NEWS
BREAKING: NCDMB’s 2023 PNC Forum Pulls Industry Heavyweights Together
It’s poised to be a gathering of ‘who is who’ in Nigeria’s oil and industry as those who matter converge in Yenagoa for the 12th edition of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB), annual Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum 2023.
A statement posted in the early hours of Monday on the X handle of the NCDMB has it that the 2023 event would be headlined by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and his Gas counterpart, H.E. Hon. Ekperikpo Ekpo.
They would be joined by other oil and gas industry eggheads and policy makers as the event kicks off on December 4, at the Swali, Yenagoa headquarters of the NCDMB.
According to the statement, “The Ministers are expected to deliver ministerial addresses and to show the direction of the Federal Government’s thinking concerning Nigerian Content and investment strategies.”
This year’s edition has DMG Events and Bayelsa State Government partnering with the NCDMB, and is slated to open with an invitational golf tourney and welcome dinner – the first of the three gala nights that would be sponsored by Coleman Wires and Cables, the Bayelsa State Government and the Nigeria LNG Ltd.
The event would draw to a close on Thursday, December 7, 2023 with a visit by delegates to the facility of MG VOWGAS in Port Harcourt, River State.
It stated, “Some of the presentations that will be received at the PNC include the opening keynote address by the host of the event and Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, while the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, and Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, alongside other key industry figures would feature prominently in the 4-day event.
“Also, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari is also expected to grace the PNC as he had always done in previous years.”
Biztellers reports that major international oil companies (IOCs), members of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), and service companies, are expected to participate in the four-day conference.
Their respective chief executive officers are already scheduled to take active part in different capacities, including as moderators of panel discussions or panellists or delivering papers on critical subjects relating to local content practice in the oil and gas industry.
For the 2023 edition, key subjects for the panel sessions centre around “Providing an Enabling Environment for Investment in the Energy Sector,” “Opportunities in Decarbonisation and Domestic Gas Utilization,” “Deepening Nigerian Content in the Manufacturing Sector,” and “Financing a Thriving Midstream Sector for Socioeconomic Development,” and Sustainable Framework for Human Capacity Development.” Presentations on R&D Success Stories are also expected.
In addition to the expansive exhibition, the PNC Forum affords prospective investors and clients as well as fund managers an interactive platform with key Federal Government officials overseeing the oil and gas sector, key industry operators and service providers, and chief executives of the regulatory agencies. Among the industry players, a major activity is evaluation of their performances in local content practice, and consideration of appropriate adjustments aimed at better results.
To be showcased are opportunities for collaboration and partnership between the public sector and private business interests and between the private sector and academia; also, emerging opportunities from divestments by IOCs and the decarbonisation drive in the industry.
NEWS
Ibadan Man On Why He Used 76 Women For Ritual, Ate Others
An ear-tingling tale has emerged from the Oyo State capital, Ibadan, where a yet-to-be-identified male confessed on radio that he sacrificed almost 80 women to his idol over a seven-year period.
He made the confession in Ibadan, while appearing at a Fresh FM radio programme, titled, ‘Opeyemi’ on Saturday.
Famous in the locality, Foko area of Ibadan, where he was born, by his alias, ‘Mistina Orobo’, the now self-acclaimed pastor asserted that the almost 80 women were not part of those he was hired to kill and had eaten.
He was driven to sacrifice the women in the quest to renew his mystical power. He would then indulge in cannibalism after he had taken their blood for sacrifice to his idol.
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In his words, “My idol takes about 73 to 76 women for over seven years. These women are always gotten from the club or other popular places. When I eat people, it is purposely to renew the voodoo in my body. Sometimes, when I’m shot, it won’t penetrate, even when I’m hacked, the machete breaks. The sweetest human parts are tongue, palm, and foot.”
The cannibal then used the mystical powers for nefarious activities including supporting others, including politicians, business people, and high flying career people, like bank managers, in the quest to accomplish ulterior motives.
“I also work for bank managers, politicians, and some other rich men. I’m very popular among them. When I first worked with a bank manager, it was one wealthy man that we killed and the info was supplied in the bank.
“The only person who was left to sign refused to sign, we visited him, made him sign, and killed him aftermath. I charge up to N50 to N80 million to get people killed and we always work as a team. I taught some people to work, some as highway or armed robbers and I usually get my fair share,” he added.
He formally sought anonymity until the right time, and gave graphic details of what he and his boys did to influence outcome of elections in Oyo State.
On his early days, the mysterious man confessed that he has been eating sacrifices since the age of nine as the son of an herbalist, from which he added hired assassin and highway robbery to his trade.
“As a child of an herbalist, I always eat sacrifices in seven different junctions, this was what fortified me before I grew up to become a dreaded hired assassin and sometimes, highway robber,” he confessed.
On how he turned a new leaf, the man said he met Jesus in his dream after he attempted to avenge people who earlier fought with him.
According to him, “I had been killed before but I woke up because of the idol I had at home. The day I went to retaliate those people who fought and killed me. When we got to the first person, I had a change of mind. When we got to the house of the other one, he was drunk, and my boy was about to unleash on him when I begged that he should be spared, since then, I have been sympathetic and have left the wayward life. Now, God has taken over my life.
“I am now in a seminary. I spent four years learning to be a prophet. I am not ready to establish a church. I just want people to know my terrible story. I had sold all three houses and cars I bought while engaging in these acts. I met Jesus in my dream.”
He also stressed that a former lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Temitope Olatoye (a.k.a. Sugar) died because he was in Ghana at that time if not it would have been averted, adding that he had always informed Sugar of the dangers looming.
Recall that Sugar died on March 9, 2019, in the Intensive Care Unit of the University College Hospital, after suffering bullet wounds in the head from shots of suspected political thugs in the Lalupon area of Ibadan.
The public is still wondering at the speed with which the news of his attack spread, the tales in the locality being that Sugar died on the spot.
NEWS
JUST IN: Angry Nigerians Storm NNPC HQ, Demand Mele Kyari’s Resignation
Tensions flared outside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday as a large group of Nigerians gathered to demand the resignation of NNPC Group Managing Director Mele Kyari.
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The protesters, driven by frustration over reported mismanagement and high spending, specifically pointed to $4 billion spent on the refurbishment of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries—projects that many feel have yielded little return.
More to follow……….
NEWS
JUST IN: Tinubu Swears In Seven Newly-Appointed Ministers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially sworn in seven newly-appointed ministers at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The ceremony, held on Monday, brought together the ministers-designate, their families, and dignitaries, marking a significant step in the ongoing reshaping of Tinubu’s cabinet.
This swearing-in follows a week of important political activity, including the Senate’s screening of the nominees, which occurred shortly after President Tinubu announced their appointments.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had confirmed that the new ministers would be screened on Monday, setting the stage for today’s event.
To accommodate the swearing-in ceremony, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, typically scheduled for Mondays, has been rescheduled to Wednesday.
This cabinet reshuffle reflects President Tinubu’s response to increasing public demands for change amid Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges.
In a bid to enhance governmental effectiveness, Tinubu dismissed five ministers and reassigned ten others, aiming to tackle pressing national issues more effectively.
The seven ministers include:
Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda: Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction
Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi: Minister of Labour and Employment
Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
Idi Mukhtar Maiha: Minister of Livestock Development
Yusuf Abdullahi Ata: Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development
Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad: Minister of State for Education
As they assume their roles, attention will be on how these ministers navigate the complexities of Nigeria’s economic landscape and work towards policies that improve the lives of citizens.