As part of efforts to ensure a smooth National Biosafety Conference, the Director General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 in Abuja inaugurated the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the conference, which is the third in the series.
Director General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, with members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC)
The DG/CEO charged the Committee to be up and doing in order to properly show case the Agency and its mandate.
He said: “We have a very serious responsibility to showcase our expertise as the Biosafety authority in Nigeria and you should not disappoint the Agency.”
According to him, the objective of the annual Biosafety Conference is to bring stakeholders together to discuss how to strengthen the Nigerian Biosafety System and to enlighten them on the National Biosafety status.
Dr. Ebegba, who announced that the conference will hold at the Nile University in Abuja on Thursday, September 14, 2017, said various agencies would partner with NBMA to ensure the success of the forum.
Responding, Chairperson of the Committee, Ms. Chinyere Nzeduru, Director, Environmental Biosafety & General Release, commended the DG/CEO for bestowing on them the honour of organising the forth coming conference and said they would work as hard as possible to ensure that the event meets the set standard.
The entry into force of the Minamata Convention on Mercury on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 establishes the first new multilateral environmental agreement in over a decade, according to the Zero Mercury Working Group and SRADev Nigeria.
Leslie Adogame of SRADev Nigeria
The groups, who claim that they had been calling for a legally binding treaty for over a decade, have welcomed the new protocol.
“While there are alternatives to mercury, there are no alternatives to global cooperation,” says Michael Bender, coordinator of the Zero Mercury Working Group.
“Mercury respects no boundaries and exposes people everywhere,” notes Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of SRADev Nigeria. “Only a global pact can curtail this dangerous neurotoxin.”
In October 2013, the convention text was adopted and signed by 128 countries, but would not take legal effect until at least 50 countries had ratified it formally. The milestone was reached in May, 2017, and the convention eventually entered into force on August 16.
“We are now on the right track line,” states Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, Project Manager, European Environmental Bureau and ZMWG Co-coordinator. “Over time, the Convention is expected to provide the necessary technical and financial resources to reduce exposure risks worldwide. Governments must therefore move swiftly towards efficient implementation of the Treaty’s provisions.”
Seventy-four countries have so far ratified the Convention – excluding Nigeria.
“On one hand we are elated that the global Convention has finally come to effect but, on the other hand, we feel disappointed that Nigeria is seating on the fence. Ratification is about ‘acceptance’ and commitment to the Convention,” laments Adogame.
He adds: “For us who have been promoting national action since the inception of the process, it is really a shame that Nigeria is not joining the League of Nations to COP1 as a ‘Party’ to the Convention, rather as an ‘Observer’. It is unacceptable that while many African countries ‘blazed the trail’ to ratify, we simply lagged behind after four years of signing the Convention in 2013, whereas the Federal Executive Council (FEC) gave its approval as far back as April, 2017. The implication is that Nigeria will not be able to derive technical and financial support it could otherwise gain.”
The aim of the Convention is “to protect the human health and the environment” from mercury releases.
The treaty holds critical obligations for Parties to ban new primary mercury mines while phasing out existing ones and also includes a ban on many common products and processes using mercury, measures to control releases, and a requirement for national plans to reduce mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. In addition, it seeks to reduce trade, promote sound storage of mercury and its disposal, address contaminated sites and reduce exposure from this dangerous neurotoxin.
The First Conference of the Parties (COP1) will take place from September 24 to 29, 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 1,000 delegates and around 50 ministers are expected to assemble in Geneva to celebrate and lay the groundwork for the treaty’s overall effectiveness.
The Conference will culminate in a High-Level Segment (on September 28 and 29, 2017) hosted by the President of Switzerland, entitled “Make Mercury History”, to celebrate the commitment of the international community to the Minamata Convention. It will be preceded on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September by preparatory meetings, including regional and Bureau meetings.
The Minamata Convention joins three other UN conventions seeking to reduce impacts from chemicals and waste – the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
The incoming Fijian COP23 Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Monday, August 14, 2017 invited all countries that have not yet done so to nominate a national focal point for Gender and Climate Change prior to the COP23 UN climate change conference, which will take place from November 6 to 18, 2017 in Bonn, Germany.
Chief Negotiator for the Fijian COP23 Presidency and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan
According to the COP23 Presidency, the gender focal point will assist with all gender-related decisions and mandates under the UNFCCC processes, including work to develop and implement the first Gender Action Plan at COP23.
The Chief Negotiator for the Fijian COP23 Presidency and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, said that both the UNFCCC and the COP23 Presidency recognise the importance of the equitable involvement of women in sustainable development and the implementation of climate policies, including the Gender Action Plan.
“This is why we are pushing for decisive action to finalise the Gender Action Plan at COP23. This is an important priority for us at the upcoming COP. We are committed to ensuring that women’s voices are heard because women are key agents of change in their communities,” she said.
“Our experience in Fiji and similar experiences around the world have shown that the increased participation of women in political discussions has led to a stronger response to the effects of climate change, as well as greater cooperation across political and ethnic divides,” she added.
The Ambassador also added that at COP23 the Fijian Presidency and the Government of Switzerland will host a special diner for female leaders.
All Heads of Delegations and CEOs of institutions engaged in climate change attending the climate summit are invited, she disclosed, adding that the dinner will take place on November 13, one the eve of Gender Day, which will take place at COP23 on November 14.
To nominate a national gender focal point, in accordance with Decision 21/CP.22, paragraph 22, all Parties are asked to email, via their UNFCCC focal point, a signed letter to the UNFCCC Secretariat (secretariat@unfccc.int and copy gender-team@unfccc.int) with the following details: Name, Title, Institution, and Contact Information (telephone, email, fax, website, if applicable).
Once nominations are received, the newly appointed National Focal Point for Gender and Climate Change will be published on the UNFCCC Gender and Climate Change website, it was gathered.
The on-going Independent Audit of the Oil and Gas Industry covering 2015 by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has recorded 94% compliance by companies and relevant government agencies. Fourteen companies topped the ranking table with a maximum score of 100%. The companies are Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Consolidated, Continental, Eroton, Esso Exploration, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and Niger Delta Petroleum Resources.
Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio
Other oil companies within the 100% compliance ranking include Nigeria Gas Company, Orient Energy, Star Deepwater Petroleum and Waltersmith Petroman. Remarkably, two government agencies, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board also recorded 100% compliance in the ranking.
Similarly, five companies namely: Shoreline, Statoil, Petrobas, Mid Western and ND Western, scored between 98% to 94% to book their respective places in the top compliance ranking category. In the same direction, twenty companies scored between 80% and 88% while twelve others recorded between 72% and 75% in an exercise industry experts have described as successful and innovative.
The compliance ranking report further showed that only four companies representing 6%, failed to make submissions before the deadline. Of these four companies, two made submissions after the ranking deadline had elapsed and therefore scored zero ranking, while two others failed to comply at all.
The criteria for the compliance ranking focused mainly on two major critical areas in the NEITI audit value chain. These are timeliness and completeness in submission of information and data requested by NEITI in the audit templates. While timeliness measured when the covered entities submitted the templates, the completeness considered how many of the applicable templates were submitted.
Speaking on the ranking exercise, the Executive Secretary of NEITI Mr. Waziri Adio, remarked: “We decided to rank companies and government agencies covered by the NEITI audit process so as to incentivize timely and complete compliance.
“Given that this is the first time we are doing this, we are very impressed with the compliance rate. We commend the high fliers and call for improvement from others. We want to see a situation where all the entities score 100% possibly by next year.’’
The data collection and voluntary submission of information and data in NEITI/EITI Audit process is a major step in the independent audit value chain. NEITI wishes to state that this exercise does not represent full compliance assessment with the audit process, as the audit is not yet completed. All entities will be further ranked in terms of their cooperation with the NEITI auditors, the accuracy of their data and level of reconciliation, among others.
The process began on May 2, 2017 when the audit templates were dispatched by NEITI to affected companies and relevant government agencies. This was followed by a workshop to enlighten all the companies and relevant government agencies on their roles in populating the audit templates.
At that workshop, the entities were duly informed of NEITI’s plan to rank them in terms of compliance. NEITI also published the company compliance ranking procedure and the deadline in the national dailies. The deadline was later moved from June 1 to August 3, 2017. This became necessary to enable more entities complete the templates and return same to NEITI. During the ranking exercise, 65 covered entities, made of up 55 oil and gas companies and 10 relevant government agencies, participated.
NEITI’s decision to carry out a compliance ranking for companies and relevant government agencies covered by NEITI process is to push the boundaries of implementation of EITI in Nigeria as provided for in the law and global standards.
The 2015 independent oil and gas audit by NEITI is set out to examine payments made by companies including taxes, royalties, rents, signature bonuses where applicable and receipts by relevant government agencies. The audit will also report on quantities of oil and gas produced, exported or imported. It will carry out validation of payments by companies against receipts by government agencies to determine if companies paid what they ought to pay and if government received what it should receive.
The exercise will equally review policies and procedure of revenue collection, report on cases of underpayments and under assessments. The audit process will weigh the financial, physical and process transactions during the period under review on the scale of transparency and accountability as required by the global EITI standard and provisions of NEITI Act.
It is important to further clarify that all information and data submitted will still be subjected to further verification, validation and reconciliation by the independent auditor engaged by NEITI through painstaking international competitive bid process.
Adio commended the companies and government agencies for their level of cooperation and compliance.
The details of the 29-page report on the company ranking is already available on NEITI website www.neiti.gov.ng. NEITI is equally working on developing an annual index that will rank companies and government agencies in the extractive sector space in terms of their adherence to the tenets of transparency and accountability.
Meanwhile, the National Stakeholders Working Group (NEITI Board) has ratified the appointment of a reputable indigenous company, Haruna Yahaya & Co, to conduct the audit exercise (2015 Oil & Gas). This was one of the key decisions taken by the NEITI Board at its meeting over the weekend.
The Board’s decision followed the approval of the competitive contract process undertaken by NEITI by the Bureau of Public Procurement. Haruna Yahaya & Co had in the past conducted two different cycles of audit for NEITI in the solid minerals sector. The Auditors are expected to conclude the assignment by November this year.
South Energyx Nigeria Limited, the developers and planners of Eko Atlantic City situated adjacent to Victoria Island, has partnered with Fine and Country West Africa for the Refined Investors Series 2017, scheduled to take place in London, United Kingdom on October 6 and 7, 2017.
Model of Eko Atlantic City
The event, described as the leading premium real estate forum, is themed: “Taking Nigeria to the World” and is targeted at Nigerians in the Diaspora and other international investors.
The Refined Investor Series UK is a premier event focusing on unique real estate opportunities in Nigeria that are reportedly safe, secure and highly sustainable. The event also targets affluent and high net worth individuals and astute investors in the Diaspora. The series aims to celebrate the best of Nigerian real estate.
During the forum, Eko Atlantic City will be exhibiting to showcase the expertise that have been put into building of the estate. Also, the documentary video that depicts milestone of the city as a blend of infrastructure, engineering and technology will be shown to the audience.
Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Ronald Chagoury Jr, Vice Chairman of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, said: “Eko Atlantic City is excited to be part of the Refined Investor Series in the United Kingdom. The road show will grant investors in the diaspora the opportunity to invest directly into Eko Atlantic City. The road show will certainly restore the confidence of Nigerians in the diaspora who are unwilling to invest in the country’s real estate sector.”
Eko Atlantic’s planning divides the estate into 10 distinct districts (for Phases 1 & 2 only) connected with a transport systems integrated with the Lagos waterways. The Business District is said to be home to the future financial hub of Africa, and covers 700,000 square meters of prime real estate.
According to the promoters, the city will fulfil the residential needs of Lagos State, while also catering to her commercial needs. Other highlights of development in the city so far include the completion of 14 bridges, the Great Wall of Lagos (which the estate’s proponents say has reduced the ocean surge into Victoria Island and environs), and the Eko Pearl Towers, amongst others.
The scheme has an infrastructure network, including a communications system, remarkable road network and uninterrupted electricity supply. Upon completion, Eko Atlantic City will accommodate about 300,000 people as residents while 200,000 individuals are expected to commute to the city on a daily basis either for work or business transaction.
The police on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 prayed the Federal High Court, Lagos to compel Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, counsel to suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike also known as Evans, to pay a punitive cost of N300,000.
Evans
The Police want the lawyer to pay the cost for alleged wrongful service.
Evans, through Ogungbeje, had filed N300 million fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), alleging wrongful detention.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Commissioner of Police (COP) Lagos State and the Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as second, third and fourth respondents respectively.
The suit was stalled before Justice Abdulaziz Anka on July 20, following Ogungbeje’s failure to comply with a July 13order to pay the police N20,000 as costs.
However, at the commencement of proceedings yesterday, Ogungbeje informed Justice Anka that the cost was paid on August 10.
He said he had complied with the court’s order to serve the respondents and that the matter was ripe for hearing.
But counsel to the COP and SARS, Emmanuel Eze, opposed him.
Eze argued that Ogungbeje failed to serve IGP and NPF in Abuja as directed by the judge.
He said: “It is not true that the matter is ripe for hearing. This is a fundamental rights enforcement suit brought by the applicant.
“He has not got the leave of court for the matter to be heard during vacation. That is the condition precedent to hearing any matter during vacation.”
Relying on Section 215 of the Constitution and Order 5 Rule 8 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, Eze argued further that the COP Lagos State and the IGP were distinct personalities.
Ogungbeje, he stated, had only served the COP at Alagbon in Lagos but had yet to serve the IGP in Abuja.
He said: “Our submission is that he has not taken steps to clothe this court with jurisdiction to hear this case. Since Ogungbeje has refused to do the right thing, we are asking the court for costs of N300,000.”
In response, Ogungbeje maintained that the IGP and NPF were served on June 29 at the addresses contained on the originating motion and that the proof of service was in the court’s file.
He said: “Order 5 Rule 2 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules has made it clear that service on the respondents’ agents will amount to personal service on respondents.”
He argued that since Eze announced appearance for only the third and fourth respondents, he had no locus to speak for the IGP and The Police.
“He had no mouth to speak for the first and second respondents when there is proof of service.
“Lastly, this proceeding is sui generis (unique). As we speak, the applicant (Evans) is still in detention.”
He urged the court to discountenance Eze’s application for N300, 000 costs.
A Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 froze the sum of N206 million belonging to a Lagos firm.
The Federal High Court in Lagos
The funds, suspected to be proceeds of fraud, are under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC said it reasonably suspected the sum to be part of a fraudulent transaction and proceeds of crime by two respondents, Vermilion Studio Products Ltd and a woman, Akintola Olubunmi Vera.
Vacation Judge, Justice Abdulaziz Anka, authorised the agency to confiscate the money pending the determination of its investigation and possible prosecution of the case.
Justice Anka made the interim order following an ex parte application of August 10, 2017 by the Commission’s counsel, George Chia-Yakua.
Chia-Yakua told the judge that the sum was domiciled in two First Bank accounts numbered 3100844602 belonging to Vermilion Studio Products and 3011147218 belonging to Vera.
According to a supporting affidavit by an EFCC investigating officer, Paul Ugema, the agency commenced investigation of the matter following a petition it received.
The petition alleged that the respondents diverted over N206 million property of Mooncrest Enterprises Nigeria Ltd.
Ugema swore: “It was discovered that the respondents were making suspicious funds transfer into the accounts subject of investigation.
“I know as a fact that the money found in the accounts of the respondents are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.”
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, has congratulated Dotun Oladipo on his election as the new President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
Dotun Oladipo, Managing Director, The Eagle Online, and President of GOCOP
Oladipo was elected during the association’s election held on August 9, 2017 in Lagos.
Senator Udoma’s message was conveyed through a letter addressed to Oladipo.
The letter, dated August 14, 2017 and signed by Akpandem James, the Special Adviser to the Minister, said: “It is with great delight that I convey the Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma’s felicitation to you and your team for emerging successful at the Guild’s election held on Wednesday last week ahead of your very successful Annual General Conference in Lagos on Thursday.
“The Minister particularly notes your untiring efforts at building the Guild and was not at all surprised that members confidently elected you to lead them. The other members of your team were no less considered, as they have played pioneering roles at different points in the emergence of the very formidable platform whose members make up the Guild.
“Senator Udoma has been following the activities of the Guild and notes its contribution so far to national development and particularly the cordial relationship the Ministry shares with its members.
“It is rather unfortunate that your conference fell on the same day that the Ministry hosted a Cabinet Retreat in Abuja, a development which made it impossible for the Minister or any Senior member of the Ministry to be part of your conference, but the minister has indicated his intention to work towards further enhancing the relationship between the Ministry and GOCOP going forward.”
Similarly, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, congratulated Oladipo.
Iworiso-Markson also congratulated other members of the Guild who emerged victorious during the election.
They are Maureen Chigbo, the Publisher of RealNews magazine, who is now the Deputy President; Danlami Nmodu, Publisher of NewsDiaryonline, General Secretary; and Collins Edomaruse, who is the publisher of Metro Watch Online, as Deputy General Secretary.
Others are Segun Adeleye, Publisher of World Stage, who was elected the Financial Secretary; Janet Mba-Afolabi, Publisher of the Scroll, who is the Treasurer; and Olumide Iyanda, Publisher of Qed.ng, who emerged the Publicity Secretary of the Guild.
Iworiso-Markson in his congratulatory message said the election of Oladipo would further strengthen the Guild and position it for greatness as it continues to carry out its core mandate of informing and educating people through various online platforms.
He also expressed his appreciation to the entire members of the Guild for the relationship it has maintained with the Bayelsa State Government under the leadership of Dickson.
A delegation of Conservation International (CI), an American nonprofit environmental organisation, and HURIDAC, a Nigerian non-governmental organisation, on Monday, August 14, 2017 visited the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja, the federal capital city. Delegates were received by the Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril.
According to CI, it desires to collaborate with the Ministry on environmental development and related aspects.
The Minister informed the delegation on efforts towards effective management of the nation’s seven National Parks. He also spoke about the ongoing efforts in restoration of the ecosystem of the Niger Delta through the Clean-Up Campaign and empowering the youthHajia Amina Salihu, Chair, Board of Trustees (BOT) of HURIDAC, shed some light on the organisation’s partnership with Conservation International on human rights as well as conservation and development issuesMike Onyeka, Senior Vice-President, Africa, Conservation International, expressed appreciation and acknowledged strong political will for conservation in NigeriaThe delegation explored partnership opportunities to strengthen ongoing conservation efforts by the Federal GovernmentThe visit ended with agreed next-steps, putting environmental development at the core of future partnership
Unless a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos decides otherwise, a firm, Omritas Energy Limited, may be wound up over its inability to pay a debt of N57.6 million.
The Federal High Court in Lagos
The petitioner, AYM Shafa Limited, in a motion on notice brought pursuant to order 26 Rule 1 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2009; section 408 (D) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004; order 19 of the Companies Winding up Rules, 2001 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, sought the court for an order granting leave to the petitioner /applicant to advertise the winding up petition by one insertion in the Federal Government of Nigeria official gazette and two national daily newspapers to wit: Sun and Vanguard newspapers being newspapers circulating nationally and within Lagos where the respondent has its head office in compliance with the Companies Winding up Rules 2001.
Trouble began when the company offered to supply the petitioner 1,000,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) at the rate of N150 per litre which the petitioner payed N150,000,000.00 to the respondent but the respondent allegedly supplied 337,000 litres at N150 leaving a debit balance of N99,450,000.00.
After so many fruitless demands made to the petitioner to complete the supply of the DPK, the petitioner opted to take Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) at the rate of N160 per litre wherein the respondent supplied 339,000 litres, leaving a balance of N45,210,000.00.
Subsequently, the respondent approached that it has a cargo of AGO and will sell at the rate of N160 wherein the petitioner paid the respondent the sum of N105,760,000.00 for the supply of 661,000 liters of AGO but the respondent supplied only 583,000 litres of AGO leaving a debt balance of N12,480,000 when added to the earlier N45,210,000 brings the outstanding debt brings the total debt of the respondent to N57,690,000.00.
Notwithstanding several demands by the legal representative of the petitioner to the respondent to pay up its indebtedness, the respondent failed to do so. The respondent also made an undertaking on October 27, 2016 before the national chairman and former national chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) to liquidate its indebtedness to the petitioner but failed to honour it.
Having failed to honour the undertaking it made before PTD national to pay its indebtedness to the petitioner, the respondent made another undertaking before the Commissioner of Police in Bauchi state to liquidate its indebtedness to the petitioner by January 11, 2017 which undertaking the company failed to honour.
On January 13, 2017 the respondent made another undertaking to pay its indebtedness to the petitioner and issued four Diamond bank cheques dated February 27, March 13, 27 and April 10, 2017 which cheques upon presentation were all dishonoured.
The petitioner therefore urged the court to make an order that Omritas Energy Limited be wound up by court under the provisions of sections 409(a) and 410(1)(b) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, CAP C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
But the respondent claimed that the petitioner has not complied with the law in presenting the petition therefore challenging the competence of the petition describing same as an abuse of court process.
The respondent also denied being indebted to the petitioner to the tune of the amount claimed or any sum at all. It further maintained that it only has 360,563 litres of AGO to supply to the petitioner and that parties subsequently disagreed on the price and the point of loading which is yet to be resolved before presentation of this petition.
Meanwhile Justice Ayotunde Faji has adjourned the matter till October 10, 2017.
