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Total Energies Visits NCDMB Pledges Commitment

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Hopes of new projects that would revitalize the Nigerian oil and gas industry and grow local content appear close to realization as the Managing Director and Country Chair of TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria Limited, Mr.

Matthieu Bouyer reconfirmed the company would take the final investment decision (FID) on the Ubeta gas project in 2024, while some other big projects would follow shortly.

The Managing Director made the announcement on Thursday when he led senior officials of the company to visit the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr.

Felix Omatsola Ogbe at the Board’s Abuja liaison office.

The purpose of the visit was to congratulate the Executive Secretary on his appointment and reassure him of Total Energies’ commitment to continue developing oil and gas projects that would deliver value for the country, deepen Nigerian Content, and yield returns to the company’s shareholders.

Mr. Bouyer affirmed that the company has an outstanding track record in Nigeria and has developed key oil and gas projects in the last 10 years. Some of the projects, he explained, were in deepwater as well as shallow water and they created Nigerian Content records, such as the fabrication of six modules of the Egina’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel in Nigeria.

The MD also confirmed that the company was determined to unlock new projects in Nigeria and solicited the continued cooperation of the NCDMB for accelerated Nigerian Content reviews and approvals.

He noted that the Ubeta project, which is located at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 58 is an onshore project and is designed to contribute gas to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant and meet other domestic gas supply needs. 

According to Bouyer, other projects on the horizon include the Preowei deepwater project. The proposed project lies in (OML) 130, north of Egina field, with water depth of around 5,904 feet. He assured that the company would engage closely with the NCDMB to achieve speedy development of the project, increased crude oil production for the country and revenue.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary assured the TotalEnergies E&P team that the Board would fast-track the approvals needed by the company to deliver speedily on its oil and gas projects.

While referring to the Service Level Agreement (SLA) instituted by the Board with industry’s key stakeholders for shortening the contracting cycle, the NCDMB helmsman promised that the Board would strive to improve the turnaround time for its approvals on projects.

He further conveyed the commitment of the NCDMB to create an enabling environment that would attract investments and new projects into the sector, thereby creating employment opportunities for youths and addressing insecurity in the polity, in line with President Bola Tinubu Administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He charged the company to comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, assuring that the Board would support all bankable oil and gas projects and grant accelerated approvals once they meet the specified Nigerian Content regulations. 

Speaking further, the Executive Secretary proposed the constitution of a technical working group (TWG) with representatives of NCDMB and TotalEnergies E&P.

He recommended that the TWG could meet quarterly to proactively address pertinent issues that relate to the company’s projects and the Board’s expected roles.

Another issue discussed at the meeting included the commitment of TotalEnergies E&P to aggregate the Human Capacity Development (HCD) Fund on its projects and use it for strategic HCD initiatives as stipulated under the Guideline for Nigerian Content Human Capital Development Implementation Strategy, introduced by the NCDMB in June 2020.

The ongoing reconciliation of Total Energies E&P’s remittance of the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) was also deliberated upon.

Earlier on Thursday, the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) led by the Managing Director/ Vice-Chairman, Mr. Fabrizio Bolonoi visited the Board’s liaison office.

The purpose of the visit was to congratulate the Executive Secretary on his appointment and convey the company’s willingness to support his leadership and develop new oil and gas projects in Nigeria.

In his response, the Executive Secretary conveyed the Board’s readiness to support operating oil and gas companies to develop their projects expeditiously. He hinted that the country was desirous of new oil and gas projects and all hands were on deck to realize the objective, which are critical to President Tinubu administration’s economic agenda.

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Police Detain Woman for Alleged Killing of Co-wife in Bauchi

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The police command in Bauchi State, said it has apprehended a housewife over alleged killing of her co-wife following a domestic violence incident in Bauchi metropolis.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesman of the command, SP Nafiu Habib, on Monday in Bauchi.

He said that the command detained the suspect (name withheld) on Sept.

27 for alleged culpable homicide following a domestic incident at Tafawa Balewa Housing Estate in Bauchi.

Habib said that on Sept. 27, at about 4:05 p.m., the Police C-Division, Bauchi, received credible information that there was a domestic incident between two wives residing in the same household belonging to their husband.

He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the 33-year-old suspect, who is the second wife, allegedly acting under hallucinations, struck the first wife with pestle on the forehead, and the victim fell unconscious.

“Upon receipt of the report, detectives attached to C-Division immediately mobilised to the scene.

 “The scene was documented, and the victim was rushed to the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, where she was certified dead by a medical doctor. The corpse has been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy,” he said.

Habib said that the police recovered the pestle used in committing the offence.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, as directing the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation and prosecution.

Aliyu condoled with the bereaved family and cautioned against domestic violence.

The CP also advised husbands to seek timely medical and psycho-social support for members of their families exhibiting mental health challenges. (NAN)

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FRSC Deploys 170 Ambulances Nationwide for Emergency Rescue

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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has deployed more than 170 ambulances across the country as part of efforts to strengthen emergency response and rescue operations on Nigerian roads.

The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Osondu Ohaeri, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, while responding to questions on the operational capacity of the corps emergency ambulance network and its response to Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs).

Ohaeri said the FRSC had the largest number of ambulances among emergency response agencies in Nigeria, with more than 170 ambulances and 60 Zebra points across the country.

He said the figure should however not be interpreted as the number of ambulances currently operational or serviceable as of September 2026.

According to him, an accurate current figure of serviceable ambulances will require the latest fleet-status report from the corps medical and rescue office.

He explained that the figures demonstrated the scale of the corps emergency response network, while the availability of individual ambulances was managed operationally based on their location, condition and assignment.

On the adequacy of the ambulances for emergency rescue, he said the corps continued to maintain and deploy its assets as part of its emergency response responsibilities, stressing that the status of individual vehicles could vary depending on their operational condition and assignment.

The CPEO said the corps was also focused on improving its emergency response capacity, particularly by strengthening rescue deployment and collaboration with other relevant agencies.

He also said that the corps had historically recorded an average response time of about 15 minutes under its documented emergency-response programme.

He cautioned against presenting the figure as the current nationwide average without updated operational data.

According to him, response time varies depending on several factors including the location of a crash, traffic congestion, distance from the nearest ambulance point and accessibility of the crash scene.

He added that the accuracy and timeliness of information provided by callers could also affect the speed with which rescue teams reached crash scenes.

Other factors he said include the possibility of emergency teams responding to other incidents simultaneously.

Ohaeri stressed that the corps had identified faster response to road traffic crashes and other emergencies as one of its management priorities in 2026.

He said efforts were therefore ongoing to strengthen rescue deployment and inter-agency collaboration to improve emergency response to road crashes.

He added that the FRSC remained committed to improving emergency rescue operations, strengthening the deployment of its resources and working with relevant stakeholders to ensure better outcomes for road crash victims.

He reiterated that complaints concerning emergency response, evacuation, treatment of victims or other forms of alleged misconduct should be channeled through the appropriate authorities for investigation and necessary action.

The CPEO further assured that the corps would continue to strengthen its emergency response mechanisms as part of broader efforts to reduce the consequences of road traffic crashes and improve the safety of road users nationwide.(NAN)

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NBA Decries Rising Insecurity in Plateau, Urges Urgent Action

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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has decried the spate of security challenges currently confronting Plateau and other parts of Nigeria.

The Chairman of Jos Branch of the association, Morgan Dung, said this during a joint news conference on Monday in Jos.

Dung spoke on behalf of the Jos, Bukuru and Pankshin branches of the association.

The chairman particularly decried the recent attacks and killings in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos, Bassa, Wase and Kanam Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Dung, who described the continuous killings of innocent residents as “unfortunate and unacceptable”, called on the Federal Government and the security agencies to tackle the menace.

“The protection of lives and property remain the most fundamental responsibility of government as contained in section 33 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

“NBA frowns at the inability of the government to prevent the continuous loss of lives and property in Plateau and beyond.

“We particularly condemn the recent killing of members of community vigilantes at their duty posts in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos and Bassa LGAs

“We call on the government and security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book. This menace must also stop,”he said.

Dung, however, commended president Bola Tinubu over his recent visit to Plateau and the move to establish State Police in the country.

He further called on the government to sponsor an executive bill to fully domicile security issues under the concurrent legislative list.

Dung urged the government to properly and adequately equip security agencies, strengthen border surveillance and secure all forests serving as hideouts for bandits and other criminal elements.

The chairman also commended Gov. Caleb Mutfwang for revamping Operation Rainbow, a state-owned security outfit and training of 2,000 personnel of the neighbourhoods watch.

He, however, called for the licensing of Operation Rainbow to operate with kinetic facilities, implement the anti-land grabbing law and provide structures for police division and forward operation bases in the state.

Dung advised security agencies to deploy more personnel and equipment to flashpoints in the state, insisting that such a move would ensure prompt response to threats.

The chairman, who called on the judiciary to ensure timely dispensation of terrorism cases, advised governors to sign death warrants of convicted terrorists to serve as a deterrent to others.

He pledged NBA’s readiness to promote access to justice, document evidence of atrocities and pursue public interest litigation to ensure accountability (NAN)

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