Crime Facts

Nigeria’s oil production rises to 1.42m bpd — first since March 2021

  Nigeria’s oil production increased to 1,426,574 barrels per day in January 2024. The country’s drilling performance was published in the latest crude oil and condensate production data of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The figure represents the highest production level since March 2021 when output was 1,428,613 bpd. According to the NUPRC data, output rose by 91,476 bpd in Januay 2024 — a 6.85 percent increase compared to the production figure of 1,335,098 bpd in December 2023. With the addition of condensate, the commission said, Nigeria’s oil production rose to 1.64 million bpd in January 2024 — from 1.55 million bpd in December 2023. Condensate is a mixture of light liquid hydrocarbons, similar to a light (high API) crude oil. It is usually separated from a natural gas stream at the point of production (field separation) when the temperature and pressure of the gas are dropped to atmospheric conditions. As the country’s latest oil production improved significantly, it also edged towards the 1.5 million bpd output quota set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). However, it is below the daily oil production benchmark of 1.78 million barrels in Nigeria’s 2024 budget. Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state petroleum resources (oil), had said Nigeria will achieve the 2024 crude oil production benchmark. As a government, he said the ministry is willing to sustain engagements with the stakeholders to achieve the feat.

Union Protests Ban On Sachet Alcohol In Abuja, Gives NAFDAC 14 Days

  Members of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has given the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) 14 days to reverse its ban on sachet alcohol. The association, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), issued the threat during a protest at the NAFDAC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday. Members of the association threatened to increase protests across the Agency’s offices nationwide if nothing is done about it. The National President of the association, Jimoh Oyibo, led the protest and submitted a letter containing the demands of the union. According to Oyibo, the ban hurts the union, as most of its members work in the distilling and blending companies. On February 1, NAFDAC started the enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets, and glass bottles of 200ml and below. NAFDAC boss Mojisola Adeyeye, said as of January 31, 2024, no such beverages were registered with the NAFDAC.

Average nurse earns N135,000 monthly, says Registrar, Nursing council

  The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Faruk Abubakar, on Tuesday, said an average nurse in the country earns not less than N135,000 monthly. Abubakar said this while speaking on the controversy surrounding the nurses’ certificate verification on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Morning Brief. Nurses under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives staged the protest at the NMCN’s offices in Abuja and Lagos, respectively to express their displeasure over what they described as an attempt to hinder their freedom to pursue career opportunities, asking the council to address nurses’ welfare, salary scale, shortage of staff, and other rights. NMCN, in its revised guidelines, stated that applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising license. THE ROUND TABLE: RISING COST OF LIVING AND IMPACTS ON NIGERIANS0.00 / 0.00 The NMCN is the only legal, administrative, corporate, and statutory body charged with performing specific functions on behalf of the Federal Government to ensure the delivery of safe and effective Nursing and Midwifery care to the public through quality education and best practices. The council is mandated by law to regulate the standards of Nursing and Midwifery education and practice in Nigeria and to review such standards from time to time to meet the changing health needs of the society. Speaking on the TV programme, Abubakar said the council is not responsible for the remuneration of nurses in the country, but the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NANNM are working towards improving the welfare of the nurses. “The issue of remuneration is not within the NMCN, it is the responsibility of the honourable minister of the ministry of health, and I want to make this clear to you, a few weeks ago, NANNM paid a courtesy visit to the honourable minister, and he has constituted a committee where all issues raised by the national association (will be addressed), including the welfare that you are talking about. “An average nurse that is engaged receives not less than N135,000, it depends on where they are working. Some of them receive up to N200,000. It depends on where they are working, whether at the national, state, or local government. I think this is the brief I can tell you. “I have to say that the FMoH is doing a lot and a committee is now being put by the FMoH to look at all the cases raised by the association on behalf of the nurses all over the country. I believe that will address the issue of welfare and the issue of remuneration they are talking about. “It is not the council’s responsibility to determine the remuneration of any nurse, the remuneration is also determined by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which is the body responsible for determining that nationwide and nurses inclusive.”

Over 42,000 Nurses Left Nigeria In 3 Years – FG

  Faruk Abubakar, Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, has said that over 42,000 nurses left the country in the past three years. Abubakar expressed worry about the trend, emphasizing the crucial role nurses play in the healthcare sector. The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) had on Monday held a protest against the new certificate verification guidelines released by the Council. The new guidelines, among others, require Nigerian nurses and midwives seeking verification of certificate(s) to foreign nursing boards or councils to have two years post-qualification experience. Discussing the development, on Channels TV on Tuesday, Abubakar said, “Let me make it clear today, in the last three years over 42,000 nurses left this country and the country need them.” “Government policies especially the present Renew Hope Agenda, a lot of policies are coming onboard, the Federal Ministry of Health came up with so many policies where Nigerian healthcare system will be improved. “Now if we allow every Nigerian to leave as they are graduates, who are going to handle our healthcare services? Who are going to provide these services? We are Nigerians and it is our responsibility to these services. “So we are not against anybody travelling but Nigerians must be served and must be provided with these quality healthcare since we are producing the quality and best nurses that are working anywhere in the world. Last year alone over 15,000 left, the number is increasing year by year,” he added. However, Abubakar gave assurances that the Federal Ministry of Health is actively working to address the nurses’ concerns. “I want to assure you the agency that is responsible for improving their welfare, the Federal Ministry of Health, is doing a lot to ensure the welfare they are talking about; better salary, better payment of allowances and better working environment. “The minister of health is working hard to ensure very conducive working environment with provisions of equipment and instruments that will help them to provide quality care for Nigerians,” he said.

Bandits Kill Four Including Policemen In Zamfara, Abduct 40 Others

  Suspected terrorists abducted an unspecified number of traders travelling along the Kaduna- Birnin Gwari Road A graphical illustration of gunmen. Bandits have killed two policemen, and two other residents and abducted about forty persons in an attack on Kasuwa-Daji Town under the Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area in Zamfara State. Residents said the bandits invaded the town early hours of Tuesday and started shooting indiscriminately to scare residents. A resident of Kaura-Namoda town Abubakar Kaura told Channels Television that the bandits entered the town with sophisticated weapons including anti-aircraft gun He said the bandits attacked the home of the former State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Hamisu Kasuwar-Daji and abducted one of his wives and grandchildren According to him, the house of the former NURTW chief is close to a police station in the town, the bandits attacked the station, disarmed the policemen on duty, and killed two. Another resident of Kasuwa-Daji who pleaded anonymity for security reasons said the bandits also killed two residents of the town during the attack He confirmed that about forty persons were abducted during their house-to-house raid “Two residents were also killed, not only policemen. As of now, about forty persons have been whisked away by the bandits,” he said. Although the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command Yazid Abubakar confirmed the attack to Channels Television on the phone, he did not indicate the number of persons abducted. “Yes, there was an attack in Kasuwar-Daji early hours of today,” he said. “We are yet to confirm the number of the residents abducted but the Commissioner of Police has deployed additional troops to restore normalcy in the town.” Zamfara state is one of several in the region plagued by criminals known as bandits who raid and loot villages, kill residents and burn houses to the ground. The gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years

China Asks Israel To Stop Military Operation In Rafah ‘As Soon As Possible’

  China urged Israel on Tuesday to stop its military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah “as soon as possible”, warning of a “serious humanitarian disaster” there if fighting did not stop. “China follows closely the developments in the Rafah area, opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement. Beijing urged Israel to “to stop its military operation as soon as possible, (and) make every effort to avoid innocent civilian casualties, in order to prevent a more serious humanitarian disaster in the Rafah area”. Israel is facing growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas as it prepares for an incursion into Rafah, the southern Gaza border city where more than a million displaced Palestinians are trapped. Israel conducted a predawn raid in Rafah on Monday that freed two hostages and killed around 100 people, after rejecting Hamas’s terms for a truce last week. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the overnight operation as “perfect”, while the Palestinian foreign ministry said the deaths of dozens of Gazans amounted to a “massacre”. The rare rescue mission under heavy air strikes came hours after Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden, who reiterated his opposition to a major assault on Rafah. The United Nations has also warned Israel against carrying out a ground offensive into Rafah without a plan to protect civilians, who say they have nowhere left to go. AFP

Russia Declares Estonian PM Kaja Kallas ‘Wanted’

  Russia declared Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as “wanted” on criminal charges Tuesday in an unprecedented step against its Baltic neighbours. It was not immediately clear why Kallas, who has led Estonia since 2021, was listed as “wanted”. Relations between Moscow and EU member Estonia, which is home to a sizeable Russian minority, have remained tense since the end of the Cold War. Russia has frequently chided Estonia for removing Soviet-era war monuments, which Tallinn sees as unwelcome symbols of its occupation under the USSR. The Russian interior ministry’s database of wanted people showed Kallas as “wanted under the Criminal Code” without naming the charges, accompanied by a picture of the leader. There was no immediate reaction from Estonia. Earlier in February, Moscow summoned diplomats from its three Baltic neighbours after accusing them of trying to “sabotage” next month’s Russian presidential election. AFP

Mobile internet suspended in Senegal

  Mobile internet access in Senegal was suspended on Tuesday for the second time this month, the communications ministry said, after authorities banned a march against the delay to February’s presidential election. President Macky Sall’s decision to push back the February 25 vote until December plunged Senegal into a crisis which has seen three dead amid clashes between protesters and security forces. “Due to the dissemination on social networks of several subversive hate messages that have already provoked violent demonstrations… mobile data is suspended this Tuesday 13 February,” the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Energy said in a statement.   Access to mobile data had already been temporarily restricted eight days ago when parliament backed Sall’s decision to postpone the election. This decision was severely criticised by rights activists and Senegal’s major international partners, including the United States and the European Union. Access was restored again on Wednesday. The move to cut mobile internet was a repeat of a move last June, where Senegal’s government restricted access amid high tensions in the country. The measure has become a common response to curb mobilisation and communication via social networks, strongly condemned by rights activists.

Rep proposes bill to create three new states in south-west

  Oluwole Oke, a member of the house of representatives, is proposing a bill to create three new states in the south-west geopolitical zone. Oke, who represents Obokun/Oriade federal constituency of Osun state, chairs the house committee on judiciary. The bill proposes to amend the first schedule, part I of the constitution to create three new states — Oke-Ogun, Ijebu, and Ife-Ijesa states. The draft bill proposes that Oke-Ogun state, with Iseyin as its proposed capital city, will comprise 12 LGAs. According to the bill shared with TheCable by Oke, Ijebu state, upon creation, will consist of nine LGAs with Ijebu Ode as its capital, while Ife Ijesa state is set to be composed of 11 LGAs, with Ile-Ife as its capital city. The bill, addressed to the clerk of the house of representatives and dated February 6, is expected to be listed for first reading. If the bill scales through and is passed into law, the south-west will have the highest numbers of states among the six geopolitical zones. Nigeria currently has 36 states created during the military era. LEGISLATIVE HURDLES The national assembly is currently amending the 1999 constitution. In January, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said work on the amendment of the 1999 constitution would be completed in December 2025. Requirements for state creation and boundary adjustments are among the most challenging provisions in a constitutional amendment process. Section 8 (1) of the constitution stipulates that a new state can only be created if it is supported by at “least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely — “(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives. (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area”. “(iii) And the local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly; (b) a proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the State originated; “(c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the States of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly. “(d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.” No state has been created since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule.

We won’t go back to ECOWAS – Niger

  The head of military junta in Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has vowed that none of the three Sahel countries would rejoin the regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Gen. Tchiani made the vow in an interview he granted to RTN news channel in capital Niamey Monday. Daily Trust reports that the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger January 28, announced their immediate withdrawal from the West African bloc ECOWAS. The leaders of the three Sahel nations issued a statement, saying it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the Economic Community of West African States “without delay”. He said, “Just because we are members of the bloc, food and medicine supply was cut off. Power was also cut off and our own funds have been freezed. So, we consulted our friends in the Sahel on exiting the bloc to better the life of our citizens. That we should withdraw from the bloc that is answerable to the foreign countries. So, we have withdrawn our membership from the bloc and would never return to the union.” Responding on the consequences of its withdrawal on security, trade and socio-economic activities, he said, “Now the world is a global village and is the world within ECOWAS? So, God will feed every human He created.   “We would never release Bazoum. Setting Bazoum free is akin to stabbing ourselves in the stomach which would do harm to Nigeriens,” he added.