ferries have been launched and are in operation, with the Ijegun Egba Terminal now open.
“The OMI EKO project, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), will deliver 25 terminals and 78 electric ferries.
“Over 280,000 passengers have used ferry services in the past year, and 12 boats have been upgraded to meet safety standards”, he said.
On road infrastructure and traffic management, the Commissioner said 49 junction improvement projects had been completed, including ongoing ones at Ikorodu, Iju, as well as Allen-Opebi-Toyin axis.
He added that solar-powered Traffic Signal Lights, road markings covering 67.9km, new medians, laybys, and 3,941 parking lots had also been provided.
Additionally, Osiyemi announced that the deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras had detected over 470,000 traffic violations and that the Vehicle Inspection Service issued over one million roadworthiness certificates.
He also said that the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute trained more than 32,000 drivers in the past 13 months.
The event marked the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term, showcasing major strides in the transport sector under the THEMES+ agenda.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos