Aso Villa Reads for 9/4/18
Every day, we bring you the best stories the media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria.
According to a report by Daily Trust, “the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said arrangements were being concluded for the historic ground-breaking of the 40inch x 614km Ajaokuta — Kaduna — Kano, (AKK), gas pipeline and stations in the weeks ahead. The corporation said following last week’s successful execution of contract agreements for the engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and financing for Lots 1&3 of the over $2.8billion trans-Nigeria gas pipeline project, measures had been activated for the flag-off of what has been described as the single biggest gas pipeline project in the history of oil & gas operation in Nigeria. Upon completion, 24 months from now, the AKK gas pipeline would enable connectivity between the East, West and North, currently non-existent.”
“No fewer than 500 rice farmers in Bayelsa have received various farm inputs under the first phase of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.” According to Business Day Newspaper (Monday, 9th April 2018, page 43), “Mr Ezekiel Ogbinko, Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Bayelsa chapter, disclosed this in Yenagoa on Friday while flagging off the second phase of the programme for the 2018 farming season. He said that some of the items distributed included 1,200 bags of fertiliser of various types, 400 cans of herbicides and sprayers, among others. The chairman noted that the distribution of the inputs was aimed at ensuring mass production of rice through a revolving loan procedure, in line with the objectives of the programme as over 4,000 farmers are currently working on the 20,000 hectares of land cleared for the dry season rice faming.”
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Sunday announced the completion of the outstanding audit of its group financial statements from 2011 to 2016. It said its Board in line with extant laws governing the operations of the national oil firm had formally approved the audited statements.” According to Punch, “the Chief Financial Officer/Group Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, NNPC, Isiaka AbdulRazaq, said the delivery of the audited financial statements would help foster better relations with stakeholders and promote transparency and accountability in the corporation. He added that the drive to achieve a clean slate dated back to August 2015, when the current management of the corporation took over the leadership and inherited a total of 65 unaudited financial statements for the NNPC and its subsidiaries, covering 2011 to 2014.”
“The Federal Government has given approval to Green Energy International Limited to commence the construction of the 12 million standard cubic feet per day, MMSCFD, capacity Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, extraction plant at Ikuru Town, in Rivers State.” Vanguard reported that “the approval to construct, ATC, license of the 12MMSCFD capacity plant, was issued by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, to Green Energy, operator of the Otakikpo marginal field in Oil Mining Lease, OML, sequel to the company’s successful submission of the detailed engineering design. In a statement in Abuja, at the weekend, Green Energy said that the engineering design was produced under supervision of the indigenous operator by its contractors, PCC-LAMBDA Consortium, formed between Nigeria Indigenous companies and a Chinese company — Peiyang Chemical Equipment Company Limited, PCC.”
“Dr Oliwasina Olabanji, the Team Leader, Wheat Value Change in Nigeria, says that Nigeria will reduce wheat importation by 60 per cent by 2025. Olabanji, who is the Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute, stated this on Sunday after inspection of wheat seed production farms in Ringim and Hadejia Local Government Areas of Jigawa. He explained that the Flour Mills had initiated and supported the production of improved and high yielding wheat seed in Jigawa and Kano states. He added that the firm has supported farmers with seed and fertilizer to cultivate 45 hectares of the improved seed, with 30 hectares in Kano and 15 in Jigawa. According to him, seed is critical to crop production, hence the need to support and encourage its production.” So writes The Guardian.
“The Nigerian Army has denied reports that it was phasing out its troops from states that are experiencing security challenges. Describing the report as untrue, the Nigerian Army assured the public that they would continue to live to the expectations of Nigerians in the discharge of their constitutional duties of defending the nation’s territorial integrity and giving aid to civil authorities.” According to Daily Trust, “the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu said in a statement that troops would continue to intervene decisively to checkmate any form of criminality, and appealed to the public for understanding and cooperation. Calling on state governors and local government chairmen to live up to their responsibilities of proving social amenities, he said this would help reduce incidents of crime.”
