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.

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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.

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“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.’

The Edo State Police Command has taken a 16-year-old girl, Aisha Suleiman, into custody for allegedly poisoning her ex-boyfriend, Emmanuel, and four other young men in the Afashio community, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State.

The tragic incident came to light on October 26, 2024, when Emmanuel’s father, Mr. Elogie Ezekiel, visited his son’s apartment around 6:30 a.m. and discovered several lifeless bodies.

Ezekiel first found the body of a young man named Nurudeen in the corridor. Inside the apartment, he discovered 19-year-old Emmanuel and his girlfriend, Ada Samuel, also 16, lying unresponsive on the bed. In the sitting room, the bodies of Samuel and Jeffrey Ayegwalo, who were siblings, were also found unconscious.

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All five victims were rushed to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

Local sources revealed that the victims had consumed a pot of pepper soup prepared by Suleiman before their deaths.

Three days later, the investigation took a dramatic turn when the police received reports that Suleiman was about to be attacked by a group of young men in the community who accused her of poisoning the victims. Officers from the Jattu Division quickly intervened and safely transported Suleiman to the station, according to SP Moses Yamu, the state Police Public Relations Officer.

“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Yamu added.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Ozigi, has directed a comprehensive investigation, instructing officers to explore all possible leads to uncover the true cause of death in the case.

He also issued a stern warning against any form of mob action, urging the community to allow the police to carry out their duties without interference. CP Ozigi assured the public that justice would be pursued with full diligence.