News
NMDPRA shuts 19 illegal gas outlets in Delta
By Francesca Hangeior
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has sealed 19 illegal Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Category D cooking gas outlets in Delta State.
Category D LPG operators are those who refill gas from licensed plants for customers to collect from their premises.
The NMDPRA Coordinator in Delta, Victor Ohwodiasa, disclosed this to journalists in Warri on Tuesday, noting that “the illegal gas outlets were sealed within the past two weeks.”
According to him, the outlets were shut down in Orerokpe, Ogwashi-Ukwu, and Warri, as well as other surrounding areas.
Ohwodiasa explained that “the illegal gas outlets were closed for offences ranging from lack of prerequisite approvals to unsafe locations.”
He said, “During the operation, about 28 illegal outlets were identified by the authority. We tried to assess whether they could be regularised, as they were wrongly sited.
“The outlet sealed in Ogwashi-Ukwu was a five-metric-tonne refilling plant constructed by the roadside, close to high-tension cables.
“The authority assessed the environment and found that it was wrongly located on a right of way and had no approval. It was sealed, and a relocation order was issued immediately.
“Other offenders were engaged in what we call ‘decanting’—that is, transferring gas from one cylinder to another. This is strictly prohibited.
“The correct practice is ‘bottle swap,’ where customers exchange their empty cylinders for filled ones,” he said.
The NMDPRA Coordinator stressed that “the exercise is not intended to frustrate small-scale gas business owners but to ensure they operate in a safe and secure environment.”
He urged landlords not to allocate space to Category D LPG operators seeking to conduct illegal business on their properties.
“The goal is to prevent potential fire outbreaks that could endanger lives and property,” he stated.
Ohwodiasa added, “NMDPRA is committed to ensuring that lives and property are adequately protected.
“Imagine someone storing cooking gas near a welding workshop or where food vendors are frying bean cakes or roasting corn. A gas leak in such a setting would have catastrophic consequences.
“If an illegal operator does not value his own life, it is our duty to ensure he does not endanger himself or others by running an unauthorised facility.”
He assured that the regulatory authority would sustain its enforcement efforts across the state and that any violators would face legal consequences.
He also warned that offenders who refused to relocate their facilities would be handed over to security agencies for prosecution.
The coordinator appealed to the public to report anyone engaging in illegal gas transfers to the NMDPRA for prompt action, saying, “Help us to serve you better.”
Ohwodiasa further assured that the regulatory body would continue sensitising operators, noting that the authority holds annual stakeholder engagement meetings with gas plant owners and Category D operators.
He added that the regulatory authority also runs public awareness campaigns on radio and television to educate people on the safe handling of cooking gas due to its volatility.
The coordinator expressed appreciation to the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Engr. Ahmed Farouk, for his continued support of regulatory operations in the state.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecasted a delayed start to the rainfall in the northern and central states of the country for the 2025 rainy season.
NiMet indicated that although there will be an early onset of rainfall in the southern states, specifically Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra, and certain areas of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi, the northern and central areas, including Plateau and parts of Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa, and Kwara is expected to experience a delayed rainy season.
During the annual seasonal climate prediction briefing, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, emphasized that pre-onset rainfall activities should not be mistaken for the actual beginning of the rainy season, as has been the case in previous years.
The NiMet forecast revealed that an earlier-than-average end to the rainy season is expected in parts of Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti, and Ondo states.
Conversely, a delayed end to the season is anticipated in parts of Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, Lagos, Kwara, Taraba, Oyo, Ogun, Cross River, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Enugu states.
Overall, the length of the rainy season in 2025 is expected to be largely normal across the country
However, Borno and parts of Yobe may experience a shorter duration, while Lagos and Nasarawa are likely to see a longer-than-usual rainy season.
The NiMet prediction also showed that “during the April-May-June (AMJ) season, there is a likelihood of a severe dry spell of above 15 days after the establishment of rainfall in Oyo state; Moderate dry spell that may last up to 15 days is likely to occur in Ekiti, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Edo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom states in the south. However, for the northern states, a severe dry spell that may last up to 21 days is predicted for the June-July-August (JJA) season of 2025.
) By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Nigerian Senate has appointed chairmen and deputy chairmen of standing committees to oversight the regional development commissions.
This appointment is coming on the heels of the assent of President Bola Tinubu to bills that are establishing some regional development commissions in the country,
In announcing the appointments, the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Obot Akpabio listed the names as follows:
1. Sen. Babangida Hussaini and Muntari Dandutse as Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate committee on North West Development Commission;
2. Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu and Senator Kenneth Eze are the Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively for the Senate committee on
South East Development Commission;
3. Sen. Titus Zam Tartenger and Sen. Isa Jibrin are the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on North Central Development Commission;
Also, the Senate reshuffled the leadership of some standing committees.
With that reshuffling, Sen. Abdul Ningi has moved from Population to head the Senate committee on FERMA.
Also, Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan was moved from the committee on local content to Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisation where she will be the chairman.
Sen. Garba Maidoki was appointed as Chairman Senate Committee on Sports development, while Senator Joel Thomas becomes the new Chairman Senate committee on Local Content.
Also, Senator Victor Umeh, moved from the Senate committee on Diaspora, will now be the Chairman Senate committee on National Population and NIMC.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Ex- Communication Minister Adebayo Shittu has decried the high poverty rate in the country, saying many Nigerians have become beggars.
Shittu, while appearing on an AIT programme, Focus Nigeria, cited examples of how Nigeria’s economic condition has turned citizens into beggars.
The ex-minister, who lives in Ibadan, said a Nigerian called him from Bauchi to beg for N1,000 to feed, adding that another woman called him 30 times to beg for N3,000.
He said, “Yesterday, before I left Ibadan, somebody phoned me from Bauchi and begged me for N1,000.
He said he had not eaten for two days. Again, about a week ago, somebody also called me, a woman who wanted N3,000. At the time she wanted that morning, unbelievably, I myself didn’t have that money, and the woman called me 30 times in one day.”
He maintained that poverty had been weaponized in the country to the extent that when politicians go to the people for votes, they tend to be more interested in what the politicians can give them rather than what they are capable of doing.
Shittu said, “It’s not my business to douse the poverty of such people calling. So when you go to such people to ask for their votes or support, they don’t care what you’re capable of doing. What they are interested in is what they can get out of you today.”
However, contrary to Nigerians’ beliefs about political appointees, the ex-minister, who served under the Muhammadu Buhari administration from 2015 to 2019, said he currently doesn’t have money because he didn’t steal while in office.
Shittu said he survives on the monthly resources his 10 graduate children give him for upkeep.
SEE list of States that will experience delayed rainfall in 2025
Senate: Chairmen, deputies appointed to oversight regional Development Commissions(List
Someone called me 30 times to beg for N3k — Ex-minister decries alarming poverty rate
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