Other News
Nelson Mandela honoured in Ecumenical Centre
GENEVA – Ambassador Abdul Samad Minty, permanent representative of South Africa to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, recalled his friend and former president Nelson Mandela in a memorial service on 16 December at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.
The service of prayer, remembrance and thanksgiving for Mandela’s life was sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and led by participants from the WCC, ACT Alliance, Conference of European Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Student Christian Federation and the World YWCA.
In welcoming remarks, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit noted that the ecumenical movement as a whole lent support to Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement for many decades. Tveit and other religious leaders from throughout the world travelled to South Africa over the past ten days, praying with the family and nation.
“In a remarkable way, Mandela gathered the whole world to celebrate the best and shared values of human beings, also in the moment of his death. This was a miracle in itself, a new sign of hope he gave to the world,” he said.
Tveit recalled the challenge issued by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at last week’s memorial celebration in a Johannesburg stadium, “Do you commit yourselves to the values of Nelson Mandela?”
“None of us can be like him,” said Tveit. “But we can follow him. We all can learn from him.”
Dr Agnes Abuom of Kenya, newly elected moderator of the WCC Central Committee, recalled Mandela as “the model and epitome of the full liberation we seek.” She compared him to Joseph in the biblical book of Genesis, capable of forgiving those who had sold him into decades of slavery. Even so, “supporting Nelson Mandela was not always fashionable.”
Abuom said that “Mandela was a gift from the continent of Africa to the whole world”, attracting heads of state and government from more than half the nations and providing once again the sense of “a new global consciousness”.
Ambassador Minty said that the Ecumenical Centre service on Monday 16 December happened to fall on a South African holiday, the Day of Reconciliation. This year, a monumental statue of Mandela is being unveiled in South Africa.
Minty was a schoolboy when he first met Mandela in the 1950s. He reminisced him, both as a great leader and as a person with genuine concern for all people he met.
He paid tribute to the many individuals, communities and institutions that struggled against apartheid over many years. He offered thanks in particular to the “very, very prophetic role” played by the WCC and its Programme to Combat Racism (PCR). He praised church leaders, including former WCC general secretary Philip Potter, the first PCR director Baldwin Sjollema, as well as Archbishop Desmond Tutu who chaired the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission during Mandela’s presidency.
Minty also honoured the memory of Archbishop Trevor Huddleston from the Church of England, “a lifelong friend to Nelson Mandela” who “played a kind of Gandhian role” in the anti-apartheid movement.
Minty concluded, “We all have the responsibility to answer for ourselves how we can take up the legacy that Nelson Mandela leaves us with. And how can we all live up to that great legacy and create or turn hope into reality?”
Popular Nigerian musician Shallipopi has officially parted ways with his record label, Dapper Music.
Rumours of the split had circulated earlier, as Dapper Music played a pivotal role in Shallipopi’s rise to fame in 2023.
A look at Shallipopi’s social media now shows he has removed Dapper Music’s name from his bio and unfollowed the label’s boss, confirming the end of their partnership.
READ MORE: Lagos Gov’t Launches Bid For 500MW Gas Power Hubs Amid Energy Crisis
The developments appear to confirm rumours of his split.
The separation follows Shallipopi’s recent launch of his own label, Plutomania Records, with Zerry DL and Tega Boi as the first signed artists.
BIZTELLERS notes that Shallipopi’s exit comes less than two months after Seyi Vibez also parted ways with Dapper Music.
As part of the strategies to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and enhance revenue accruing to the national treasury, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has advocated for a week in each year to be dedicated to signing final investment decisions (FIDs) on new oil and gas projects.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made the proposal on Tuesday in his presentation at the 2024 African Energy Week (AEW), at Cape Town, South Africa.
A final investment decision is the final point in an energy project, in which the company or partners owning and operating a project give the final approval for the development, releasing the funding for the commencement.
ALSO READ: AMCON Not In Dispute With Heyden Petroleum
Ogbe stated that the FID Week, if adopted, could be incorporated into the existing annual international oil and gas conferences and would feature international and indigenous operating companies.
He posited that dedicating a week every year for FID signing could compel companies and relevant regulators to fast-track their processes to meet the deadline.
He also indicated that the proposal for the annual FID Week has already been broached to Special Adviser on Energy to President, Mrs. Olu Verheijen and the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and international operating companies and was being considered.
Represented at the African Energy Week (AEW) by the Director, Projects Certification and Authorization Division (PCAD) Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, the NCDMB boss said the proposal for an annual FID Week was geared to address the insufficient FIDs signed by the operating companies and the limited number of new projects being developed in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. These worrisome developments contributed to Nigeria’s dwindling crude oil production and the negative impact on revenue, he said.
He suggested that the Nigerian oil and gas industry needed to have at least one or two final investment decisions on major projects to be signed every year, to catalyze activity in the local service sector and the national economy and ultimately increase crude oil and gas production and revenue for the country.
He made reference to the three Presidential Directives (PDs) rolled out by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March 2024, for the oil and gas industry, stating that NCDMB had complied fully with the directives as it relates to fast-tracking the contracting cycle and eliminating middlemen with no demonstrable capacity from participating in the oil and gas value chain.
The PDs included Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance, Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Cost and Timelines and Presidential Directive on Oil and Gas Companies (Tax Incentives, Exemption, Remission, etc)
Ogbe announced that NCDMB had applied the Presidential Directives in approving five oil and gas projects which are currently in the funnel.
He hinted that the expected production values of those projects are 1 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day and 350 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Commenting on strategies that would ensure sustainable local content development in African nations, the Executive Secretary stated that local content has to be promoted as a national agenda and supported by all institutions, businesses, decision makers, investors and citizens.
Some other personnel of the NCDMB made presentations at the 2024 edition of the African Energy Week (AEW) on core operations and initiatives of the agency.
The officials included Director of Finance and Personnel Management, Mr. Ifeanyi Ukoha, the Manager, Institutional Strengthening, Engr. Obongo Dokubo and the Supervisor Upstream, Engr. Bashir Ahmed.
Renowned Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, known by his stage name Davido, has stated that he receives special treatment globally due to his celebrity status.
The Afrobeats sensation mentioned that he is frequently invited to presidential dinners in nearly every country he visits, with the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom.
In a recent interview with Kiss Fresh London, Davido confidently shared that his fanbase includes influential figures such as the World Bank president, presidents of powerful nations, and other notable personalities.
READ MORE: Sanwo-Olu, Dignitaries Set To Attend Lagos Social Media Hangout
“Every country we go to, the President invites us for dinner except London [United Kingdom] and the United States of America.
“It’s beautiful to see. I mean, leaving my country, Nigeria, and people welcoming me like the president in other countries, shows how well Nigeria is doing around the world in terms of music and cultural impacts,” he said.
Davido has expressed that he feels most respected in Africa, which is why he cherishes his African tours more than those in Europe and America, even though the latter bring him greater financial rewards.
He shared that his Jamaican collaborator, YG Marley, was astonished by the immense admiration from fans when he visited Nigeria for the video shoot of their joint hit, ‘Awuke.’
JUST IN: NNPC Ltd Disclaims Video Of Adulterated Fuel Sold in Bottles, Jerrycans
New Terrorist Group Emerges In Northwest Nigeria – DHQ
Osun Declares Three-Day Mourning For COAS, Lagbaja
Shallipopi Splits From Record Label, Dapper Music
Lagos Gov’t Launches Bid For 500MW Gas Power Hubs Amid Energy Crisis
BP, Trafigura, Vitol Lead Global Offtake Of Dangote’s Refined Products
OSSG Raises Alarm Over Murder Plot By APC Chieftain
NCC, SMEDAN, NAICOM, SEC, Others Set for SUPERNEWS SMEs Conf June 13
Sahara’s Tonye Cole resigns from GPHCDA
Oando opens ultra-modern petrol station in Lagos
Niger Delta Avengers: President Buhari Reads riot Act …considers the carrot and stick option
