National News
PLANNED PROTESTS: *TAC DG URGES RESTRAINT, SAYS PRESIDENT TINUBU POSSESSES ABILITY TO ADDRESS NATION’S CHALLENGES

PLANNED PROTESTS: *TAC DG URGES RESTRAINT, SAYS PRESIDENT TINUBU POSSESSES ABILITY TO ADDRESS NATION’S CHALLENGES
By: Michael Mike
Nigerian parents have been called upon to appeal to their wards to desist from participating in any activities that may risk their lives or the lives of others.
Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, who made the call, Friday, in Abuja during an interactive session with newsmen, described the planned nationwide protest as an ill-wind that blows no good.
He expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s ability to address the current challenges being faced by Nigerians,while also stressing that most of what Nigerians may be considering internal challenges at the moment are actually fallouts of what the entire globe is currently witnessing.
Buba observed that all the current economic and development indices across all areas of life in the country point towards an era of positivity for Nigerians and advised all aggrieved persons to, rather than engage in any form of agitations that may pull the country back from the gains already made by the Tinubu Administration in the past one year, toe the noble path of dialogue.
“It is common knowledge that no progress can be made in a time of chaos.So it beats the imagination why any sane person will at this material time want to resort to protests to make a point.What point if I may ask?
“Nigeria is not an island.We are all witnesses to cost of living crisis across countries of the world,even in the most developed ones.We cannot be completely insulated from such realities being felt in the UK,in the United States, France, Russia,South Africa and such other places.It is not easy anywhere now across the globe; and there are factors that are causing all of this.
“All of these have arisen as a result of the ongoing war in places like Russia and Ukraine,which are major hubs in grain production and distribution.There is also the problem in the Middle East,where the Israeli-Hammas conflicts have snowballed into parts of Lebanon,Iran and the rest of that economically important corridor. You know this is the hub of oil production.Every tension in that area has a serious backlash on the global oil market and on the economy itself generally.Again,I’d like to stress that we are not insulated from any of these global challenges, including the effects of global warming!
“My advice this time is to give His Excellency,Mr President and his lieutenants time and offer the Renewed Hope Agenda the enabling environment and the requisite co-operation needed for the desired results to come.These required results cannot come from any form of disorders or negative eruptions nationwide.I can categorically tell you that the President we know and voted into office is not sleeping on anything concerning Nigeria. He is the father of the nation and no father will sit down and watch his home go into flames.
“Again, it bears repeating here that a period like this must be witnessed before we start to fully enjoy the golden era that awaits Nigeria. Mr President has continued to emphasize this fact. So, we have a group of leaders who know what they are doing and if you ask me, all that they need now from us to succeed are our prayers and goodwill. Protests have never put food on anyone’s table. Instead, what you get is what Kenya is facing today, which should even be a wakeup call for Nigeria as the big-brother country to rise and remain ever peaceful and united. Together, we know we must win.”
The former federal lawmaker, who also revealed the global respect and goodwill, which the President Tinubu Administration has continued to attract for itself for the impactful in-roads being made by the Technical Aid Corps Scheme, using technology transfer and diverse volunteering efforts in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and beyond, said it would be absurd for Nigerians at home to chide an Administration that has in the last one year continued to win notable accolades abroad for the various policy and economic decisions it has brought to bear on the arena of political governance and social sector re-engineering.
PLANNED PROTESTS: *TAC DG URGES RESTRAINT, SAYS PRESIDENT TINUBU POSSESSES ABILITY TO ADDRESS NATION’S CHALLENGES
National News
President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele
By: Our Reporter
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the group chief executive officer, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.
The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.
Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.
Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.
President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.
Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
All the appointments are effective today, April 2.
President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.
President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.
Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.
The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.
Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.
The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris
He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.
Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.
Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.
Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.
Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.
Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).
During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.
President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele
National News
Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the recent gruesome killing of 16 traveling hunters in Edo State, who were mistook for kidnappers.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Tony Ojukwu expressed deep concern over the horrific incident, which highlights the dangers of mob justice and the urgent need for effective law enforcement and respect for human rights.
He said: “We commend Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, for his swift and decisive action in suspending the Commander of the Edo State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin (Rtd.), and banning all illegal vigilante groups operating in the state, but more need to be done.”
Ojukwu said the Commission wishes to use this opportunity to remind the government and the people of Nigeria that every individual has the right to life, as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He equally said the Commission emphasized that the freedom of movement, as guaranteed by the Constitution and Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been grossly violated in this dastardly incident.
Ojukwu said: “We at the Commission demand that all the perpetrators be fished out and brought to justice. We call on the government to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future, there is no justification for jungle justice anywhere in the world.”
He emphasized that every Nigerian has the right to life, dignity, and freedom from violence, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or occupation, assuring that the Commission will continue to advocate for the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.
Ojukwu said: “We urge the Edo State Government to continue its investigation into the killings and ensure that all perpetrators face the full wrath of the law. On our part, we will continue to monitor the process of investigation to ensure that justice is served. This will serve as a deterrent to others.
“Promotion and protection of human rights is paramount to national development, let’s all imbibe the culture of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom to make Nigeria a better place.”
Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians
National News
Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death
By: Zagazola Makama
Angry youths in Iware, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State, attempted to burn down the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the alleged torture and death of a suspect in custody.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makaka that the unrest began after Yunusa Kaka, 42, was reportedly tortured by security personnel at the NSCDC office in Iware.
Trouble started on March 30 at about 9:00 p.m. when Biliaminu Adamu, 24, was arrested for allegedly stealing two handsets and two packets of Benson cigarettes from Peter Majo of Iware Ward. While in custody, Adamu claimed he had given the stolen phones to Kaka, who denied any involvement.
Security personnel allegedly resorted to torturing Kaka in an attempt to extract a confession. He later became unresponsive and was rushed to Miyetti Allah Hospital in Iware by his brother, where he was confirmed dead.
News of Kaka’s death sparked outrage, with a large number of youths mobilizing to attack the NSCDC office.
However, security personnel managed to prevent the attack, and calm has since been restored to the area.
Authorities say investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death
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