Muhammadu Buhari News

Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is expected to ease congestion at the country's ports and help it become an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations.President Muhammadu Buhari has made building infrastructure a key pillar of his government's economic policy, and hopes that this will help his ruling party win votes during next month's presidential election.The new Lekki Deep Sea Port is 75% owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram group…

The death toll from a boat accident in Nigeria's southeastern state of Anambra has risen to 76, the president said on Sunday. The vessel capsized on Friday amid heavy flooding in the Ogbaru area of Anambra, according to officials on Saturday, when they said at least 10 people had died and 60 were missing.In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said that emergency authorities had confirmed the higher death toll.Authorities are working to rescue or recover any missing passengers…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim commended Nigeria’s antipiracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea as the West African nation continues to make strides to curb attacks against ships in the world’s top piracy hot spot.Lim said recent actions made by the West African country to restrain piracy in the region “send a strong and valuable message to the international community”.The IMO head welcomed the latest initiatives to address maritime security concerns in the Gulf of Guinea…

Nigeria will only allow cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than two weeks to dock in its ports to prevent the spread of coronavirus, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday.Health experts fear a widespread outbreak in Africa's most populous country of 200 million people which could overwhelm its creaking healthcare system.Nigeria has closed its land borders and international airports in the last week to curb the spread of the virus.Buhari said on Twitter he had issued a directive that "only cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than 14 days be allowed to dock in our ports…

The Federal Executive Council of Nigeria approved the Suppression of Piracy and Maritime Offences Bill, reported TVC News. The approval was given at a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The two bills will now be forwarded to the National Assembly for approval and passage. The bill is to ensure the protection of the maritime industry against Piracy. According to Business Day, the intention is to accord protection to the maritime industry against piracy and indeed come up with a comprehensive policy position incorporated into the bill which is intended to ensure that at the end of the day…

Nigeria would be hosting the 3rd Conference of the Association of Heads of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA Conference) in Abuja, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, from 19th -21st of April,2017 in a bid to continue to improve on its role as a global player in the comity of maritime nations. Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) director-general Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said in a statement that the meeting will be hosted in conjunction with International Maritime Organisation (IMO). It will bring together major maritime administrators and leading stakeholders in Africa to discuss ways of improving the maritime sector on the continent.

Nigeria's government will seek a lasting peace settlement with militants in the oil-producing southern Niger Delta region in 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari said in a New Year's message on Saturday. Attacks on oil facilities in Nigeria's energy hub, coupled with low oil prices, helped push Africa's biggest economy into recession - the first in 25 years - in the second quarter. Crude oil sales account for two-thirds of government revenue in the OPEC member country. Attacks by militants, who want a greater share of the country's energy wealth to go the impoverished oil-producing swampland, have been less frequent since November when Buhari held talks with community leaders from the region.

Royal Dutch Shell has resumed crude exports from the Forcados terminal in Nigeria's restive Niger Delta following repairs after a militant attack, the Nigerian presidency said on Tuesday.   "The Shell Director, Mr. Andrew Brown, informed the President of the resumption of oil exportation through the Forcados terminal following its restoration," the presidency said after a meeting between Brown and President Muhammadu Buhari.   (Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea signed an agreement to establish combined patrols to bolster security in the Gulf of Guinea, which has been plagued by piracy in the last few years, a spokesman for Nigeria's president said on Wednesday. Garba Shehu said the agreement, which comes amid the backdrop of a rise in pipeline attacks in the oil-producing Niger Delta region of Africa's biggest crude producer, was signed late on Tuesday by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Pirate attacks in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, a significant source of oil, cocoa and metals for world markets, pose a threat to shipping companies. Pirates target oil tankers, usually wanting hostages for ransom and to sell stolen fuel.

Royal Dutch Shell has asked ship owners exporting its Nigerian oil to sign a "letter of comfort" (LoC) to guarantee it is not stolen, according to an email from the company seen by Reuters. In July, state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) banned more than 100 tankers from Nigeria's waters, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, who wants to trace and recover what he calls "mind-boggling" sums stolen from the oil sector. Last month, the NNPC lifted the ban but asked ship owners to sign a letter of comfort to "guarantee to indemnify" it against any illicit use of their vessel. This led some owners to reject pending bookings.

Nigeria's latest effort to combat theft could imperil its oil income lifeline, compounding the damage the crude price fall has done to its finances, access to dollars and imports. Oil traders and shipping brokers said a newly implemented "letter of comfort" requirement under which vessel owners must sign a guarantee that their ships will not be used for theft has made it more difficult and expensive to load Nigerian crude, putting some buyers off. A copy of the letter draft seen by Reuters asked vessel owners to "guarantee to indemnify" the government and national oil company NNPC against any illicit use of their vessel, which led some owners to reject pending bookings. Traders say others are refusing future requests for now.

Nigerian authorities hope to put an end to rampant oil theft in eight months by increasing drone and naval monitoring of territorial waters and working with local communities, the state oil company chief said on Tuesday. The Niger delta has been plagued by oil theft for years that has left the region heavily polluted and prompted foreign oil companies, particularly Shell, to sell onshore assets. "We must eradicate oil theft in eight months ... Most of our product pipelines are ruptured and attacked frequently," Emmauel Ibe Kachikwu, head of the National Nigerian Petroleum Corp, said in an emailed statement. The reason for the deadline was not immediately clear.

Nigeria's state oil company has cancelled its contract for the delivery of crude to the country's refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna, it said on Wednesday. Oil sales account for about 70 percent of government revenue in Nigeria, Africa's top crude producer, but the country imports most of the fuel used by its 170 million inhabitants because of its inefficient, ageing refineries. "The corporation has cancelled the current contract due to exorbitant cost and inappropriate process of engagement," a Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) statement said, adding that the aim is to cut costs and improve efficiency. Overhauling the energy sector in Africa's biggest economy has been a priority of President Muhammadu Buhari…

The Nigerian president's sudden, unexpected and seemingly unilateral decision to ban nearly 100 oil tankers from the country's waters has sown confusion in the operations of Africa's largest crude exporter. The edict directly from President Muhammadu Buhari's office appeared to be part of a campaign pledge to crack down on oil industry corruption and theft. But the disarray it has caused, even three weeks on, underscores the problems Buhari faces in trying, as an oil industry outsider, to tackle problems in the sector head on. "It's a mess," one trader said of the ban. Buhari has kept the oil portfolio for himself for now, and said that he would not appoint ministers until September.

A ban on 113 oil tankers by Nigerian state oil company NNPC must be lifted immediately as no grounds have been given for the measure, the global oil tanker industry association said in a letter of protest. NNPC issued a letter on July 15, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, which said the vessels, mainly VLCC crude oil tankers, were banned from calling at Nigerian crude oil terminals and also from Nigerian waters with immediate effect. Industry association INTERTANKO, whose independent members own the majority of the world's tanker fleet, said in a letter to NNPC, dated July 22, that there were no "evidence or grounds" given for the ban.

Intertanko has issued a strong protest against Nigeria's decision to ban 113 tankers from its coast. Nigeria's state oil company NNPC has recently banned 113 oil tankers from the country's waters, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, in what traders said could be part of efforts to crack down on illegal crude oil trading. In a letter to Gbenga O. White questioned why these particular ships had been banned, with many on the list having never even traded to the West African nation before. It noted that no reference was given to policies and requirements relating to the ban or evidence of why individual vessels had been banned. The letter added: “Many of these vessels have not traded to Nigeria for a number of years; some have never been there.

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in Cross River State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the N20 billion contract awarded to Calabar Channel Management (CCM) for dredging Calabar Port by former President Goodluck Jonathan. The shippers lamented that the dredging contract has become a conduit pipe through which successive administrations in the country looted funds, adding that every 10 years, the contract is awarded, money paid while contractors disappear from site after collecting money. The President of Nigerian Shippers Association, Calabar branch, Mr. Mike Ogodo demanded that NPA should come out clear to assure the public that the 2014 dredging award was not a scam experienced in the past.

Nigeria's state oil company NNPC has banned 113 oil tankers from the country's waters, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, in what traders said could be part of efforts to crack down on illegal crude oil trading. The vessels, which include mainly VLCC crude oil tankers, are banned from calling at Nigerian crude oil terminals and also from Nigerian waters with immediate effect, said a letter circulated by NNPC, "pending a notice to the contrary by government". The letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters and which gave no reason for the ban, was dated July 15. NNPC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Since taking office in May, Buhari has been working to fulfil a campaign promise to tackle corruption, particularly in the oil industry.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organization (APCPCO) Friday accused the Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) of sponsoring a hate campaign against its presidential candidate, Maj- Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). In a statement yesterday, said that the organization has evidence and has confirmed that NIMASA was indeed the sponsor of all the documentaries against Buhari on media platforms. According to the director of media and publicity of APCPCO, Malam Garba Shehu, the development contravenes the NIMASA Act, Public Service Regulations, and the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. APCPCO said if the claims were to be true by the Joint Committee, disciplinary action should be taken against the agency and its leadership.

Ruling party reforms improved Apapa port; shippers still face delays and corruption. The road leading to the Lagos port, which handles nearly everything that Africa's biggest economy imports, is one of the most congested in a megacity whose traffic jams are legendary. Wide enough to accommodate only two lanes on either side, along it move the goods that Africa's top crude producer uses its huge oil receipts to buy -- everything from designer wear to dried fish, champagne and shampoo. The Apapa port is also one of the biggest bottlenecks in an economy throttled by power cuts and institutional dysfunction. Reforms to this behemoth by President Goodluck Jonathan and previous administrations of his People's Democratic Party (PDP) brought huge improvements over the past decade…