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CORRUPTION: How govt officials facilitated $1.2bn crude oil, gas theft – Source

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Security sources have disclosed that the real looting of Nigeria’s crude oil and its by-products is neither through illegal bunkering, refining nor pipeline vandalism, but via highly placed government officials-enabled undocumented shipments of large scale hydro-carbon products worth over $1.2 billion to Europe and the Americas.

The sources noted that while all eyes are on the fight against illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism, top government officials of agencies expected to perform supervisory and due diligence roles in the sale and shipment of the nation’s vast hydrocarbon resources are trading away the resources to cartels and reaping the benefits into private pockets.

The sources said Europe and the Americas were favourite destinations because the products, which are sold at giveaway prices, are paid for without delay.

Noting that the looting of the nation’s commonwealth has been going on for years, the sources said that the Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas were being shipped out of the country in millions of metric tonnes without records and documentation.

Some of the destination countries where these hydro-carbons are shipped to with the knowledge and protection of top government officials, according to the sources, include Mexico, Brazil, United States and Argentina.

Incidentally, the source said, the NLNG whose duty it is to supervise the operations of such shipments, is a joint venture organisation of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with 49% shareholding; Shell Gas B.V., 25.6%; Total Energies Gaz & Electricité Holdings, 15%, and Eni International N.A. N.V. S.àr.l with 10.4%.

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The transatlantic looting route

A source noted that NLNG has a total production capacity of 22mtpa of LNG and five million tons per annum of Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) from its 6-train plant complex and boasts of 16 long-term Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with 10 buyers and controls about 6 per cent of global LNG trade.

The source said, “In five years, from 2009 to 2013, over $1 billion worth of hydrocarbon products were exported using backdoors from Nigeria to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

Emphasizing that the illegal exportation is still ongoing with the backing of top officials of government, the source gave a breakdown of some of the under-the-table transactions, mentioning specific vessels’ names and their IMO numbers.

Escobar Port, Bahia and Blanca Port are the usual destinations of the products in Argentina.

“The total value of the products shipped to Argentina in 2013 by three vessels was $52.1 million. 354,018 metric tonnes of hydrocarbon products estimated at over $177 million were illegally exported to Brazil without trace and documentation.”

The transaction to cartels in Brazil showed that “one of the vessels shipped 62,608 metric tonnes of hydrocarbon products valued at $31.3 million; another shipped 60,000 metric tonnes of product valued at $30 million; while a third shipped 55,000 metric tonnes of hydrocarbon products valued at $27.5 million.

“Two other vessels shipped over 120,000 metric tonnes worth more than $60 million Brazil ports.

“A total of 354,018 metric tonnes of hydrocarbon products valued at $177 million was shipped to Brazil.

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“Over $34 million worth of hydrocarbon products were illegally exported to the USA in six trips using six different vessels for transportation.”

Cove Port, Lake Charles Port and Sabine Pass Port are some of the popular US ports.

One of the destinations with the highest quantity of backdoor export, according to the source, is Mexico.

“Nigeria LNG products worth $981.5 million were exported to Mexico in 33 trips using different vessels to wade away any form of suspicion.

“Officials supervised the exportation of the products to Mexico with no official paperwork prepared for the export.

“Of the 28 seaports in Mexico, the vessels used for exporting products from Nigeria all docked Altamira ports.”

The source revealed that in total, over $1.2 billion worth of hydrocarbon products have been illegally exported through back and covered channels from Nigeria to Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and USA in the last five years. (Vanguard)

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Gunmen kill ASP, Inspector in Enugu

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Gunmen yet to be identified have allegedly killed two police officers in Enugu State in an ambush.

The officers were killed when the hoodlums ambushed a mobile police patrol team Wednesday evening.

The incident happened at about 7:30 pm along the Udi-Ozalla Road as the Operation Restore Peace Enugu team was on routine patrol.

The victims were identified as Danjuma Joseph, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Inspector Abu Elamaje.

The source hinted that they were rushed to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku-Ozalla for treatment but were confirmed dead by doctors on duty.

Another officer, Inspector Udeme Udomeng, who sustained bullet wounds, was treated and discharged.

Daily Sun quoted a source in the command as saying that “MINE and other command tactical teams reinforced at the area of incident on cordon and search operation for possible arrest of suspects. Further development shall be communicated.”

It is unclear whether the policemen were killed by the kidnappers who have been on rampage in different parts of the State or another set of hoodlums.

The Advocate reports that about eight security operatives were ambushed and killed in Imo State last weekend.

Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Enugu State Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe on the development was unsuccessful by press time as he did not answer the calls.

A text message sent to him has also not been replied as of the time of filing this report.

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BREAKING: Tribunal dismisses Edeoga, LP’s petition, affirms Mbah’s election as Enugu Governor

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Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah

…Edeoga’s petition lacks merit

The Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu has upheld the election of Dr. Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the March 18 election in the state.

Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) had approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration on the grounds that Mbah wasn’t qualified to stand for the election.

He alleged that he forged his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC certificate and cases of over-voting in Udenu, Nkanu East and Enugu East local government areas.

The Tribunal chaired by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano dismissed all grounds of petition saying his petition lacked merit.

The panel held that NYSC isn’t a requirement for contesting for the office of the Governor and there’s no where that the NYSC Certificate was attached to the documents Mbah submitted to INEC by the respondent.

On the issue of forging NYSC Certificate, the panel discountenanced all the evidences by the DSS, NYSC official and others because they weren’t in compliance with paragraph 4, sub-section 5D of the evidence act.

Only the witness of the pw26 which was described as a hearsay by the panel and those not help the petitioners and therefore resolved the issue of Certificate Forgery in favour of Mbah.

On the issue of wrong computation of results of the Labour Party in Udenu local government, the panel said they petitioners failed to prove his case and the witnesses they called gave the same report from different polling units and wards and wondered why their testimonies are the same even from different locations.

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The panel also said that the witnesses presented by the Labour Party weren’t duly accredited agents by INEC and makes their testimony invalid.

The panel based on the witnesses from the right agents in 3 polling units, deducted 51 votes from PDP and added same to Labour Party.

The tribunal held that the deduction isn’t enough to Overturn the election of Mbah.

In Amagu polling unit in Nkanu East the panel cancelled the votes for all parties because the witness pw10 proved he was there and the right person.

In the remaining 11 polling units, the tribunal held that the witnesses didn’t sign the result sheet and their witnesses is discountenanced because they can’t prove they were party agents

After resolving all the matter, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

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Greener Tomorrow: Transcorp Champions Environmental Project Promoting Waste Management and Recycling in Local Schools

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Transnational Corporation Plc (“Transcorp”), Nigeria’s largest listed diversified conglomerate renowned for its investments in the Power, Hospitality and Energy sectors, has embarked on a groundbreaking environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.

On Wednesday, September 20th, the group launched an initiative aimed at sensitising schools across the country on proper waste management and recycling, fostering a greener and more sustainable future for Nigeria.

Employees from various Transcorp Companies in Nigeria; Transcorp Plc, Transcorp Hotels Plc, Transcorp Power Limited, Transafam Power Limited, and Transcorp Energy Limited passionately participated in the project. The dedicated staff members visited two schools each across the different states they operate in, engaging with students and educators to raise awareness about the importance of responsible waste disposal and the advantages of recycling.

The project is aligned with Transcorp’s Africapitalism philosophy, which is embedded in its vision to power positive change within the environment the group operates. In executing this environmental initiative, the Group has chosen to work through the leaders of tomorrow, by partnering with secondary schools, to instill a sense of environmental responsibility among the young generation, inspiring them to become champions of sustainable practices.

During the engaging sessions representatives effectively communicated the significance of proper waste management techniques and the positive impact recycling can have on the environment. Students were educated on various waste segregation methods and the significance of reducing, reusing, and recycling materials to minimise their ecological footprint.

To reinforce the importance of recycling, Transcorp Group partnered with Recycle Points, one of Nigeria’s foremost waste recycling and social benefit company and an alumnus of the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Transcorp also donated segmented dustbins to each school, designed to facilitate and streamline the recycling process. These specialised dustbins will empower the students and staff to segregate different types of waste effectively, encouraging a culture of recycling within the school premises. They have also collaborated with a strategic partner who will ensure that the recyclables are collected, and proceeds used to train out-of-school children.

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Speaking at the occasion, President/GCEO of Transcorp Group, Dr. Owen Omogiafo OON expressed immense pride in the Group’s commitment to environmental stewardship. She stated, “At Transcorp, being the Africapalists that we are, we firmly believe that sustainable development is a shared responsibility. Actively engaging with local schools and investing in educational initiatives, allows us to create a lasting positive impact on our environment and inspire the younger generation to adopt eco-friendly practices.”

In his closing remarks, the representative of the School Principals, on behalf of Lagos State Government, Permanent Secretary, teachers and other staff, expressed his appreciation for this initiative. He encouraged students to imbibe the culture of environmental consciousness and the habit of recycling.

Transcorp’s dedication to sustainability extends beyond this project, as it continues to explore innovative solutions for reducing its own environmental footprint. Earlier in the year, the Group Chairman Mr. Tony O. Elumelu CFR planted trees at Transcorp Hilton Abuja to commemorate World Environment Day. Combining the resources and expertise of its subsidiaries in the Power, Hospitality, and Energy sectors, Transcorp seeks to lead by example and inspire other organisations to embrace environmentally responsible practices.

Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group) is a publicly quoted Conglomerate, with a diversified shareholder base of approximately 300,000. Its portfolio comprises strategic investments in the power, hospitality, and oil and gas sectors. Its businesses include Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Transcorp Hotels Calabar, Aura by Transcorp Hotels, Transcorp Power, Transafam Power, and Transcorp Energy.

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