₦airaland Forum

In a little over a year, Aiteo Group, a leading energy company in Nigeria, under the leadership of Benedict Peters has ramped up crude production to 90,000 bpd from an average production of the 23,000 bpd after acquiring OML 29 for $2.8 billion from Shell at a time when local oil companies struggled to manage divested assets.

OML29 stretches over an area of 983 square kilometres, and includes the Nembe, Santa Barbara and Okoroba Oil Fields, including related facilities such as the 97-kilometre Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL). It also has a 100 kilometres long pipeline with a capacity of 600 thousand barrels per day.

In March 2015, Aiteo Eastern E & P, a subsidiary of Aiteo Group, acquired SPDC’s interest in OML 29 and the NCTL. Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited – the other joint venture partners – also assigned their 10 percent and 5 percent interests respectively to Aiteo, giving the company a 45 percent interest in OML 29.

The bold acquisition has not only ramped up Nigeria’s crude production to the 1.8million bpd prior to militant attacks, It has proven that that indigenous companies can successfully operate an oil asset. The company also highlighted several existing and developing projects that could potentially grow its asset production to over 150,000bpd and 200 million standard cubic feet of gas daily in the near future

“Our outlook is bright with 3 producing oil fields and viable crude exports via Bonny terminal. We also have contingent resources to appraise and prospective ones to explore in the medium-to-long term, including full 3D seismic coverage and 2P NNS reserves of more than 1.6bn bbl. Put simply, we have a clear vision for the future with the experience and assets crucial to providing oil and gas consistently on a regional and global scale,” said Peters in a statement.

Some months down the line, this legacy achievement is impacting lives and has created significant direct and indirect employment in Nigeria’s highly competitive oil and gas industry.

Aiteo legitimately secured the oil bock after a keenly contested but transparent divestment bid driven by Shell. The funding of Aiteo’s acquisition was made possible through a combination of debt and equity involving several Nigerian and international banks. All these entities conducted stringent and substantial due diligence before backing the Aiteo Consortium’s bid for the oil block, adjudged one of the most transparent in the history of Nigeria.
Aiteo Group, since its formation in 1999 by a young ambitious Benedict Peters, has transformed into Nigeria’s pre-eminent energy conglomerate with an international focus. It is leading the vanguard with innovative solutions and strategic investments across the energy value chain – petroleum products storage and distribution; natural gas, power and exploration as well as production. The Group’s subsidiaries include Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited (AEEPCo), Aiteo Downstream and Aiteo Power.
As Executive Vice Chairman, Peters has been responsible for directing the company in terms of strategic development, policy formulation and execution.
“Our group’s vision is to create the most sustainable energy solutions to power growth on the African continent. By working together, we inspire people and communities across Africa to have a collective vision; Aiteo is showing its commitment to encouraging a transformed energy sector which creates health and wellness as well as resilient economic prosperity across its stakeholders. We have shown by our story that indigenous oil companies are competent enough to participate along with international oil majors in the exploration and development of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources, beyond the provisions of the 2010 local content act,” says Peters.
Aiteo has very strong ambitions still. It has already identified several existing and developing projects that could potentially grow its asset production to over 150,000bpd, with a vision to provide oil and gas consistently on a regional and global scale.
In the last one year, Aiteo has also made significant investments in sports development. In April 2017, the company announced a record N2.5 billion partnership agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to pay the salaries of the Super Eagles’ coaching crew at N500 million per annum for the next five years. This social investment, which covers all the local and foreign components of the NFF’s financial obligations for the main team, earned the company the title ‘Official Optimum Partner of the NFF.’
This decision has made a two-pronged impact. It has put paid to the problem of delayed payments affecting the morale of our coaches and the Super Eagles’ performance, resulting in Nigeria’s qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup.
“We are fulfilled that the Super Eagles have qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Nigerians are passionate about football and as a company, we are passionate about things which unite Nigerians. We are committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s national soccer teams are well managed and primed to bring glory to our nation at all tournaments,” said Benedict Peters after the Super Eagles’ much-celebrated qualification.
Acknowledging Aiteo’s support for the Super Eagles, NFF President Amaju Pinnick said: “Our teams are focused and show technical depth and excellence, thanks to AITEO’s financial intervention. The Nigerian soccer team is inspired, confident and relaxed that all bills are paid as opposed to the former times when players and coaches paid for their expenses themselves, all were dejected and most were hardly reimbursed.”
Amidst the euphoria, Aiteo did not neglect a key player on the national team whose contributions were interrupted by health challenges. It therefore committed to and redeemed a pledged to contribute N10 Million towards the treatment of Super Eagles goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, for every goal scored by the Eagles against the indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the return leg in Yaounde. Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in July, 2017.
As an indigenous oil company, Aiteo has also made significant contributions towards developing the local football league. In June 2017, the company announced another N2.5 billion agreement to underwrite the costs associated with organising the Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup and which is the oldest football tournament in Nigeria. The contest, rechristened Aiteo Cup, had been struggling for sponsorship before Aiteo’s intervention. The 5-year package guarantees a monetary reward for the tournament’s best performing teams, with the winner of the men’s category guaranteed N25 million as prize money while their female counterparts will get N10 million for winning.
In October 2017, Aiteo also signed a partnership agreement with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to sponsor the Annual CAF Awards 2018, which honours footballers who have made outstanding contributions to the development of football development on the continent.
As a tribute to the company’s support for football development, international football governing body, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), extended a special invitation to Aiteo’s Deputy Managing Director Francis Peters to attend the recent FIFA Best Football Awards in London.
The company’s marks is outside sports, Aiteo is also committed to host community development. As such, it shares economic benefits with these communities by providing work opportunities, offering training programmes and supporting local businesses.
Aiteo has a clear vision for the future with the experience and assets crucial to providing oil and gas consistently on a regional and global scale. The company is currently developing a pipeline of power generation projects across the country with an ambitious five-year plan which includes transforming the oil-rich Niger Delta region into a power generation hub and ultimately tackling Nigeria’s power challenges through its legacy investments in the gas-to-power value chain. It is also working on developing a 24,000 MT LPG facility in the Delta with associated LPG distributing facilities nationwide.
Aiteo Power is developing a gas-to-power strategy by leveraging its power and upstream capabilities. It is utilizing the significant gas resources in OML 29 that would see the oil rich Niger Delta region become a hub for power generation in Nigeria. Aiteo Power is also a supporter of renewable, clean energy; developing multiple solar energy power projects within the sub-Sahara African region.
For its belief in Nigeria and significant investments in football and community development in the last one year, BusinessDay’s board of editors is pleased to name Aiteo ‘Company of the Year 2017’.


https://www.businessdayonline.com/aiteo-group-emerges-businessdays-company-year-2017/

The year 2018 will be starting on a high note as the best of African football home and abroad gather in Accra, Ghana for the first ever Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards to be sponsored by Nigerian energy giant, Aiteo Group.

African footballers have achieved a lot in local and foreign leagues in the past year, and it is only logical that they should be honoured on their continent. The Aiteo-CAF Award will have some defining moments- the coronation of the 2017 King and Queen of African football.

At a recent ceremony attended by CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad; Aiteo Group’s Senior Vice President, Commercial and Gas, Victor Okoronkwo; CAF First Vice President Kwesi Nyantakyi; CAF Executive Committee member, Amaju Pinnick, and Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah, the shortlist of the final three contending in the seven different categories for 2018 Aiteo-CAF awards was unveiled.

For African Player of the Year, the men in the running for the most coveted honour include Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Liverpool and the Egyptian national team; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a French-born Gabonese professional footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Gabon national team and Sadio Mane, a Senegalese who plays as a winger for Premier League club, Liverpool and the Senegal national team.

In the Women’s Player of the Year award category, Nigerian-born Asisat Oshoala, who plays for Chinese side Dalian Quanjian F.C. in the Chinese Women’s Super League as a forward, was selected alongside, South Africa’s Chrestina Kgatlana (UWC Ladies) and Cameroon’s Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene who plays for Russian club, CSKA Moscow.

Youth Player of the Year nominees include Krepin Diatta (Senegal & Sarpsborg), Patson Daka (Zambia & Liefering) and Salam Giddou (Mali & Guidars).

Nigerian Super Eagle’s coach, Gernot Rohr made the list of Coach of the Year award nominees, which he clearly deserves, for securing the 2018 Russia World Cup ticket for the Nigerian national team. Rohr is picked alongside the current manager of Egypt’s national team, Hector Cuper and L’Hussein Amoutta, a Moroccan former footballer and current coach of Wydad Casablanca Club in Morocco.

Club of the Year award nominees include Egypt’s Al Ahly, Congolese football club, TP Mazembe and Wydad Athletic Club, based in Cassablanca, Morocco.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Super Eagles of Nigeria are up for a keen contest for the National Team of the Year award.

Women’s National Team of the Year award category includes Ghana’s U-20 team, Nigeria’s U-20 and South Africa’s.

2018’s edition will be the 26th CAF award since inception. Football on the continent continues to grow, especially with interventions from companies like Aiteo Group.

Aiteo Group, which is also Official Optimum Partner of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the sponsor of the country’s Federation Cup, which has now been renamed, “The Aiteo Cup” took the business of sports promotion up a notch by partnering with CAF.

Football is a popular game in Africa and time and time again it has proven to be a very good vehicle for integration. In an article on Huffington Post, the Executive Vice Chairman of Aiteo, Benedict Peters speaking on why he thinks football can play a huge role in uniting Africa said nothing galvanises different people, regardless of race, religion or language, more than football.

“If any of our children were to meet — one from Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Angola — toss them a football and you can guarantee that friendships, common ground, laughter and handshakes would emerge quickly. And if football is something that can unify our young people, why should we not also use it to unify across the differences of our continent?” He added.

Aiteo Group’s engagement with NFF is a five-year deal worth over N2.5billion and it has been described as one of the most important interventions in the resuscitation of sports in the country.

Aiteo is raising the standard of the game, and no doubt, the Aiteo-CAF award gala which is scheduled to hold on January 4, 2018, in Accra, Ghana, will be another platform to showcase that football matters to Africa and Africans, and talents deserve to be rewarded for making the continent proud.

http://www.todaysecho.com/aiteo-caf-awards-honouring-africas-football-stars/

A 32-year-old understanding boyfriend has revealed what it’s like to date one of the world’s biggest porn stars.

Mike Adkins has been dating Allie Haze, 30, for the last four years after being introduced by a mutual friend. Allie is the star of a string of famous adult-movies.

Despite Allie’s controversial day job, Mike says he wasn’t intimidated the first time they had sex. And, most surprisingly, he doesn’t feel jealous that Allie has sex with other men – and women – every day.

Mike, who lives with Allie in Las Vegas, said: “I didn’t feel intimidated having sex with a porn star. I really didn’t look at it that way. I just look at her as a person. But yeah, she is definitely the more adventurous of partners I’ve ever had.

It doesn’t bother me that she’s with other men as far as work. If it was something where she was just like, “I’m going out Friday night, going to hook up with some people, that would 100% bother me.

I mean, yeah, it’s a different job than being a receptionist or something, but at the end of the day you can’t base a relationship around each other’s career.”

Mike was unaware of Allie’s chosen career when they first met, and although it came as quite a shock, he admits that he found it ‘pretty cool’. He admits that he was nervous when he had to tell his mother about Allie’s profession not knowing how she would respond.

http://www.todaysecho.com/girlfriend-world-famous-porn-star-dont-mind-man/

Popular actor Jim Iyke was spotted at Petrolex mega oil city, Ibefun yesterday.

The actor posted a photo on Instagram with the caption below:

” At IBEFUN for the launch of #PETROLEX 300 MILLION LITRE TANK FARM AND MEGA OIL CITY.
WITH @mikewondercode. This dude been with me from day one!
WITH GM PPPRA. MR O. O. AGBAJE AND MICHAEL NWONU HEAD LZO PPPRA AND @ogadave
Our company table #CARGOLIS; C.O.O DR DAN AND ED MR UMAR AND HEAD PR CONSULT/ SPOKESPERSON MR J.I”

realnas:
In as much as what trump did was wrong that is not enough excuse for Muslims to blame every Jew for that decision knowing that not every Jew agrees with or approves of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians, over the years there have been a number of prominent Jews that spoken out against the occupation of Palestinian territories jews like Norman finklestein, George soros etc have been critical of Israel the idea of boycott of anything Jewish is outright amusing and should be ignored

Did you even listen to yourself?

It's like saying, SARS operatives have committed several atrocities, accusing innocent people wrongly, brutalizing citizens without reason and exploiting young boys. However, because a few SARS operatives are good, the EndSARS protest is completely wrong and the advocates are fools!

The Jews are so great and so blessed that the entire world must turn a blind eye to any atrocity they commit. They are so good that they are always blameless and they are so blessed that nobody dares criticize them. They are God's people and so their neighbors deserve to be their slaves. They have contributed so much to humanity they can be allowed to treat anybody like trash.

I pity mankind!

Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, estranged wife of South African President, has assumed one of the two front runners for the presidency.

The 68-year-old is vying to succeed her ex-husband, President Jacob Zuma, as leader of the ruling African National Congress at a party vote this weekend.

She is a fierce campaigner against racial inequality whose hostility to big business has rattled investors in South Africa.

She is also one of two front runners to be the country’s next president.

Her success as leader of the party would make her favourite for the presidency after a parliamentary election due in 2019.

A medical doctor and former chair of the Commission of the African Union, a pan-continental grouping, Dlamini-Zuma has pledged during her campaign to “radically” tackle the racial inequality that persists in South Africa 23 years after the end of white minority rule.

Backers of her main rival, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, say she is peddling populist rhetoric and would rule in the mould of her former husband.

Her former husband decade in power has been plagued by corruption scandals. Dlamini-Zuma declined to be interviewed for this story.

The choice between Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa will influence South Africa’s economic policy trajectory, as well the country’s role in Africa and beyond.

Investors are worried by Dlamini-Zuma’s hostility towards international companies, which she says form part of a “white monopoly capital” cabal dominating South Africa’s wealth.

“A Dlamini-Zuma victory would signal a sharp rhetorical shift towards more leftist economic policy,” said John Ashbourne, an Africa-focused economist at Capital Economics. “A further credit ratings downgrade would be almost inevitable.”

Yet Dlamini-Zuma’s supporters point to a commitment to changing the lives of South Africa’s black majority.

Lynne Jones, a psychiatrist and author who lived with Dlamini-Zuma when they were students together in the English city of Bristol in the 1970s, says her determination to fight injustice is rooted in her own personal story.

Jones remembers a day four decades ago when Dlamini-Zuma lay on her bed and wept after being forced to miss her brother’s funeral because the apartheid-era security services had hounded her out of South Africa.

“She was fiercely intelligent and determined,” said Jones.

“Here was someone who had put their whole life on the line and given up home and family for what they believed. It was eye-opening.”

Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini married Jacob Zuma, with whom she has four children: Msholozi (born 1982); Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube (born 1985), who married the son of Zimbabwean politician and President of the MDC, Welshman Ncube; “Thuli” Nokuthula Nomaqhawe (born 1987); and their youngest daughter, Thuthukile Zuma, who was appointed Chief of Staff of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services in 2014.

Dlamini, Zuma’s third wife, divorced him in June 1998.

http://africanprobe.com/2017/12/13/south-africas-next-president-zumas-former-emerges-top-contender/

Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, shared pictures of himself donning a traditional attire, with the captions: “I am proud of my cultural orientation it might not appeal to you but the right way to go is cultural revival” and “When men were men where were you?”

The photos, which actually might not appeal to people, shows the Sports Minister looking like a typical village archer with battle wounds.

See more at: http://www.todaysecho.com/dalung-goes-half-nude-shares-traditional-photos/

Yesterday, Dec 12 2019, dignitaries stormed the town of Ibefun, Ogun state for the commissioning of the Petrolex Mega oil city.

Prior to the commissioning, the wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari had visited the site on Sunday. She was in the company of Mrs Paulen Tallen and Mrs Gimbiya Dogara

The Petrolex mega oil city is the site of a 300 million litre tank farm; the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Upon completion, it will also house a 250,000 bpd refinery, a lube plant, fertilizer plant and gas processing facility.

The Mega Oil City has 30 loading gantries, residential quarters, ultramodern health centre and a 4000-truck capacity trailer park with accommodation for drivers.

The Oil City will create over 10,000 new jobs, impact over 2 million lives, improve distribution of petroleum products by over 500 percent, improve efficient delivery of products to retail markets and eliminate over 2000 tankers from Apapa road.

Dignitaries at the event include:

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu

Ogun State Governor, represented by the S.S.G, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom

GMD of NNPC, Maikantu Baru

Senate President, represented by Senator Dino Melaye

Cheif Adebutu Kesington(Baba Ijebu)

Former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko

The Ooni of Ife

The Oba of Lagos

The Alake of Egba land

The Obi of Onitsha

Chairman, Elizade motors, Chief Ade Ojo

See more: http://www.todaysecho.com/top-politicians-dignitaries-storm-ibefun-petrolex-commisioning/

Yesterday, Dec 12 2019, dignitaries stormed the town of Ibefun, Ogun state for the commissioning of the Petrolex Mega oil city.

Prior to the commissioning, the wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari had visited the site on Sunday. She was in the company of Mrs Paulen Tallen and Mrs Gimbiya Dogara

The Petrolex mega oil city is the site of a 300 million litre tank farm; the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Upon completion, it will also house a 250,000 bpd refinery, a lube plant, fertilizer plant and gas processing facility.

The Mega Oil City has 30 loading gantries, residential quarters, ultramodern health centre and a 4000-truck capacity trailer park with accommodation for drivers.

The Oil City will create over 10,000 new jobs, impact over 2 million lives, improve distribution of petroleum products by over 500 percent, improve efficient delivery of products to retail markets and eliminate over 2000 tankers from Apapa road.

Dignitaries at the event include:

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu

Ogun State Governor, represented by the S.S.G, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom

GMD of NNPC, Maikantu Baru

Senate President, represented by Senator Dino Melaye

Cheif Adebutu Kesington(Baba Ijebu)

Former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko

The Ooni of Ife

The Oba of Lagos

The Alake of Egba land

The Obi of Onitsha

Chairman, Elizade motors, Chief Ade Ojo

See more: http://www.todaysecho.com/top-politicians-dignitaries-storm-ibefun-petrolex-commisioning/

On December 12, 2017, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, will be at Ibefun, Ogun State to commission Africa’s largest tank farm built by indigenous oil and gas company, Petrolex Oil and Gas Limited. He will be joined by other dignitaries, including the minister of state for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, the governors of Ogun and Lagos States, Ibikunle Amosun and Akinwunmi Ambode, and the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikantu Baru.
Without the legacy investment by Petrolex, perhaps most people would never have heard about Ibefun. It is a small Ijebu town close to Itoikin, one of Epe’s satellite towns. The people of Ibefun are traditionally farmers and fishermen. The town is located at the bank of a river, which connects to the Lagos Lagoon. It is approachable from Lagos mainland, via Ikorodu through Itoikin. It is also accessible from Lagos Island via Epe. Lastly, it is accessible from other parts of the country via the Lagos-Ibadan expressway through the Sagamu road.
The situation of the Petrolex Mega Oil City has finally put the name of the sleepy town on the map and created immense opportunities for its people. So much has been said already about Petrolex Mega Oil City and the ongoing projects there.
The property is the site of a 300 million litre capacity tank farm with 20 storage tanks. It the location of the location proposed 250,000bpd refinery as well as a lube plant, fertilizer plant and gas processing facility. All these facilities will be ready at full completion of the mega city. The intention of Petrolex is that the area becomes a large energy estate that will be the biggest and best in Africa.
So much has also been said about the benefits of the mega oil city to the Nigerian economy. Nigeria is the largest producer of oil in Africa, yet it has had to face fuel shortages in recent times. A storage facility of this size will increase the availability of petroleum products and reduce the likelihood of a fuel shortage. Moreover, a new Petrolex refinery will complement Dangote’s refinery which is already nearing completion, to make-up for the poor output of government-owned refineries that have been operating at 5-10% capacity.
The gridlock at Apapa and Ibafo is another problem that the Petrolex mega oil city hopes to resolve. According to the Chairman of Petrolex, Mr Segun Adebutu, he lived in Apapa, but had to pack out one day when there was a gas build-up in one of barges and it exploded and shattered glass in his house.

Read more on: http://www.todaysecho.com/petrolex-mega-oil-city-game-changer-nigerian-economy/

As expected, On-air-personality and leader of the #Freethesheeple movement, Daddy Freeze has responded to Leke Adeboye’s claim on how the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has recorded improved viewership and tithing due to Freeze’s anti-tithe campaign.

In a post shared on Instagram, Freeze says:

“Hi Leke Adeboye, the convener of the Free the Sheeple Movement and leader of the Free Nation in Christ greets you and brings glad tidings. How is your daddy? Greet him for me. Tell him I extend my utmost regards and considerations.

“I will also like to congratulate you on the expansion of your family business, congratulations Leke, it shows you are going to inherit a bluechip company.

“However, I am a man of figures, instead of just saying that there’s been a 33% increase in tithing, can you please show us some bank account details- four months ago and three months ago.

“Because what you are saying doesn’t seem to coincide with the attitude of the pastors on the pulpit, the way they are so desperately trying to protect their tithing, saying people will die if they don’t tithe, trying to use astronomy to justify tithing…

Click to watch video and see more: http://www.todaysecho.com/provide-bank-details-prove-tithe-increment-daddyfreeze-fires-back-leke-adeboye/

More photos from the site

The first picture attached to the post: (from L to R) Mrs Paulen Tallen, Mrs Gimbiya Dogara, Mrs Aisha Buhari, and Petrolex chairman, Segun Adebutu

Second picture: Aisha Buhari and Segun Adebutu

The wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari yesterday, paid a visit to the Petrolex Mega oil city at Ibefun, Ogun State. The Petrolex mega oil city is the site of the 300 million-liter tank farm that will be commissioned tomorrow, Dec 12, 2017. It is also the site of the proposed 250,000 bpd refinery, which will be the second, privately-owed refinery in Nigeria.

The wife of the president was accompanied by the wife of the Speaker, house of Representatives, Mrs Gimbiya Dogara, and former Deputy Governor of Plateau state, Mrs Paulen Tallen(OFR)

Besides the refinery and the tank farm, Petrolex is also building a lube plant, fertilizer plant and gas processing facility, which will turn the entire Ibefun into a petrochemical hub; the like that has never been seen before in West Africa. The Mega Oil City has 30 loading gantries, residential quarters, ultramodern health centre and a 4000-truck capacity trailer park with accommodation for drivers.

The Oil City will create over 10,000 new jobs, impact over 2 million lives, improve distribution of petroleum products by over 500 percent, improve efficient delivery of products to retail markets and eliminate over 2000 tankers from Apapa road.

The Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo is expected at the event tomorrow. He will be joined by other dignitaries, including the minister of state for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, the governors of Ogun and Lagos States, Ibikunle Amosun and Akinwunmi Ambode, and the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikantu Baru.

http://www.todaysecho.com/photos-aisha-buhari-tours-soon-commissioned-petrolex-mega-oil-city/

The wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari yesterday, paid a visit to the Petrolex Mega oil city at Ibefun, Ogun State. The Petrolex mega oil city is the site of the 300 million-liter tank farm that will be commissioned tomorrow, Dec 12, 2017. It is also the site of the proposed 250,000 bpd refinery, which will be the second, privately-owed refinery in Nigeria.

The wife of the president was accompanied by the wife of the Speaker, house of Representatives, Mrs Gimbiya Dogara, and former Deputy Governor of Plateau state, Mrs Paulen Tallen(OFR)

Besides the refinery and the tank farm, Petrolex is also building a lube plant, fertilizer plant and gas processing facility, which will turn the entire Ibefun into a petrochemical hub; the like that has never been seen before in West Africa. The Mega Oil City has 30 loading gantries, residential quarters, ultramodern health centre and a 4000-truck capacity trailer park with accommodation for drivers.

The Oil City will create over 10,000 new jobs, impact over 2 million lives, improve distribution of petroleum products by over 500 percent, improve efficient delivery of products to retail markets and eliminate over 2000 tankers from Apapa road.

The Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo is expected at the event tomorrow. He will be joined by other dignitaries, including the minister of state for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, the governors of Ogun and Lagos States, Ibikunle Amosun and Akinwunmi Ambode, and the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikantu Baru.

First pix: Aisha Buhari with the chairman of Petrolex, Segun Adebutu
Second pix: L to R: Mrs Paulen Tallen, Mrs Gimbiya Dogara, Mrs Aisha Buhari with the Chairman of Petrolex, Mr Segun Adebutu

Further to his recent announcement engaging international law firms to lead the global effort to address legal and political-based issues, the Aiteo Group and Benedict Peters, its Executive Vice Chairman have appointed top Nigerian lawyers to complement their international representation efforts within the country.

The team, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (“SAN”), a former leader of the Nigeria Bar, comprises senior lawyers Kanu Agabi SAN and Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, both former Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice of the Federation, reknown Constitutional and Human Rights Lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, Messrs Paul Usoro, SAN, Rotimi Ogunesi SAN and A U Mustapha, SAN. All Senior Advocates (the equivalents of Queen’s Counsel in the United Kingdom) are distinguished practitioners at the apex of legal practice in Nigeria. Others lawyers include Ebenezer Obeya, Chief Andrew Oru, Mrs Boma Alabi, Messrs Chidi Nobis-Elendu, Emeka Ozoani and Joseph Nwatu.

Olanipekun, who is described as Nigeria’s Avant-Garde lawyer, is referred to as of Nigeria’s leading trial lawyer. Kanu Agabi, an accomplished litigator, served Nigeria twice as Attorney General as did Akin Olujinmi whose core practice is also litigation. Mike Ozekhome’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s foremost Constitutional Law and Human Rights advocates draws from a lifelong career of fighting oppression and injustice through courts and social advocacy. Paul Usoro is a nationally acclaimed litigation and transaction expert whose core areas span the gamut of commercial law practice. Excellent all-rounders Ogunesi (of the stable of Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN, also a former Attorney General of the Federation) and Mustapha make up the team of Senior Advocates. Others in the team include Security law expert Ebenezer Obeya, dual qualified and former President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association Boma Alabi as well as the combative Andrew Oru.

Announcing these appointments, Andrew Onyearu, Aiteo Group Executive Director and General Counsel said “… The Group’s belief in the Rule of Law and the legal processes in Nigeria require engagement with both commitment and premium resources. Recently, our conviction in the infallibility of our judicial processes continues to be vindicated by judicial pronouncements deprecating the unjustified calumnious attacks on our business and personal outlook. Our respect for this process mandates that those who advocate positions on our behalf possess and demonstrate the type of world-class credentials that our lawyers clearly possess.” He further observed that “…at the fulcrum of this stance is that desire to ensure that the course of justice is charted with the utmost sense of application, responsibility and expertise”. Quite significantly, he states that “…the Group has been adversely affected by a lithany of unsustainable unlawful developments affecting both reputational and commercial integrity in a manner that has negatively impacted its operations. The Group can no longer allow this situation to continue and as such, has resolved to take steps to protect all its legal interests. Recent positive – and ground breaking – outcomes from judicial interventions that we have achieved serve as clear pointers about the direction that we are now pursuing. Increasing the successful utilization of the judicial process in areas where we have been wronged will be the main objective of the team we have now put together.”

The scope of the work to be undertaken by the team will span the breadth of contentious legal work. It is understood, specifically, that one of its early mandates is to review defamatory publications commonly referred to as “open source” materials in which Aiteo and Peters have been featured in the last few years and to redress these fabricated insinuations by all available means including court actions, a process which appears to have already started.
http://www.todaysecho.com/wole-olanipekun-akin-olujinmi-sans-defend-peters-lawsuit/

Apapa is home to two of Nigeria’s busiest seaports, several tank farms and a number of big companies. Business activities in the area are a big component of Nigeria’s economy, however, despite its importance, the deplorable condition of Apapa—caused overtime by the failure of government to expand infrastructure development in line with growing population—has been a source of nightmare to port operators, commuters, motorists and the public.

Petrolex Group, a leading energy conglomerate in Nigeria has begun a move to drastically reduce the traffic gridlock at Apapa, which has been a source of anxiety to various stakeholders.

On December 12, 2017, Petrolex Group will commission the first phase of its Mega Oil City at Ibefun, Ogun State. The project worth millions of dollars, will not only decongest Apapa by as much as 60 percent, but also break record as the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa’s energy landscape.

Petrolex Mega Oil City is a legacy investment currently valued at over $330million dollars by PwC. The tank farm in the Oil City has the capacity to turnover 600 million litres of petroleum products every month, and will transform petroleum products storage and distribution in Nigeria, by catering for about 60 percent of in-country need.

“As a solutions-driven company, we are positioned to drive increased efficiency and consistent value creation across the West African downstream oil and gas value chain through our strategic investments and the delivery of superior quality products and services. Working with our diverse stakeholders, the successful completion of the first phase of our mega oil city in Ibefun, Ogun State, Nigeria demonstrates our disciplined approach to project management and signposts our ability to execute large-scale energy development projects that will move the region forward,” said Segun Adebutu, Chairman/CEO of Petrolex Oil and Gas Limited, during a media tour to the site.

The Mega Oil City has 30 loading gantries, residential quarters, ultramodern health centre and a 4000-truck capacity trailer park with accommodation for drivers. Upon completion in the next couple of years, it will completely transform into the largest petrochemical industrial estate in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, as home to a 250,000bpd capacity refinery, a gas processing plant, a lube plant and other feedstock industries such as fertiliser plants.

The Oil City will create over 10,000 new jobs, impact over 2 million lives, improve distribution of petroleum products by over 500 percent, improve efficient delivery of products to retail markets and eliminate over 2000 tankers from Apapa road.

Petrolex Oil City’s impact on Apapa will be achieved because of its strategic location. The City is easily accessible by land and waterways. There is access to the Atlantic Ocean and products can be easily shipped in and out through fleets of specially designed barges sailing through the river on the site. So far, Petrolex has procured 10 barges, 2 tugboats and a daughter vessel. The company is also expecting additional 6 barges and 6 tugboats to strengthen its diversified approach to product distribution.

Adebutu said, “I lived in Apapa, I had to pack out one day when there was a gas build-up in one of barges and it exploded and shattered glass in my house. I grew up where there were palm trees and we could ride our bicycles about and within the space of a decade, we spend one and half hours to even get out of Apapa. The infrastructure in Apapa was for a residential and partly commercial area, not for the traffic it is facing now”. Adebutu said the congestion and attendant distribution problems requires immediate solution.

According to reports, social and economic activities in the axis generate close to N140billion weekly for Nigeria and accounts for about 80 percent of imports and exports in the country.

The situation became worse in May this year, when contractors from Flour Mills, Dangote Group and the Nigerian Ports Authority commenced a rehabilitation project that necessitated closing a part of the road.

Media investigations have shown that port users spend as much as 10 days going in and out of the port to evacuate their cargoes, a process that should take 24 hours or less. Also, commuters who work around the axis have recounted the hellish time they spend on the road, at times, having to turn back without getting to work.

The chairman of Apapa local government council, Owolabi Adele, said at a stakeholders meeting in August 2017, that as a result of the traffic gridlock at Apapa, more than 82 companies have relocated, leading to huge economic losses for Lagos State and the country at large.

The Petrolex Mega Oil City will no doubt be a complete gamechanger, with huge impact on Nigeria’s economy. Petrolex is not just building an alternative, it is creating ‘a new world of endless possibilities’. Petrolex is changing the narrative of Nigeria’s underperforming energy sector with industry defining assets along the entire value chain.
http://www.todaysecho.com/petrolex-mega-oil-city-ease-apapa-gridlock-60/

On a cold Thursday morning, while men were preparing for the day’s work, a certain lady walked out of a black sedan and the world turned upside down.

What she wore could be better seen that described. Both men and women starred with their mouths ajar. Middle-aged men did the sign of the cross and tried to look away but couldn’t. The young men sneered and whispered profanities, licking their lips. Some stretched forward their fingers and beckoned.

The girl ignored all the attention she generated. She went straight to the canteen, bought her meal and returned to the car. The car zoomed off and went through a gate into an estate. The onlookers starred at the letters emblazoned on the gate:

‘Welcome to Chevy view estate’

Located along the Lekki-Epe expressway, and close to the Lekki Conservation Centre and the Victoria Garden City, Chevy-view estate is an upscale housing project, connected to the head office of Chevron, international oil production company. The estate is home to a couple of rich and upwardly mobile people who find its serene environment pleasant.

It is reported that many celebrities, including popular footballers, Musicians and actors’ own buildings in the estate. Celebs who own property there include Omawunmi, Emmanuel Amuneke, and Funke Akindele. Young billionaire and quiet socialite, Jowi Zaza also lives there.

Today’s Echo gathers that the Chevy view estate is fast becoming the favourite hangout spot for ladies of easy virtue in this part of Lagos. It is a normal thing to see girls in heavy make-up, wearing various forms of skimpy outfits hanging around in the evenings. Sometimes you can even see them in daytime.

One of our sources told us this is due to the presence of many young internet fraudsters, usually called ‘Yahoo Boys’. It is common these days to see luxury sport cars drive by in the estate with a young man at the wheel. Mercedes Benz is their car of choice, according to an estate resident who describes the lifestyle of the Yahoo boys.

“Sometimes they go outside the estate to pick up the girls and bring them in, but most times the girls come here to meet them. They usually come in Uber taxies. Sometimes, a guy will just pack his car in the afternoon, playing loud music and smooching girls in the car.”

Another resident told us the Yahoo boys and the call girls like hanging out at the Pelican hotel.

“The Yahoo boys love the Pelican hotel very well. The hotel was built by a yahoo boy. There is a huge bar at the topmost floor of the hotel where they hangout and work. Some of them live in the hotel permanently. The girls usually come to meet them there.”

The Pelican hotel is a multi-storey, imposing resort, overlooking the Oakwood Park hotel. The difference between the two hotels is obvious although both look grand. While the Oakwood Park hotel looks serene and exclusive, Pelican seems like a lively hangout. Most of the visitors to Oakwood park seemed the corporate sort while the visitors to Pelican seemed like revellers.

On the evening that Today’s Echo visited the Pelican hotel, a couple of ladies in different forms of skimpy outfit were hanging out outside the hotel. Unlike the prostitutes found in brothels and some parts of the mainland, the ladies here look cleaner and more attractive. We went in and met more ladies. There also several young men, especially at the bar, which is by a swimming pool. The correspondent approached a lady close by. She quickly put on an enthusiastic, plastic smile as we shook hands. She revealed her name as precious. She is also pretty, and one could not doubt that she must have spent a fortune on the clinging gown she wore. How did such a pretty girl get into this.

With a cigarette on one hand and a glass of vodka on the other, Precious told us how she came to Lagos and met a rich Alhaji who took care of her, paid for her school fees and got her an apartment. Two years after giving the Alhaji a baby, he decided to end the relationship. He took back his baby and stopped giving her money, so she had to go back to the streets to fend for herself.

When I asked her how much it would take to have her for the night, she smiled and demanded for N20, 000 naira.

I remembered the story a man working in a company in the estate told me. He said he was driving home when he picked up a girl standing by the roadside. While driving, he struck up a conversation. She was a pretty girl and being a bachelor, he became interested in her. He was somehow surprised but also glad that she seemed attracted to him also. They decided to go to a bar and had a couple of drinks and she ended up in his house. She woke him up in the morning demanding for N15, 000. He had never been more astonished! All the while he had thought they were mutually attracted to each other. For the girl, it was just a business transaction.

I reminded Precious that what she's asking is half of some people’s salary, but she promised me it would be worth it. I asked if people really pay her up to that amount and she nodded.

“Bros, people have money in this Lagos oh. And they spend it when they want to have a good time. The Yahoo boys sometimes pay more than that.”

I became curious, so I prodded further. “Introduce me to one of them so that I can make enough money to carry a fine girl like you.”

She smiled and pointed to the main hotel building.

“If you want to meet them, they are right there upstairs in the hotel.”

I couldn’t probe her further. I just left her with a smile and proceeded to the reception. I asked for a bar but was directed to the one I was coming from, so I just strolled out, imagining how it must have looked like upstairs.

http://www.todaysecho.com/chevy-view-estate-new-hotspot-sex-workers-yahoo-boys/

Except for a few students waiting to see their professors, you barely know that the department has any student. You also would not know that men like Emeritus Prof. Andrew Onokerhoraye and Prof. Gideon Omuta who were endued with exceptionally bold and creatives minds once walked these corridors without pageantry.

Indeed, you never know that it was here, on the third floor of the faculty of social sciences that the great minds which shaped the thinking of Benedict Peters, the founder and Executive Vice President of the Aiteo Group, had their offices years ago.

I was at that great school, which prides itself as the greatest in West Africa, a few weeks ago and thought it a rear opportunity to find out the kind of student Mr. Peters was in his days at the university.

“Benedict Peters? …yes, yes, yes, he was one of my students in my early days here in the 1980s,” one of the lectures who is now an associate professor at the department told me.

“I read about him in the newspapers these days. Yes, he is one of our boys,” the professor said as he nodded furiously with a sense of pride and fulfilment. “Its common to hear that our students have become business leaders, it’s a unibest thing!” he added as he tactically refereed to Uniben as the best university in West Africa; something the school’s alumni and dons do often.

“What I can tell you is that Peters was not the kind of student who sat in front during classes, neither was he among the backbenchers. But he sure communicated well, passed his exams and dressed neatly and impressively too,” the associate professor said as he reclined into his seat as if he had delivered a homily.

These days, when Mr. Peters tells the story of his life, he still speaks about the University of Benin, his father and then the dream he had about starting a small business that would cater for his mother after his father passed away.

His professors however say that there was something about the way the young Peters communicated in class back in the day that made “you know that he was on a journey. “But being an academic, I couldn’t fathom what the young man’s destination was,” a female professor who teaches at the department told me.

A tale of small beginning

Mr. Benedict Peters was not born to a family with great privileges. He in that difficult year, when Nigeria was plunged into civil war. His father hailed from Onicha Oloma an Ibo speaking community by your left, after Agboh on the road to Asaba.



Somewhat close to the river Niger, the town is known for its deep Roman Catholic heritage. (That may explain why Mr. Peters and his younger brother share names with two contemporary popes: Benedict and Francis.) Growing up, their father was a middle-income banker.

At his father’s retirement, Benedict Peter’s was still a student at the University of Benin and that incident put some pressure on the small family which was residing in Benin at the time. Mr Peters lived in the small town of Ekosodin as a student.

After completing his education at the age of 22, he ventured into banking, traded in commodities, and later Nigeria’s biggest industry: Oil and gas.

“At some point, I had to do large scale trading of tomatoes from the northern parts of Nigeria to the south,” he told a group of young Africans who gathered to hear his story recently. In his normal hypnotic oratorical style, he told the room packed with teary eyed young men: “I know what it means for a young man to struggle and make it from nothing.”



The journey to OML29



Mr. Peter’s voyage in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is perhaps the most epic of his odysseys. In the 1990s when the industry was dominated by Europeans and Americans, he joined forces with a group of ambitious young Nigerians who founded Ocean and Oil, the entity now known as Oando Nigeria Plc.

After a while, he moved to MRS Oil Nigeria Plc as Group Executive Director, ending his stay at the company as its Managing Director. He left in in 1999 to establish Sigmund Communecci.

Those were days where Nigerians really lacked the capital and technical know-how to manage major businesses in the oil and gas industry. But a crop of Nigerian entrepreneurs was doing what they could to make the landscape different.

Frist, it was Imo Itsueli, who ventured out in 1989 to found Dubri Oil Company Limited which is Nigeria’s first independently owned Exploration and Producing Company. Now, it was the likes of Mr. Peters who were leading the way in the industry. (Although, in the downstream segment of the industry.)

In 2014, Mr. Peter’s founded the Aiteo Group, the successor entity to Sigmund Communecci. The company owns one of the largest petroleum tank farms in Nigeria with facilities in excess of over 250 million litres on over 100,000 square meters of landmass. It also owns and operates the Abonnema Storage Terminal.

It is because it had established a visible footprint on the industry that it had the effrontery to bid for Shell’s OML29.

In 2010, the Nigerian government made a law that ensured that all offshore divestment in the oil and gas industry were in favour of local oil and gas companies. That meant that if an international oil company was spinning off any of its onshore Oil Mining Leases (OML) local players were priority in the purchase process.

Incidentally, Shell was about to sell OML29 at exactly the same time that the new law came into force. Mr. Peters saw in it a brilliant opportunity. His company, the Aiteo group put in a bid for a 45% stake in the asset, along with several other Nigerian companies, in what would be one of the most competitive and most transparent processes in the industry’s history.

A statement by Shell was later to state that: “This divestment is part of the strategic review of SPDC’s onshore portfolio and is in line with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s aim of developing Nigerian companies in the country’s upstream oil and gas business.”

The process was primarily between Shell and a consortium led by Aiteo and the laws of Nigeria were followed to the letter. There were no irregularities on the side of Shell neither where there irregularities from Aiteo. In the end, the contract was ascended to by the Nigerian government and the asset was successfully transferred.

But what’s even bigger news is what Aiteo did with the asset upon acquisition. As of September 2017, there were estimates that the asset had grown output by 200%!

As I sat listening to the Mr. Peter’s lectures tell about the outliers that have been produced by their department, I wondered if they knew that Benedict Peters will turn 50 on 5, December 2017.

From: http://www.todaysecho.com/benedict-peters-maverick-uniben/

Federal Government College Ogbomoso Old Students Association, FEGOCOOSA, is set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its alma mater on December 2, 2017.

The event, which will hold at KFA Event Centre, Lagos, is themed ‘Celebrating a Legacy of Friendship and Nation-building.’ It is projected to be the single largest event FGC Ogbomoso has ever had, which will bring together graduates from all sets since the hub of excellence was created.

According to Deremi Atanda, the Chairman, Publicity Committee for the event, Unity Schools in Nigeria are a proof that “education can be used as a tool to forge national unity especially during the formative years of children.” Therefore, the Old Students have decided to keep this vision alive, by bringing it to public consciousness that the value system across these schools has to be reinforced.

FEGOCOOSA has also drawn a five-year roadmap for coordinated academic and sports intervention programmes for the school. Some projects have commenced during the first phase of the 40th anniversary celebration earlier in October 2017.

Federal Government College Ogbomoso began alongside twelve other unity schools in 1977. It is one of the most vibrant of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) established by the Federal Government of Nigeria with a vision to foster unity among the various ethnic group, that exist in the country.

FGC Ogbomoso, fondly referred to as the ‘Crucible’ by members of the alumni body, has produced several industry leaders, that cut across the financial, oil and gas, entertainment and sports industry, to name a few.

These students, who were brought together from all over the country, have been able to form long-lasting relationships irrespective of ethnic or religious backgrounds.

Using the platform of the 40th anniversary, the old students have decided to partner with stakeholders to transform the school’s infrastructure, academic quality and sports life in a sustainable way.

Apart from having an opportunity to reminisce on school days and reconnect with old friends, the event will also be an advocacy platform for the government to restore the objectives of national unity through improved investment in unity Schools.

Source: http://www.todaysecho.com/40th-anniversary-fgc-ogbomoso-alumni-celebrate-legacy-friendship-nation-building/

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 25, Nigerian Afro-hip hop artiste, Oritsefemi will be getting married to his yellow-skinned lover, Nabila Fash.

The grand event, which the couple has done well to create enough buzz for, will be held at the Ark Event Centre, Block 1, Plot 2 Okunde Blue Water Drive, Lekki Right Side, Lagos. Four cows to be slaughtered for the event were seen tied down this morning. The invitation card has been out since October while sales of the 40k Aso Ebi has also kicked off.

For Oritsefemi and Nabila Fash, theirs is the quintessential celebrity wedding. Nabila told media people a few weeks ago that their wedding will be like a carnival or a concert, because she is getting married to a man of the people.

Oritsefemi and his wife have never been more wrong. Tomorrow, most people won’t even know they are getting married. Most celebrities won’t attend and even if bloggers pick up the story, most readers won’t see it.

This is because another wedding will be taking place that will eclipse their own. Tomorrow in Cape Town, South Africa, Banky W and Adesua Etomi will be having their white wedding. Last week, the couple had their traditional wedding in Nigeria, which had the crème de la crème of the Entertainment industry in attendance. We have still not seen the end of reports from that event as the media bombard us with one thing or the other, including the agbada Ebuka wore!

With the preparations for, and money spent on Oritsefemi’s wedding, it will be unfortunate if the event is completely eclipsed by Banky W and Adesua who are set to storm the airwaves tomorrow.

Read more: http://www.todaysecho.com/wedding-party-oritsefemi-picked-wrong-date/

Jowi Zaza takes 2 ladies shopping

More pictures of Jowi Zaza

This is Jowi Zaza, one of the youngest moneybags in the country. He is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of naira and is younger than 35! Although he has largely been silent, enjoying his wealth beyond the prying eyes of bloggers and journalists, Today’s Echo has discovered a few things about him.

Jowi Zaza drives the latest, sleekest of cars and hangs around in the poshest places. You will always find him lounging and hanging out in places like the Al Jumeirah in Dubai, the Red-light district in Amsterdam, New York, the Caribbean, London, Turkey, and a host of others.

Investigations reveal that he lives in a mansion at Chevron drive in the Lekki area of Lagos. His mansion is well equipped with state of the art swimming pools and lined with several sleek cars. He also shops for luxury goods, including labels like Gucci, Zara, and Louis Vuiton.

Jowi Zaza is reportedly younger and richer than popular Gucci ambassador, Hushpuppi, who likes to flaunt his wealth on social media.

Although, his source of wealth has not been verified, he is reported to own an oil company. He did not specify his occupation on his Facebook profile, which indicates, ‘self-employed’.

Jowi Zaza is a graduate of Madonna University.

Read more at : http://www.todaysecho.com/exclusive-mysterious-billionaire-younger-richer-hushpuppi/

The Redeemed Christina Church of God (RCCG) is set to further blur the lines between the church and what the Lord Jesus Christ described as ‘the world’ as it invited controversial juju artist, King Sunny Ade to perform at its Mega Praise Jamz which was scheduled to hold on October 30 in Ebute Meta.

Read more: http://www.todaysecho.com/musician-seven-wives-perform-rccg-mega-praise-jamz/

The international terminal of Nigeria’s major airport, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is fast becoming an eyesore as cats, rats and decay are weighing down on the facility.

On the surface, the terminal which was modelled after the Amsterdam Airport, Schiphol, may impress travellers who are hurriedly passing through, but the infrastructure and inner workings of the place show a completely different picture of decay and poor maintenance.

Rats are running amok at the facility which is now also a home to a multitude of cats. Also, most sections of the airport are at various stages of uttermost disrepair.

“I think the cats were introduced to chase away the rats but strangely, they have become friends as they move together freely,” a woman who sells food at a canteen in the airport told our reporters. “I think the cats have enough food to eat, so why bother with rats,” the woman asked.

She tells of a certain day when two cats that were fighting in the ceiling close to her shop fell to the floor of the arrival lobby in broad day light. “You need to see how the Nigerians who were there took to their heels as if a ghost had suddenly appeared. Only the white people who are used to having cats around had the courage to keep looking as the battle between the animals unfolded,” she says.

Trouble in paradise

In most developed and developing countries, the international airports are seen as a marketing tool; this is not the case with the Muritala Muhammed International airport.

The sections of the airport where most airlines have their offices is horrible. Some of the walls are broken, the paint is rundown, and airlines have to resort to self-help to bring their offices and surrounding environment some face lift.

It is not uncommon to see roughly done patches made with cement on the floors and walls which have either cracked or are on the verge of cracking.

Also, ceilings fall off occasionally and the major elevator has become a frightening monument because of poor maintenance and old age.

The air conditioners at the departure section of the airport work and the place is rather well lit however, the arrival section presents a different picture. Most of the air conditioners have stopped working, a good number of the fluorescent light are perpetually blinking and do not come on, also the ceiling are under the burden of age, most which were installed as neat white sheets show patches of decay, mould, and a greyish or creamy colour as a result of long periods or exposure amidst lack of maintenance.

Get into the toilets and a far worse scene greets you. Unlike many airports in the world where there is provision for toiletries, that does not exist in Murtala Muhammed airport. There are broken toilets, falling ceilings, clogged toilets and urinary and in one of the male toilets in the arrival section, a huge fan has been deployed in the toilet because the air conditioner has completely broken down, and the fan is the only way to blow out the stench of human waste.

Deep dark dungeon

But the major shocker lies underneath the last two floors of the airport. When TODAY’SECHO investigators got to that section, it was a frightening picture of how the bottom of an airport should not be.

Uncontrolled water dripping from the air-conditioners above actually lead to large pools of water in the basement of the airport.

Personal efforts at patching the airport are effort
“When vice president Yemi Osinbanjo was here, he was shielded from seeing this place,” my guide tells me. This dingy section of the airport is supposed to be a veritable section where the supplies of those who handle commerce at the facility were supposed to be housed.

But this is the actual home of the rats, cats, and other rodents at the airport. In this section, there is no viable security, its dark and moulds are everywhere.

The awful smell of decomposing food and the decay of a building that has not enjoyed the pampering of renovation in years is evident everywhere.

Commerce and a web of deception

More than forty businesses operate from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. There are at least 34 shops or small businesses in operation, eight banks have outlets there while four major telecoms operators have operations in the place.

One of the small shop operators who runs a canteen said that they pay as much as N7million annually for the space. There is also a penalty for those who do not pay their rents on time. The banks, bureau de change operators and telecoms companies obviously pay more. And it cannot be said that the airport is not making money from this facility.


Apart from these incomes, major banks have invested millions on sponsorships and advertisement at the airports. Key among them are Zenith Bank and UBA. Other key advertisers are the telecoms companies, which also use the opportunity to sell their sim cards to Nigerians and foreigners who have just arrived from other countries. We estimate that the authorities rake in nothing less than N700million from rent and these promotional activities annually, not to talk about the taxes which passengers pay for using this air.

(Not to mention the amount of money that airport officials make from begging and extortion at the airport, as they embarrass and irritate commuters who are making trios in and out of Nigeria.) As expected, things at the airport are extremely expensive. The small businesses sell food, drinks, magazines, newspapers and national memorabilia. And some of the merchants say that they would have operated better businesses if the infrastructure is better. “I don’t see why I should pay so much for this rundown place,” a trader said. “But because of the unemployment situation, what will I do if I don’t run this business she asks.”

Black elephant projects

It is not that there has not been massive investment on the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Successive administrations and governments have invested sizable funds, in attempts at bringing the airport up to speed.

In 1999, there was a massive remodelling at the airports. In successive years, funds were committed to the airport. In 2017, the federal government allotted N31.1 billion for construction and repairs of federal airports across the country while Murtala Muhammed International airport was concessioned.

A travel website, The Guide to Sleeping in Airports, last year rated the Port Harcourt aerodrome as the “world’s worst airport”. Lagos and Abuja international airfields were also named among the 10 worst airports in Africa.

http://www.todaysecho.com/cats-rats-decay-take-murtala-mohammed-international-airport-buhari-looks/

Apparently, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate and intellectual of high repute, our own Wole Soyinka is currently in the USA, despite all his previous threats that he would tear his green card if Trump wins.

Prof Soyinka was spotted at the prestigious Havard University yesterday, delivering a lecture to a youthful audience. Novelist, playwriter and movie director, Onyeka Nwelue who is a good friend of the professor shared the pictures on his Facebook Timeline.

He wrote: “From last night at Harvard University! He was not going to Cyprus. He was coming to teach us.”

“I’m at Harvard University with my true love, Wole Soyinka.

He is here, giving lectures until the 16th. In the picture with me is the one and only Professor Louis Gates Jnr.

I will make some awesome announcement in a few days. Stay with me!”

http://www.todaysecho.com/photos-wole-soyinka-delivering-lecture-havard-university/

Buhari is silent about running but he has stepped up his political activities, touring aggrieved areas and reconciling with neglected allies. Yet, not all declarations of loyalty are real.

The upsurge in political activities by the party and the presidency, the recent APC caucus and National Executive Council meetings, the sudden seriousness with the anti-corruption war, the reunion with perceived estranged party leaders, the vicious clampdown on those who want to contest in 2019, and his current tour of the aggrieved South-East region are all indications that Buhari is onto something.

One of the perceived estranged party leaders that Buhari has been hanging out with recently is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. On Oct 31, when Buhari met with the leaders of the APC ahead of the party’s NEC meetings, he had met Tinubu privately indoors. Although we might never know what they spoke about behind closed doors, but we can infer that it has to do with seeking Tinubu’s support for his re-election. After the meeting, Tinubu had publicly declared his support for the president, denying all reports of rift between him and the president. It is pathetic that while Tinubu was meeting with the president, his first son died of cardiac arrest, but his loyalists decided to wait for him to return to Lagos before breaking the news to him. Since the unfortunate incident, Tinubu has returned to his usual mood of eloquent silence.

Jagaban, as Tinubu is fondly called, is widely regarded as a heavyweight in Nigerian politics. Prior to 2003, he was one of 6 southwestern governors from the Alliance for Democracy(AD). A PDP political storm swept away all the AD governors except Tinubu, who did not only survive, but emerged even stronger. He has continued to wax stronger since then, successfully forming alliances that increased his political influence and installing two successors to the governor’s office in Lagos. He emerged out of the ruins of the AD, formed the Action Congress(AC), which culminated into the Action Congress of Nigerian. Finally, the Jagaban aligned his ACN with Buhari’s CPC, the remnant of the ANPP and a breakaway faction of the PDP in 2014 to form the All Progressives Congress(APC), the party that snatched power from the PDP and installed Buhari as president.

It has been over 2 years of APC rule and things have deteriorated between Buhari and Tinubu. The two seemed to have become estranged as communication between them dwindle and Buhari’s government is perceived to have taken so many steps without his consultation. On some occasions, Buhari had been seen to take a different course of action with a total disregard for Tinubu’s ideas. Also, many people complain that Tinubu has been cheated in appointments, as only a few of his loyalists were appointed by the president.

Also, in the series of state governorship elections between 2015 and now, Tinubu and the president have been seen to support different candidates at the primaries. This was quite obvious in the Ondo State gubernatorial election. The state is within the Southwest, generally regarded as Tinubu’s territory and many thought the president would allow him to endorse a candidate for the party. Instead, the president and his loyalists supported a candidate whom Tinubu had vehemently opposed. Even, some of Tinubu’s loyalists became instruments used to enforce the victory of the president’s candidate in a move seen to be a gross affront and embarrassment to Tinubu. It is therefore, surprising to many, that the Jagaban would publicly declare support for a man that seems to have treated him with so much disregard.

Tinubu’s declaration of support should not come as a surprise to anybody. The man is a political tactician with a briefcase full of diplomatic tricks, and he is just simply playing safe. One of his strengths is his ability to delay his intentions until the last minute, or not to declare them at all but simply act. We have to remember that despite the huge influence Tinubu wields, Buhari remains the president and has all the instruments of power at his disposal. The president is also an intense man, who has been seen to go after his perceived opponents ruthlessly. This can be glimpsed from the recent crackdown Fayose and Atiku. Two of Fayose’s aides were arrested by the EFCC less than 24 hours after he declared to run for president while Atiku’s logistics company, Intels has been disposed of its juiciest contract; the NPA concession, even before the man had declared his intention. While news reports were still going around that he had declared to run, Atiku himself started denying those news reports, apparently fearing a blow-back from the president’s henchmen.

Yoruba leaders have often been known to be adept at masking their true intentions. During the civil war, after the successful invasion of the midwest by forces loyal to Biafra, it has been said that Ojukwu had contacted Chief Obafemi Awolowo through Victor Banjo on the possibility of Yoruba support. Awolowo had assured Banjo that if the Biafran thrust to the West from the East succeeded, the Yoruba would support the Biafrans and declare Oduduwa state. However, when it appeared the Western thrust was going to fail, Awolowo quickly aligned with the Federal side and proposed a policy that would bring untold hardship to millions of Biafrans but would end the war quickly.

Tinubu himself has been known to be silent on his real intentions. In 2011, the ACN under Tinubu tacitly supported Goodluck Jonathan, despite having Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate. They did not declare support for Jonathan publicly, they simply toned down their campaign for Ribadu and the results were glaring. When indeed, Tinubu decided to throw his full weight behind a politician as he did with Buhari in 2015, the results were also glaring.

While it is too early to speculate on the plans being hatched by this experienced political tactician, it is safe to take his declaration of loyalty to Buhari with a pinch of salt.

http://www.todaysecho.com/revealed-tinubu-may-not-support-buharis-second-term/