Author: Mujeedat
One person has been reported dead and four others remain missing after Borr Drilling’s Prospector 5 jackup rig sank offshore Gabon while preparing for a drilling campaign. According to Reuters, sources familiar with the incident identified the deceased as an Indian national. The four people still missing were reported to include three Gabonese nationals and another expatriate. Gabonese authorities, however, continued to list five people as missing as search-and-rescue operations proceeded. Of the 115 personnel aboard the rig, 110 had been accounted for following the incident. The accident occurred during jacking operations in the Dussafu Marin permit…
The Republic of Niger has imposed an overnight restriction on petrol sales across the country, except at designated stations, as authorities seek to address a nationwide fuel shortage. Under the temporary measure, marketers are prohibited from selling petrol between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., allowing suppliers, including the Nigerien Petroleum Company, Sonidep, to replenish station stocks. Authorities said the restriction was intended to improve distribution operations, ensure deliveries and restore petrol availability. However, the measure has added to difficulties facing commercial drivers, while motorists continue to endure increasingly long queues at filling stations. Residents of the…
Chain Reactions Africa has secured six nominations at the 2026 International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) Global Awards, emerging as the only Nigerian public relations consultancy on the published shortlist. The nominations cover campaign creativity, digital communications, artificial intelligence, public affairs, sustainability and diversity, adding to the independent consultancy’s growing international recognition. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Milan, Italy, on November 12, 2026. The awards are judged by an international jury and recognise public relations work demonstrating strategic insight, creative excellence and meaningful impact. Chain Reactions Africa was shortlisted in the Championing Diversity category, while…
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured residents that the completed Opebi-Odoiya Alaro Bridge will open to traffic once the installation of a steel monument on the structure is safely concluded. The governor gave the assurance during an unscheduled inspection on Sunday, saying the bridge would be available for use during the **Yuletide**. Sanwo-Olu visited the site to assess Julius Berger’s progress on the 25-metre-high ornament and establish why the bridge had not opened as previously anticipated. He explained that the monument was not included in the original bridge design but was introduced during the final stage…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to host two conferences in Abuja in December to strengthen border security, assess its modernisation reforms and advance cooperation on trade across Africa. The Comptroller-General of Customs Conference will hold from December 7 to 8, 2026, followed by the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference from December 9 to 11. In a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, the Service said the gatherings would connect national reform priorities with continental efforts to improve border management and facilitate legitimate trade.…
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has explained why the Tinubu administration is pursuing a more coherent relationship between monetary policy, revenue and tax administration. Oyedele stated this in his keynote address at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Finance and Business Online Publishers Association (FiBOP) held at Orchids Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. According to him, the initiative aims at aligning applicable tax levels, interest and penalty rates with prevailing monetary conditions, while preserving appropriate consequences for non-compliance. The Minister, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Revenue, Dr. Olufemi…
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir 6Adewale Adeniyi, has received the Transformative Reforms and Leadership Excellence award from the Finance and Business Online Publishers (FiBOP) in recognition of his efforts to modernise Customs operations and strengthen trade facilitation. The award was presented at the association’s 2026 annual conference in Lagos, where Adeniyi was recognised for initiatives aimed at improving institutional transparency, promoting technological innovation and strengthening border management. FiBOP highlighted his efforts to reposition the Service beyond its traditional revenue collection role towards a more modern, globally compliant trade facilitation institution. The recognition also acknowledged…
In a renewed crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking, the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone A has rescued five live pangolins, one of the world’s most endangered and trafficked mammals, from suspected smugglers along the Igbo-Ora/Imeko-Afon axis of Ogun State, barely seven days after a similar interception. The seizure was carried out at about 1:18am on Friday, 23 October 2026, following credible intelligence on the suspected movement of endangered wildlife. Acting on the information, the FOU Zone A patrol team intercepted the animals which were confined in wire-mesh cages and concealed in a manner clearly intended to evade…
The Nigeria Customs Service’s Operation Whirlwind has handed over five tanker trucks conveying suspected diverted Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel, to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for further investigation and administrative action. Speaking at the handover on Friday, October 23, 2026, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind said the exercise was conducted on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. The trucks bear registration numbers BBR 634 XA, BRK 828 MF, YLA 243 XU, KTN 278 XZ and MUS 134 BX. According to the coordinator, operatives intercepted the…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Trade Modernisation Project Limited (TMPL) have completed technical tests on newly acquired cargo inspection and tracking equipment in China ahead of its shipment to Nigeria. The Factory Acceptance Test covered Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) equipment and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS), which are designed to support cargo examination and real-time monitoring of consignments from ports to their destinations. A delegation led by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Information Communication and Technology/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, conducted the exercise from October 9 to 20, 2026, at the facility of the manufacturer, Nuctech…