Nigeria: NNPC- Four refineries now produces 6.79 million litres of petrol per day.

Abuja — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday said four of its refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri are now producing over 6.76 million litres of petrol per day.

It explained in a statement from its Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe, that the production ratios from the plants indicated that the Port Harcourt refinery which was re-streamed a week earlier was now producing about 4.09 million litres of petrol; the Kaduna Refinery which also recently came back on stream was producing about 1.29 million litres and Warri which it said came up last Sunday was posting a yield of about 1.38 million litres to make up the total daily production of 6.76 million litres.

The four refineries were built to collectively refine 445,000 barrels of crude oil daily but had consistently come short of that for years. Alegbe, however, said daily production from the refineries is projected to increase to over 10 million litres per day by the end of January. He noted that the volumes of petrol produced from the refineries which are currently operating at an appreciable percentage of their nameplate capacities will help stabilise the fuel supply and distribution situation in the country.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources who doubles as the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had in December 2015, stated that he was more concerned about getting the refineries back to an appreciable production level. Kachikwu expressed optimism that the refineries would gradually come up to produce up to 10 million litres of petrol per day, thus cutting the country's petrol importation by that volume.

"My concentration right now is to make sure that the refineries are working, the more they work, the higher the chances that I will be closer to the sort of pricing we are comfortable with than when they are not working, that is why you see me putting a lot of energies in going around the refineries.

"Kaduna is doing about 1.5 million litres, hopefully, it will be getting into two million very quickly once the FCC is working; Port Harcourt, when it comes back with a combination of VDU and the FCC, we will probably be looking at about five million litres. Ideally, we want to get to about 10 million capacity out of the about 40 million that we say is the national consumption per day, that is the trend," he said then.

The minister also added: "If all things were equal, I think the maximum cap for Kaduna will be in the two to three million range; Port Harcourt will probably be five and six million and Warri if it comes up, will be another three or four million, so, Warri, is projected to come back between early and mid January and I will say that by the end of January, if all things were working and we do not have any other complications arising from these aging plants, we will expect to see 10 million litres."

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday disclosed that an inter-ministerial committee would soon be established to speed up the re-organisation and reformation of the NNPC.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said Buhari spoke yesterday at a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Jin-Yong Cai, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Adesina in a statement said the reformation of the NNPC had become inevitable in view of the corruption and abuse of its present structure in the recent past.

He said the president also cited Nigeria's current need to maximise income from every source of revenue as further imperative for reforming the NNPC.

$2.1bn Arms Deal: Olisa Metuh Spends First Night in EFCC Cell

up by the operatives of the anti-graft agency and it is likely he will still spend more time there.

PDP Spokesperson, Chief Olisa Metuh

 

Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson, Chief Olisa Metuh has spent his first night in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's cell after he was picked up by the operatives of the agency yesterday in Abuja to answer questions on how the sum of N1.4 billion left the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser into a company, Destra,  linked to him.

 

Metuh had earlier in a hurried news conference, hinted that the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, had given him a job to do and that he successfully completed the said job, but failed to disclose what the job was, how much he was paid for and when.

 

The revelation by Metuh, according to EFCC officials, prompted the agency to beam its searchlight on cash payments from the ONSA, leading to the discovery that he was one of the major beneficiaries of slush funds, now a subject of investigation and prosecution by the Federal Government.

 

Vanguard revealed that out of the $2.1 billion arms funds, N400 million was transferred from ONSA to the company on November 24, 2014 which previously had a balance of N6, 676,576.06 only before the major transfer from the ONSA.

 

A top source in the EFCC said that Metuh was also receiving a monthly pay of N4 million from ONSA.

 

A top EFCC source said Metuh was likely to spend the night with them given the weight of financial transactions in ONSA traced to him and his company.

 

The source said: “We arrested Chief Metuh this morning (yesterday) and as we speak he is still being questioned and it is not likely that he will be released today.

 

“We want to finish the interrogation of Metuh at once, so that we can decide whether to charge him to court or let him to go,” the source said.

 

Metuh, has, however slammed his arrest by the EFCC, claiming that he was being persecuted.

 

“I have not done anything unlawful. Whatever I have done in pursuance of my office, I can defend it anywhere, any time,”he said. 

Suicide Bomber Strikes in Borno Again, Kills Five Returnee IDPs, Injures Many

According to reports, a suicide bomber struck Gwoza town in Borno State killing at least five Internally Displaced Persons and injuring several others.

Victim of the blast

 

Security sources and witnesses have said that at least five persons were killed on Monday, January 4 and many others in the reclaimed Gwoza town in Borno State after a suicide bomber sneaked into a resettling members of a recently displaced community.

 

Gwoza is about 123km southwest of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

 

Izge community under Gwoza Local area has been one of the deadliest strongholds of the Boko Haram insurgents until military moved in to reclaimed the place recently.

 

Yusuf DanIzge, whose relatives still live in the community, said he received a call from them that the border community near Cameroonian was attacked by a suicide bomber.

 

He said: “The bomber whom they described as a man moved into a crowded area of Izge where some of our people are now putting up under makeshift pavilions and detonated himself. Five persons were killed including the bomber and many people, amomg whom were also children were seriously injured”.

 

A top government official who confirmed the incident but pleaded anonymity, said a government delegation that was set to take relief items to the people of Gwoza are trapped inside the town, but had to put off the trip for fear of attack.

Davido Lands in Hospital After Baby Mama Drama

Pop superstar, Davido has been admitted in hospital following the highly publicized drama that trailed his baby mama saga.

Davido

 

The media in the past few days has been awash with the Davido baby mama saga involving Dele Momodu and his cousin Sophie Momodu.

 

It seems like the turbulent periods he experienced have taken a toll on the 'Aye' crooner as he has landed in the hospital.

The 23-year-old music star revealed on Twitter, that he was just leaving the hospital, after treatments on Tuesday afternoon.

Davido further added that he is heading to the studio to remix Humble Smiths’ smasing hit single, “ Osinachi”

 

He said: “The Lord is my strength … About to be discharged from the hospital From here to the studio BOUTTA kill this osinachi remix! @humblesmiths.”

Read Rafa Benitez' Touching Statement After Being Fired by Real Madrid

Spanish handler and former Real Madrid Coach, Rafa Benitez has released a statement following his sack from the Spanish Club.

Rafa Benitez

 

Following his dismissal as Real Madrid Manager just after seven months at the helm of affairs and three losses, Rafa Benitez has released a statement.

 

In a statement released on his website, the 55-year-old Madrid native thanked those at Real Madrid for allowing him to work at the club and wished his successor Zinedine Zidane luck for the future.

 

Read the statement after the cut...

 

"Now, at the end of my time as first team coach of Real Madrid, I would like to use this article to say goodbye to everyone at every level of the club. I want everyone at the club from the board of directors, executives, workers and all of the fans, know that it has been an honour and privilege to be in charge at this club where I grew up as a person, player and coach from the lowest categories through to the first team.

 

"As a Madridista from Madrid, steeped in the traditions and values of this institution, which I learned in the old sports city of Castellana, it has been an honour to work for these colours. I would especially like to thank everyone at the new sports city and the Santiago Bernabéu who since my first steps through the door have supported me and made my work easier. Thanks to all for helping.

 

"With all that I have said still in mind, I would like to wish good luck to Zinedine Zidane, my successor, and his staff. To all the players, coaches and staff in both Valdebebas and Bernabéu, I wish all the best and also good luck.

 

"With all my respect and thanks... HALA MADRID and NOTHING ELSE. "

Man Dies Few Hours After His Marriage to a Beautiful Bride in Kano (Photos)

A young man who newly got married has passed away under highly dramatic and unexpected conditions.

Mallam Muhammad Hamma Yakasai and his bride

 

According to a social media user, Farouk Bakinzuwo who shared the photos, Mallam Muhammad Hamma Yakasai passed away after his wedding fatiha on January 3, 2016.

 

His wedding took place at 10am and he passed away same day around 6pm.

 

Mallam Muhammad Hamma Yakasai

 

Other details regarding the circumstances leading to his death are still sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

$2.1bn Arms Probe: EFCC Detains Top Foreign Businessman Implicated in the Arms Deal Saga

The $2.1 billion arms deal saga has caught another bait, as a top foreign businessman has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for his involvement in the scandal.

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a German businessman in connection with the ongoing investigation into the $2.1bn arms procured under the Goodluck Jonathan administration and training of security personnel outside the country.

 

A top operative of the EFCC, who confided in our correspondent on Tuesday, said the German was arrested because investigation linked him to millions of funds meant for security and arms procurement under the immediate-past administration.

 

The EFCC operative said the German was arrested on Monday last week in Abuja to make clarifications on his role in the arms importation saga and other related issues. He is still being detained by the commission as of the time of filing this report by 4pm on Tuesday.

 

It was learnt that he was picked up a week after a serving colonel of the Nigerian Army, who served as the Military Assistant to the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), was invited for questioning in relation to the arms deal.

 

Operatives investigating the involvement of the German were said to have traced his financial transactions to Belarus, a former Soviet republic, which featured prominently as a theatre of training and related security events during the campaign against Boko Haram under Jonathan.

 

The source added, “There is this foreigner that is being detained by the EFCC over the arms deal controversy. He has spent over a week in the cell. He was picked up on December 28, 2015 and has been in detention since then.

“He is being detained because he was involved in some of the security deals with the military officer, who is being detained as a result of the same arms issue.

“They paid him a huge sum in dollars but he is believed to have spent a fraction of the money on the training (of troops); so, they are grilling him on how to get the remaining amount from him.”

 

The EFCC had opened investigation into the training of Nigerian Special Forces in the Eastern European country in November, 2015. The EFCC task force, constituted to investigate arms procurement under the Jonathan administration is probing how millions of dollars meant for the training of the 750 Special Forces in Belarus and other countries in Eastern Europe were spent.

 

The operatives are of the opinion that huge amount of funds released for the training contract were not spent on the project. It was gathered that the former NSA and the top hierarchy of the nation’s security structure came up with a policy to train an elite force, comprising well-trained operatives from the various security forces, to combat the Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.

 

The beneficiaries, drawn from the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Police and the Department of State Services, received training in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, handling of different calibre of firearms and grenades among others.

 

The beneficiaries, who left the country in September, 2014, and arrived in the country in December, 2014, were immediately deployed in various operational fronts in the North East. Attempts to get the EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, did not succeed as calls to his mobile telephone did not connect as of the time of sending this report.