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Mali: Civilians suffering effects of recent fighting in Kidal

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GENEVA  – People in Kidal and those who had to flee the city to escape clashes between the Malian armed forces and armed groups are facing a number of serious problems. The ICRC and the Mali Red Cross are striving to help them.

Kidal’s water supply was suddenly cut off after the generators that had been running well pumps were damaged. In addition, thousands of people who found refuge in the city of Gao, about 350 kilometres south of Kidal, now find themselves in desperate straits.

“Restoring the water supply in Kidal is one of our priorities,” said Christoph Luedi, head of the ICRC delegation in Mali. “The situation of displaced people has been made worse by the circumstances in which they were forced to leave their homes. Most had to flee quickly, leaving everything behind, and now it’s hard for them to meet their basic needs.”

Restoring the flow of water to Kidal

“To make safe drinking water available again to people in Kidal, our staff restored to working order the five generators that had broken down,” said Abdoule-Karim Diomande, in charge of the ICRC’s water and habitat programme in Mali. “This will make it possible to resume pumping water from wells that supply around 300,000 litres every day.”

Providing emergency aid for displaced people

To respond to the most urgent needs of the people who fled Kidal for Gao, the Mali Red Cross and the ICRC distributed more than 55 tonnes of food to around 4,450 people, some 1,800 of whom were also given tarpaulins, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen utensils, buckets, clothing and hygiene items.

“We’re providing what is most urgently needed,” said Jules Amoti, who coordinates the ICRC’s economic security activities in Mali. “We’re also preparing a similar distribution for more than 5,000 residents of Kidal.”

Treating casualties in Gao Regional Hospital

A total of 69 casualties have so far been treated by an ICRC medical team working in Gao Regional Hospital. Eleven of the patients are still hospitalized and receiving surgical treatment.

“Most of the patients are victims of gunshot injuries requiring surgery,” said Kathrine Zimmermann, in charge of the ICRC’s health-care activities in Mali. “To boost our set-up in Gao, four tonnes of medical supplies will arrive within the next few days. A surgeon and a nurse will also be coming.”

Visiting people detained in connection with the fighting

On 22 and 23 May, ICRC delegates visited people arrested in connection with recent clashes and detained in Kidal by the High Council for the Unity of Azawad or by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. Emergency relief items were distributed, and arrangements were made for detainees who had not yet been able to contact their families to call them by telephone.

Visits of this kind, which the ICRC hopes to be able to repeat in the coming days, aim to ensure that the people are held and treated humanely.

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Shallipopi Splits From Record Label, Dapper Music

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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.

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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.

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Increased Crude Oil production: NCDMB Advocates Annual FID Week

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NCDMB Emerges Best MDA In Ease Of Doing Business Ranking

 

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.

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Presidents Invite Me To Dinner Wherever I Go – Davido Boasts

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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.’

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