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Sunday, December 19, 2021

NUPRC attributes P’Harcourt fuel scarcity to diversion

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has blamed some retail outlet owners for the fuel scarcity being experienced in some parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

It said it has therefore sealed three petrol stations in the metropolis over alleged diversion of products.

The commission, formerly known as the Department of Petroleum Resources, said the three stations were sealed during a surveillance operation by its officials.

The commission’s Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, Goddy Ine, disclosed this on Sunday while addressing journalists after the exercise.


Ine warned against diversion of products thereby causing artificial scarcity, saying his men are always on the alert to track those indulging in such illegal activities.

He said, “It was obvious from the panic buying in some parts of the state that some of the petroleum dealers are diverting the product they have lifted from the depots.

“My men are always on the alert when we conduct such surveillance. We discovered that the stations where those products were meant to be taken to had no products.



“So, where have they taken the products to?”

Ine vowed that the commission will go after retail outlets in rural areas that sell products at unapproved prices.

“There is no disparity of pump prices anywhere in the state. Government has also not approved any increase in pump price. So, the difference could be whether you are dealing with a major company or you are dealing with an independent company, where the prices could range from N162 to N168 and thereabouts.

“Nobody is allowed to sell above the acceptable price limit. Of course, you know that we are going to name them and shame them also,” he stated.

Friday, December 17, 2021

JUST IN: Canada lifts travel ban on Nigeria, nine others




Canada on Friday lifted the travel ban on Nigeria and nine other African countries.

The other nations whose travel ban had been lifted were Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Ottawa had on December 1 extended the travel ban to Nigeria, Egypt and Malawi amid worries over the spread of the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron.

This followed the detection of cases of Omicron in two people who had travelled to Nigeria.


The Canadian Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos who announced the development at a news conference on Friday, however, said the lifting of the travel ban would take effect from 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

The country also reintroduced testing and warned that the Omicron variant was rapidly overwhelming hospitals.

Duclos said: “The restriction had been announced last month to slow the arrival of Omicron in Canada and buy us some time

“But with Omicron now spreading within Canada it is no longer needed.

“Pre-arrival negative PCR tests for all travelers would also be reinstated as of December 21.



Nigerian govt ministries can’t account for N324 billion – Audit Report



Federal ministries, departments and agencies failed to account for N323.5 billion in 2019, with many offices violating rules on payments, remittances and tax, the government’s latest audit report has said.

The dubious spending included unapproved allowances, unretired advances, irregular award of contract, payment for services not executed and payments without voucher.

Most of the violations were observed across 27 MDAs with at least four of them recording cross-cutting issues from non-compliance and internal control weaknesses issues, the audit report, the latest from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, said.

The largest chunk of the expenditure was N132.5 billion used in paying unapproved allowances to staff in 20 MDAs, the report said. The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc spent the highest amount of over N97 billion, while the National Commission for Colleges of Education, Abuja, spent N2 million, the least.

According to the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the authors of the report, the spending violated Paragraph 415 of the Financial Regulations that states, “The Federal Government requires all officers responsible for expenditure to exercise due economy. Money must not be spent merely because it has been voted.”

The second biggest waste noted by the audit report was N127.1 billion, being internally-generated revenues and other funds not remitted to the government by 15 MDAs.

Under government laws and regulations, all federal agencies that are fully funded from the treasury are mandated to remit 100 per cent of their internally generated revenue to the government’s central account. A circular in 2011 requires all federal agencies to limit their utilization of internally generated revenue to not more than 75 per cent of the gross revenue while the balance of not less than 25 per cent should be remitted to the government purse.

Of the N127.1 billion unremitted money, Nigeria Customs Service had the highest amount of N125 billion, while Anambra-lmo River Basin Development Authority, Owerri had the least amount of N5 million.

Also, nine MDAs spent N49.5 billion on unbudgeted items, with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development having the highest amount of N48 billion, while the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Abuja, recorded the least amount: N1 million.

Ten MDAs misspent over another N18.2 billion. The agric ministry again took the lead here with N11 billion.
More infraction

The report said N6.5 billion was recorded as payment made without payment vouchers by four MDAs with Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, having the highest amount of N5 billion.

Over N6.2 billion was expended on contracts/services not executed by five MDAs. Of this, the Nigeria Ports Authority had the highest amount of over N4 billion while Federal Government College Enugu has the least amount of N 83 million.

According to the report, 12 MDAs did not remit taxes totalling N5.8 billion. “Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has the highest amount of N2.9billion while Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, New Bussa has the least amount of N1million,” the report said.

Twenty four MDAs granted the sum of N4.5 billion as advances which was above statutory limits of N200 thousand.

The report also recorded N4.3 billion as vouchers being paid by 27 MDAs without attachment of relevant supporting documents. The Code of Conduct Tribunal topped the chart here.

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

UK to lift travel bans





The United Kingdom government will be scrapping the travel ban imposed on countries after the detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Daily Mail reported that Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary convinced authorities to replace the ban with testing even for the fully vaccinated and it is expected that this will be approved and effected this week.

Recall that the UK government placed a temporary ban on air travel from Nigeria and six southern African countries; South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe, in a bid to curb the spread of Omicron variant of Coronavirus.

The recent decision was reached just days after it was reported that the Nigerian government will reciprocate the travel ban placed on Nigeria over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

Sunday, December 12, 2021

NDLEA nabs Ghanaian, 2 Nigerians at Enugu, Abuja airports with 9.9kg Cocaine, Meth




A Ghanaian and two Nigerians have been arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Akanu Ibiam international Airport, Enugu respectively for trafficking a total of 9.953kilograms of Cocaine and Methamphetamine.

One of the suspects, Uzoh Ndubuisi Johnson was arrested on Wednesday 8th December 2021 at about 5.30pm during an inward screening of Ethiopian Airlines passengers at the Arrival Hall of the airport.

Uzoh who arrived from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was controlled and arrested with clothes impregnated with cocaine, which has a gross weight of 6.7 kilograms.

While being interviewed by narcotic officers, Uzoh said he was given the consignment by his enabler based in Brazil for which he would be paid N3million upon successful delivery to someone in Nigeria.

In the same vein, another trafficker, 53-year-old Udeh Charley was arrested at the Enugu airport for ingesting 72 wraps of Cocaine weighing 1.253kilograms.

He was arrested on Friday 3rd Dec. during outward screening of Ethiopian Airlines passengers going to Rome, Italy via Addis Ababa.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

HOW A MAN SPENT 28 YEARS ON DEATH ROW BECAUSE OF $44


 See Video of how a man reportedly was sent to jail and eventually convicted for N17,650.00 which is an equivalent of present day $44 US dollars.


See link to video below. 

Video credit is VANGUARD