The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has said that President Bola Tinubu does not interfere in its operations, or influence movements within it.

NNPCL argued that: “Employment, promotions, appointments, and movements of business leaders at the NNPC are not influenced by ethnicity, tribe, religion, or political affiliation.”

Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, stated these in a statement issued yesterday in response to the article, “Tinubu’s Buharisation of the NNPC” authored by Prof. Farooq Kperogi.

According to him, decisions within the NNPCL “are guided strictly by merit, business requirements, and expertise.”
Kperogi had in his article criticised what he called “Tinubu’s relentless Yorubacentric take-over of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)” alleging that “Yoruba people now occupy major positions at the NNPC and that a certain (person) is ‘being proposed as GMD after Mele Kyari’s term expires early next year.”

But Soneye in a statement said Kperogi’s article was full of misconceptions about the operations and leadership structure of the company.
He explained that NNPCL focused on efficient and effective service delivery, anchored on the commitment of qualified work team.

He also clarified that that President Tinubu did not interfere in the operations or leadership movements within the NNPC.
“On the contrary, his administration has introduced transformative policies that have added immense value to the oil and gas sector and the broader Nigerian economy.

“President Tinubu’s approach has been to empower institutions like the NNPC to operate independently while fostering a conducive environment for growth and innovation. His reforms have set a benchmark that has significantly improved the sector, surpassing the achievements of many of his predecessors,” he said.

The NNPC spokesman emphasized that the company is a professional organisation with a diverse leadership lineup that includes individuals from various parts of the world, not just Nigeria.
“The presence of qualified foreigners in the employ of the NNPC, who have been bolstering the value chain of production and distribution of allied products, is verifiable.

“It is, thus, sad that a professor of Mr Kperogi’s standing would resort to and play up the issue of ethnic identities in the configuration of the work team in NNPC just to demonise President Tinubu,” he said.
He stated that under the leadership of Mele Kyari, the NNPCL has achieved remarkable milestones and recorded several “firsts” in the industry.

“These milestones were not defined, coloured or contoured by primordial fault-lines of tribe and religion. They were inspired by the collective drive for excellence. These milestones include groundbreaking advancements in exploration, production, and global partnerships that were previously thought unattainable. This success is a testament to the company’s focus on competence and professionalism rather than on parochialism as insinuated in the editorial offerings by Mr. Kperogi,” he said.

The National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) has released list of approved tour operators for the 2025 Hajj.

This was contained in a statement from the Commission’s Assistant Director Information and Publications Division, Fatima Sanda Usara, on Friday.

Usara advised all tour operators and members of the public to check the commission’s website. NAHCON spokesperson warned the general public against transacting business with unlicensed tour operators.

“Sequel to application and thorough screening of Tour Operator Companies that applied for the 2025 Hajj and Umrah Operations, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria is happy to announce the list of successful companies as approved by the Chairman Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman.

“After the screening, 118 Private Tour Operators qualified for the License. The 10 lead companies were selected along three zones namely four from Kano zone, three from FCT zone and three from Lagos. The ten lead companies are selected in compliance with Saudi Arabian directives,” the statement read.

The commission further advised Nigerians who will be traveling for the 2025 Hajj to observe all safety measures as directed.

“Always wear your identification, listen to announcements and obey the instructions of Police and security personnel to ensure safety.

“Follow designated pathways and time slots for rituals, particularly during the stoning of the Jamarat, to avoid stampedes, heatstrokes and dehydration.

“Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water and rest under shaded areas to avoid heat-related illnesses.

“Know the locations of medical facilities, carry your medications, practice good hygiene and wear comfortable footwears to avoid injuries and strain due to long standing and walks.

“Avoid purchasing from street vendors and unidentified sources.

China’s central bank yesterday revealed that it has renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of efforts to boost trade between both countries.

The total value of the agreement was N3.28 trillion (15 billion yuan or about $2.09 billion), China’s Xinhua News quoted the People’s Bank of China to have revealed this in a statement on its website.

The agreement is valid for three years and could be renewed upon mutual consent, according to the statement.
It said that the renewal of the currency swap arrangement would strengthen financial cooperation between China and Nigeria, expand the use of the two currencies, and promote and facilitate bilateral trade and investment.

The currency swap agreement was signed by both countries in 2018, when Mr. Godwin Emefiele was the CBN Governor.

The transaction was aimed at providing adequate local currency liquidity to Nigerian and Chinese industrialists and other businesses, thereby reducing the difficulties encountered in the search for third currencies.  Among other benefits, the agreement was expected to provide naira liquidity to Chinese businesses and provide RMB liquidity to Nigerian businesses respectively, thereby improving the speed, convenience and volume of transactions between the two countries.

It was also expected to assist both countries in their foreign exchange reserves management, enhance financial stability and promote broader economic cooperation between the two countries.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima recently expressed satisfaction with the continuous increase in the volume of trade between Nigeria and China, saying it was one of the highest in Africa.

He had therefore called for constant improvement of relations between the two nations, maintaining that the two countries are friends that have sustained mutual respect and honour for each other.

Shettima made this known when he played host to a delegation from China led by the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Mr. Zhang Qingwei, recently.

Expressing satisfaction with the volume of trade between Nigeria and China, the vice-president had said: “Last year in 2023, our trade relations with China got to $22.6 billion, one of the highest in Africa, if not the highest, and that trade relationship is growing by 33 percent every year.

“Mind you, the Nigerian economy is picking up but that did not stop our business relationship with China. So, I want to reassure you that we will support you in whatever way we can. We believe in you, we respect you and we cherish our relationship.”

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday said the coordinated onslaught against Lakurawa terrorists in Sokoto State by air and land components of operation Fansan Yamma were not responsible for the alleged civilian casualties.

The military said civilian casualties resulted from a secondary explosion, contrary to the erroneous media report that military airstrikes hit wrong location and killed no fewer than 10 armless and innocent citizens in a village in Sokoto state.

Also yesterday, the Nigerian military allayed fears of citizens over the acquisition of drones by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (BH/ISWAP) terrorists to attack troops’ locations.
On December 25, a coordinated joint operation was conducted between the air and land components of Operation Fansan Yamma to destroy Lakurawa terrorist groups in their hideouts at Gidan Bissah and Gidan Rotuwa in Jilukon Forest, in Sokoto State killing no fewer than 10 villagers.

Refuting the alleged killing of civilians during airstrikes in North-west operational theatre, the Director Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba, revealed that locals confirmed that the Lakurawa terrorists stayed in the village and used the area for the conduct of their operations.
Buba stated that intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance as well as human intelligence reports prior to the operation consistently indicated the hideout was a high concentration terrorist location.

According to him, “The air strikes at the end of the day had minor impact on the surrounding villages.

“The air strikes indeed hit logistic base of the terrorist which led to secondary explosions and it was these secondary explosions that led to some casualties that was earlier reported.
“The neutralised lakurawa terrorist combatants were burnt indeed beyond recognition because they were hit directly by the strikes”.

Buba noted that the terrorists are known to blend within the local populace.

“We knew about this and it is for this reason that we painstakingly made sure that we minimise civilian casualty in this strike and because the terrorists blend among the civil populace, it is often difficult to differentiate friend from foe.

“In summarising, I would say that troops target terrorists and not innocent citizens. Having said that, we must also remember that war is ugly and horrible in every sense. War is never beautiful and it is the worst human endeavor ever,” he stressed.

This, he said was the reason the military often explain what troops were doing in the field knowing that by so doing they have a better chance to deny the enemy to manipulate things and use it for their purposes or to their advantage.

Buba said every innocent soul lost in the course of their operation was a tragedy and they do sympathise with their loved ones and their families whenever such occurs.
“But we must be reminded that our troops are very professional in their actions and are indeed turning the tide against the insurgents and terrorists.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without their cooperation and the intel that they provided us. Thank you very much. The Armed Forces have to protect our citizens and it is for these reasons that we carry out our operations to make sure that citizens are protected and our territory and our territorial integrity is also secured.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military yesterday allayed fear of citizens over the acquisition of drones by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (BH/ISWAP) terrorists to attack troops locations.

The military said there was no cause for alarm as the drones used by the terrorists are not military-graded unmanned aerial vehicles.

Buba, said this while fielding questions from journalists during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

Buba said the drones used by terrorists were “toys” to harass civilians.

“The report about the usage of drones. I don’t think that there’s need for any unnecessary panic about the usage of drones.
“We are in war against terrorists and against insurgents across our country and all you need to know is not far from what you see happening in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Hamas and all that. The use of drones in the battlefield is not new.

“Now when we are talking of drones, we don’t want unnecessary panic because these are not professional drones, not military-grade drones.
“These are toys that they went to buy and found a way to put one or two things on board and use them. How effective were they? They were not effective. Are we doing something about it? Yes, we are.

“Since we now know that this is where their thinking and their thoughts are going, we have to take measures to control such attacks. I don’t call them really attacks, I call them harassments,” he said.

Buba further clarified that there was no foreign military base in Nigeria, adding that Nigeria has refused to be a ground for any proxy war.

According to him, “We don’t have any foreign military base. We said this more than one time, we do not have any foreign military base in Nigeria. “Anyone who is saying that is trying to be mischievous… trying to be misleading and definitely he has an agenda.
“There is no foreign military base in Nigeria to be a ground for proxy war. We don’t want our country to be a ground for proxy war. You accept one person, the enemy of that person will start to woo you. That is a proxy war. We don’t want that.

“So anywhere you hear anybody talking like that, I think they are doing that as a distraction.”