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Nigerian Content Key to Meeting Renewed Hope Agenda –Lokpobiri

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has identified the effective implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010 as one of the key levers for actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.


The minister made the remarks during his tour of NCDMB facilities and projects in Bayelsa State.

He said the key mandates of the NCDMB, which are the promotion of in-country value addition in the oil and gas industry, incentivizing local manufacturing in the oil industry, development of human and material capacities and job creation, are major pathways for meeting the key aspirations of the current administration.


He hailed the Executive Secretary and the management of the Board for a sterling performance, highlighting the creation of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) as one of the Board’s most impactful initiatives.
Lokpobiri noted that lack of access to affordable finance is one of the biggest challenges facing emerging players in the oil and gas sector, hinting that the NCI Fund which is administered by the Bank of Industry (BOI) will assist qualified oil and gas companies to access the capital they need to grow, build capacities, and create jobs.
Commenting after he toured the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) at Emeyal 1, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the Minister described the park project as a game changer in the nation’s drive to catalyze in-country manufacturing in the oil and gas and linkage sectors and job creation.
He promised that the Federal Government would support the NCDMB in every possible way to achieve its core mandates.
According to him, “Mr. President will do whatever he can to ensure that we achieve a lot more than had been achieved in the past from Nigerian Content. We are happy that Nigerian Content has made very strategic investments geared towards creating jobs.

“We need to redouble the achievements of the Board. We hope that NCDMB will help Nigerians to play a lot more prominent role in the oil and gas industry,” the minister said.
Referencing the ongoing plans by some international oil companies to divest from onshore and shallow waters and move to deep and ultra-offshore operations, Lokpobiri pointed out that indigenous companies have been able to step in and fill the openings courtesy of the systematic empowerment by the Board over the years.
“Nigerian companies are doing very well today, courtesy of the capacity-building strategies that were institutionalized by the NCDMB in the past years,” he asserted.

Lokpobiri extolled the Board for constructing and maintaining the iconic 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower and the 1000-capacity NCDMB Conference Hall.

He indicated that the aesthetics and ambiance of the facilities surpassed most locations across the world and called for the sustenance of the culture.
Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, gave the Minister a brief history of the Board, successive stages undergone, the strengths and accomplishments of the Board to date.

On the NoGaPS project, the Executive Secretary mentioned that the Emeyal- 1 Park would be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024.

He attributed the slight delay in the execution schedule to the devastating flooding that hit several states in the second and third quarters of 2022.
Giving further updates on the project, Wabote announced that several manufacturing firms and other vendors had expressed interest in operating at the parks. He said the Board is currently screening the applicants to select serious firms for the Bayelsa and Cross River parks.
As part of the facility tour, the Minister and his entourage inspected the NCDMB Fire Station, Creche, the three-star NCDMB Conference Hotel under construction, the Nigeria Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) facility at Emeyal-1, the NCDMB gas power plant at Elebele, and the NCDMB Gas Hub at Polaku.  

NEWS

Road Accident Claims Four Persons in Kogi 

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From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has confirmed the death of four persons in a motor accident which occurred on Sunday on Lokoja –Ajaokuta road in Kogi State.

The Kogi State Sector Commander of FRSC, Tenimu Etuku, who disclosed this to journalists in Lokoja on Monday, said seven other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident.

He said the accident which involved an 18-seater Toyota commercial bus occurred at Jimgbe Community on Ajaokuta – Lokoja road, Ajaokuta Local Government.

Etuku said the injured victims of the accident were rescued by FRSC personnel, who also took them to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital for treatment while corpses of the dead four persons were deposited at the St.

Morgue of the same hospital.

Giving further details, Etuku said the 18-seater bus with Abuja registration number ABC 232 XA was heading to Abuja from Enugu before the sad incident.

The Sector Commander explained that the driver in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming truck rammed into a faulty stationary truck.

Etuku described the incident as very unfortunate, urging motorists to always be mindful of the motoring environment, which may be free but not safe.

“This is because there is a big difference between a free motoring environment and a safe motoring environment.

“Therefore, drivers must always be alert while driving on the highways,” he advised.

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NEWS

Tinubu Happy with PAP’s Scholarship Scheme, Says Otuaro

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has said that President Bola Tinubu is happy with the significant achievements recorded by the agency in the Niger Delta in about two years.

He spoke at the flag-off of the fourth batch of the two-day “Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Mediation Training for PAP Stakeholders” organised by the agency in collaboration with the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, on Monday.

The PAP had in July and August 2025 successfully conducted a similar capacity-building workshop for three batches of its stakeholders at the same military facility.

Otuaro, who said the President is delighted with the agency’s expanded scholarship scheme, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and peacebuilding process in the Niger Delta, urged stakeholders to maintain their position as key players in the region’s peace and development.

According to him, Tinubu is supportive of the programme because of his strong desire for the region to enjoy sustainable peace, stability and development.

He reiterated that the workshop is a vital component of the PAP’s peace process with all stakeholders as important partners in the peace initiative.

He stressed that the participants are not only partners for peace, but also the President’s peace ambassadors.

The PAP boss also applauded the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his strategic support to strengthen the programme’s initiatives and enable it to achieve the intended objectives for the people of the region.

While declaring the workshop open, Otuaro said, “His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu is very happy with what we have achieved so far in one year and nine months. As stakeholders, you should continue to be key players in the peace and development of the Niger Delta, which His Excellency has been very supportive of and desirous of.

“The objective behind this training is to ensure that all of us are partners in every peace effort in the Niger Delta. This initiative is also to give you a sense of belonging.

“When we organised this workshop in July and August this year, we assured stakeholders that more people would also participate in the training. We don’t want to do the PAP’s work alone. It is a process of putting our heads together to ensure that the region is peaceful and united. When we are united, Mr. President will do more for the region.

“We must also realise that peace starts from our communities; you all are leaders in your own rights. I know and acknowledge the support that the Office has received since we came on board. This leadership workshop is part of our peacebuilding process and is designed to ensure that peace is sustained in our region.

“Since we came on board, we have redirected the Programme towards our people and for the next generation. We have achieved a lot. This 2025-2026 academic session, we have sent 4,500 students, our future leaders, on scholarships to universities within Nigeria. We are doing this to invest in the future of our region.”

Otuaro said that his leadership would not be distracted by the smear campaign of some anti-Niger Delta elements who were angry that the programme had been taken to the people of the region, saying “nobody will hold the region to ransom.”

He further urged stakeholders not to be manipulated by political merchants, but to massively support President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid because of his clear agenda for the region.

Otuaro enjoined the stakeholders to participate actively in the workshop and utilise the lessons they would gain to strengthen peace and development in their communities and the Niger Delta in general.

He also expressed appreciation to the management of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, resource persons, and the President of AANDEC, Rear Admiral Ndidi Agholor (retd.), for partnering with the PAP to deepen the peace process in the region.

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CRIME

Enugu Police Bust Armed Robbery Operation, Arrest Suspect, Recover Arms

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From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has sustained its onslaught against criminal activities during the Yuletide season with the arrest of a male armed robbery suspect and the recovery of an imitation firearm and ammunition.

The suspect, one Oshim Lambert Chimuanya (male, aged 28), was arrested on 13th December 2025 at about 11:30 p.

m.
while attempting to rob members of the public around Agric Bank Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu, following a prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the Command attached to the Independence Layout Police Division.

In a statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State command  Daniel Ndukwe stated that Upon arrival at the scene, the operatives apprehended the suspect in the act of robbing an unsuspecting young man and recovered from him one revolver imitation (toy) pistol loaded with eight toy bullets.

The suspect is currently in custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has charged operatives of the Command to sustain the momentum and continue to make Enugu State uninhabitable for unrepentant criminals during the festive season and beyond. He further enjoins citizens to continue to cooperate with the Police by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and detection.

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