NNPC seizes vessel with 700 barrels of ‘illegal’ crude oil, arrests six ‘vandals’

From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has intercepted a barge carrying 700 barrels of illegal crude oil in Opete, Udu LGA, Delta state.

The national oil company said it also arrested six suspected crude oil thieves during the operation.

The arrest was made in partnership with Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security contractor, NNPC said.

Speaking with journalists during an inspection of the site, Warredi Enisuoh, executive director, Tantita Security Services, said the operation was conducted by a combined team of security agencies.

Enisuoh said the reports received by Tantita and Sand Mason Engineering indicated that the site was being used for activities beyond its approval limits.

He said surveillance revealed that the 1000 metric tonnes capacity barge was loaded with illegal crude oil– but was declared as sewage.

“A team of Tantita Security Services operatives continued to monitor the jetty for suspicious activities. It was observed that a sewage truck with plate number JR7750XA visited the jetty twice,” he said.

“During its third visit on May 12, 2023, the truck was accosted by the Tantita Security operatives keeping constant vigil over the area. Upon inspection, the substance found inside the tank was not sewage, rather, crude oil.

“The driver was arrested and handed over to government security operatives.

“The driver later revealed the destination of the contents, which took us to another yard inland, also operated by Mawe Services Limited.

“Within the Mawe Services Limited’s premises, there were two metallic cylindrical tanks of about 45,000 litres capacity each.

“Both tanks were inspected and one was found to be filled up with crude oil.”

He said the driver of the truck confirmed that he had been transferring the contents of the barge into the tank.

He said inspection of the “yard security logbook” showed that the truck visited the location severally, adding that the contents of the truck were well spelt out as “crude oil”.

Enisuoh said the perpetrators frequently loaded the crude from the big barge into small gallons batch by batch, before transferring to illegal refineries.

“One new method they use now is that they obtain documentation and authorisation from the government to fool security agencies, then go on to do other illegal jobs,” he said.

He said when the suspects are apprehended, they would usually claim to be recently hired by their companies, “whereas they were already trained to operate in that line”.

He said part of the crude has been evacuated while the rest would go through a combustion process.

Last year, the national oil company renewed a pipeline surveillance contract, reportedly worth N48 billion annually, awarded to the owner of Tantita, Government Ekpemupolo, otherwise known as Tompolo.

Why disconnection of banks’ USSD service was approved – NCC

From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

The Nigerian Communications Commission has explained that it approved the withdrawal of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data services from Deposit Money Banks by the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria due to unpaid debt.

The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Reuben Muoka, disclosed this while speaking with Journalists in Abuja over the weekend.

He noted that the approval to disconnect the banks from the USSD services was given due to the refusal of the financial institutions to give consideration and cooperation to all efforts by the NCC to make them pay.

Earlier, mobile telecommunications operators, including MTN, Globacom, Airtel and 9mobile, under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, announced that bank customers would not be able to use the USSD services as the lender would be disconnected.

ALTON had explained that the authorisation by the regulator to disconnect the banks was due to their refusal to pay the N120bn debt owed the telecom operators for USSD services.

ALTON said the mobile network operators had planned in 2021 to take action over the N42bn debt incurred by the DMBs, but interventions by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and the NCC discouraged them.

It stated that the indebtedness would negatively impact the digital and financial inclusion programme of the Federal Government.

Muoka said several interventions had been made by stakeholders and a consensus was reached with the banks.

Despite the interventions and per-session charges for USSD services by the banks, he stated that the DMBs still refused to pay the MNOs when the debt was still about N42bn.

Mouka stated, “This issue between the banks and the telecom operators is a commercial issue. The NCC only decided to intervene because we know it will affect a lot of bank customers. This prompted the government to intervene in what should have been a commercial dispute.

“The USSD service was a commercial agreement between the MNOs and the banks. We have had several meetings with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the minister, ALTON members, mobile network operators, and the banks themselves concerning the debt but to no avail.

“There is nothing the NCC can do right now because it is the bank customers that are benefitting from the USSD codes. If the banks were keeping the faith by paying in bits, it would have turned out better, but the debt has now become exorbitant. The NCC has approved it (disconnection); the MNOs can go ahead to disconnect them since the banks owe and have refused to pay their debt,” he said.

ALTON had in a statement signed by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said since the contract between the mobile operators and the banks was strictly commercial, the MNOs are authorised to withdraw the services if the transaction was unprofitable to them.

ALTON added that despite efforts by stakeholders to intervene in the issue of indebtedness, the banks had frustrated the efforts by refusing to pay the debt or sign the final agreement.

The statement read in part, “The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Deposit Money Banks (DMB) represented by the Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs, subsequently met on March 15, 2021, to discuss the indebtedness of the DMBs to the MNOs for USSD services. In this regard, the CBN and the NCC issued a joint press statement on the agreement reached by all stakeholders.”

The President Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogunbunka, condemned the telecom firms’ decision, which he noted would have a detrimental effect on members of the public, who rely on the services that the banks provide.

He stated, “Banks are not providing services for themselves but for the customers. I believe that the issue should have been discussed with the banks and if there is no headway, then relate with the regulator since the NCC is also involved.

From

Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The decision by Malaysia and Taiwan to recall Indomie’s “special chicken” flavour noodles has raised some concerns about the safety of the food globally, including in Nigeria.

The development followed the detection of ethylene oxide, a substance known to cause cancer, in the product by the health institutions in the two countries.

Nigeria has also reacted to the development as the agency in charge of standards has set in motion plans to conduct fresh independent tests on the concerned products.

The country’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) confirmed to journalists on Sunday morning its plans to ascertain the claim by its Taiwan and Malaysian counterparts.

The health department in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, said it detected ethylene oxide in two types of instant noodles, including the Indomie chicken flavour, following random inspections.

It said the detection of ethylene oxide in the product did not comply with standards.

“The Taipei City Health Bureau reminds food industry that our country has not approved the use of ethylene oxide as a pesticide, nor has it approved the use of ethylene oxide gas as a disinfection purpose,” the department said in a statement.

“The industry is sure to implement autonomous management and confirm that the raw materials and products should comply with food safety and health management.”

Following this development, the health ministry in Malaysia said it had examined 36 samples of instant noodles from different brands since 2022 and found that 11 samples contained ethylene oxide.

Ethylene oxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is used to sterilize medical devices and spices and has been described as a cancer-causing chemical.

The Malaysian ministry said it had taken enforcement actions and recalled the affected products.

Indofoods, an Indonesian company and maker of Indomie instant noodles, has denied the allegations noting that all its noodles are produced with standard certification. However, Taiwan and Malaysia have ordered businesses to immediately remove the products from their shelves.

NAFDAC Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, a professor, on Sunday, told this newspaper that beginning from Tuesday, 2 May, the agency will commence processes to test randomly selected products to ascertain the claims before reaching out to the public.

Mrs Adeyeye in response to an inquiry by our reporter, said the agency’s official in charge of laboratory services is already on alert.

The director general wrote: “NAFDAC is responding. We plan to randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while