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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022 — 9<br />
:Vanguard News<br />
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058<br />
FLAG-OFF—From left: GMD, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc., Ravindra Singhvi; Chief of Staff<br />
to Adamawa State governor, Prof. Maxwell Gidado; Minister of Industry, Trade and<br />
Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Crowder Seth, and<br />
President/CE, Dangote Industries Ltd., Aliko Dangote, during the flag-off ceremony of<br />
2022/2023 Crushing Season and Outgrower Scheme Awards, at the refinery, in Numan,<br />
Adamawa State, yesterday.<br />
NNPCL, partners begin devt of 1bn barrels<br />
Kolmani oil field<br />
By Obas Esiedesa<br />
B Muhammadu<br />
AUCHI—PRESIDENT<br />
Buhari<br />
yesterday flagged off the Kolmani<br />
Integrated Development Project<br />
in Bauchi State, marking the<br />
commencement of effort to<br />
commercially exploit oil in<br />
Northern part of Nigeria.<br />
The Kolmani oil field, estimated<br />
to have a reserve of about one<br />
billion barrels of crude oil, OPL<br />
809 and 810, lies in the Gongola<br />
Basin of the Upper Benue Trough,<br />
straddling Bauchi and Gombe<br />
states.<br />
The oil blocks are owned by the<br />
Nigerian National Petroleum<br />
Company Limited, NNPCL, as<br />
concessionaire with New Nigeria<br />
Development Company Ltd,<br />
Africa Oilfield movers Ltd, and<br />
SEEPCO as partners.<br />
The well is expected to produce<br />
50,000 barrels of oil per day during<br />
the first phase.<br />
Speaking shortly before the<br />
official groundbreaking, President<br />
Buhari said the successful<br />
discovery of the Kolmani Oil and<br />
Gas field by NNPC and its<br />
partners had finally broken the<br />
jinx record by confirmation of<br />
huge commercial deposits of<br />
hydrocarbons in Kolmani River<br />
field.<br />
The President said:<br />
"Considering the land locked<br />
location and the huge capital<br />
requirement, the economics of<br />
the project is a challenging<br />
proposition. Consequently, from<br />
the onset, I instructed NNPC<br />
Limited to utilize and leverage<br />
their vast asset portfolio across<br />
all corridors of its operations to<br />
de-risk the project to attract the<br />
much-needed investment. I have<br />
directed NNPC to continue along<br />
these lines.<br />
"It is therefore to the credit of<br />
this administration that at a time<br />
when there is near zero appetite<br />
for investment in fossil energy,<br />
coupled with the location<br />
challenges, we are able to attract<br />
investment of over USD 3 billion<br />
to this project."<br />
On his part, the Minister of<br />
State for Petroleum Resources,<br />
Timipre Sylva, said Buhari’s<br />
government was determined to<br />
end energy poverty in the<br />
country, while creating shared<br />
prosperity for all Nigerians.<br />
In their separate remarks, the<br />
governors of Bauchi and Gombe<br />
states, Sen. Bala Mohammed and<br />
Muhammad Yahaya respectively,<br />
assured investors of security of<br />
the project.<br />
The governors also assured<br />
that the mistakes made in the<br />
exploration and exploitation of<br />
oil and gas in the Niger Delta<br />
would be avoided.<br />
To this end, the governors held<br />
that they would continue to<br />
collaborate to ensure<br />
harmonious relationship among<br />
the host communities.<br />
On his part, the Group CEO,<br />
NNPCL, Mele Kyari, disclosed<br />
that being an integrated project,<br />
the first phase would entail an<br />
in-stu oil refinery of up to 120,000<br />
barrels per day capacity, a gas<br />
processing plant of up to 500<br />
•Buhari flags off project, attracts $3bn<br />
investment •North joins oil production, targets<br />
50,000bpd •Plan 0.12mb/d refining facility<br />
million standard cubic feet per<br />
day, a power plant of up to 500<br />
Megawatts capacity, and a<br />
fertilizer plant of 2,500 tons per<br />
day.<br />
He also disclosed that in<br />
another phase of the project,<br />
"there will be a downstream oil<br />
terminal/depot for offtake and<br />
distribution of the white products<br />
coming out of the refinery and<br />
further development of the<br />
integrated project."<br />
Kyari added the financing for<br />
the project had been secured,<br />
stating that when completed, the<br />
project would ensure energy<br />
security for the country.<br />
The event, attended by the<br />
Senate President, Ahmad<br />
Lawan, and APC presidential<br />
candidate in the 2023 general<br />
elections, Bola Tinubu, was also<br />
graced by governors of several<br />
northern states.<br />
Digital vote buying: CUPP's allegation senseless,<br />
sign of fatigue —APC PCC<br />
•Pack up your campaigns if... —Keyamo<br />
•Opposition parties have weaponised fake<br />
news because they can’t match APC<br />
—Lai Mohammed<br />
By Omeiza Ajayi<br />
ABUJA—THE Presidential<br />
Campaign Council, PCC, of<br />
the ruling All Progressives<br />
Congress, APC, yesterday<br />
described allegations of digital<br />
vote buying levelled against it by<br />
the Coalition of United Political<br />
Parties CUPP as senseless and a<br />
sign of fatigue.<br />
The PCC was reacting to<br />
allegations by the Coalition of<br />
United Political Parties CUPP that<br />
APC and Tinubu had concluded<br />
plans to transfer cash to voters<br />
via harvested bank accounts, a<br />
digital vote buying method,<br />
following their inability to<br />
continue the usual cash-for-vote<br />
as a result of the new Naira design<br />
policy.<br />
It had earlier accused the<br />
opposition Peoples Democratic<br />
Party, PDP, of spreading wicked<br />
rumours to portray the APC<br />
standard bearer, Bola Tinubu, in<br />
bad light.<br />
The PCC's reaction came on a<br />
day Minister of Information and<br />
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,<br />
said some opposition political<br />
parties had weaponised fake news<br />
because they could not match the<br />
APC in a free and fair election.<br />
Describing CUPP as a<br />
subsidiary of the opposition PDP,<br />
trhe Minister of State for Labour<br />
and Employment, Festus<br />
Keyamo, who doubles as chief<br />
spokesperson of the APC-PCC,<br />
advised the opposition to pack up<br />
their campaigns if they had<br />
nothing more to tell Nigerians.<br />
"That is the subsidiary of PDP.<br />
These wild allegations are already<br />
a sign of fatigue. They should<br />
pack up their campaigns if they<br />
have nothing more to tell<br />
Nigerians", Keyamo said.<br />
On his part, National Publicity<br />
Secretary of the APC, Felix<br />
Morka, said the allegation was<br />
another evidence of illpreparedness<br />
of the PDP.<br />
He said: "The allegation is yet<br />
another evidence of the<br />
opposition’s zero confidence in<br />
their competitive capacity, and ill<br />
preparedness for next year’s<br />
general election. We are a serious<br />
Party and will not be distracted by<br />
vain, senseless and baseless<br />
gibberish by the the opposition".<br />
Earlier on Monday, Bayo<br />
Onanuga, Director, Media and<br />
Publicity at the APC -PCC, had<br />
accused the PDP of using CUPP<br />
as its surrogate to attack Tinubu.<br />
"If you believe this, you will<br />
believe anything. This is a mere<br />
rumour concocted by the PDP<br />
and surrogate CUPP to malign<br />
our candidate. We are working<br />
hard to win this election by<br />
landslide," Onanuga had said.<br />
CUPP had alleged that over 20<br />
APC states have harvested 10m<br />
bank accounts to transfer money<br />
on election day to voters.<br />
Addressing journalists in Abuja<br />
on Monday, CUPP's<br />
spokesperson, Ikenga Imo<br />
Ugochinyere, had said the new<br />
plot of digital vote buying, termed<br />
operation Wire-Wire, would see to<br />
the APC harvesting names,<br />
account numbers, and Voters<br />
Identification Numbers, Bank<br />
Verification Numbers of citizens,<br />
arranged in tables for each polling<br />
unit on the understanding that<br />
money would be sent to each<br />
person by electronic means to<br />
purchase their votes.<br />
Opposition parties have<br />
weaponised fake news because<br />
they can’t match APC – Lai<br />
Mohammed<br />
Meanwhile, the Minister of<br />
Information and Culture, Alhaji<br />
Lai Mohammed, said yesterday<br />
that some opposition political<br />
parties had weaponised fake news<br />
since they coudn't match the All<br />
Progressives Congress, APC, in a<br />
free and fair election.<br />
Speaking at the fourth edition<br />
of the federal government’s<br />
scorecard in Abuja, Mohammed<br />
said the trend was dangerous and<br />
must be stopped.<br />
He said: “In recent times, we<br />
have all witnessed how a letter<br />
purportedly from INEC was used<br />
to cast aspersions on the<br />
candidate of the ruling“APC.<br />
“Shortly after that, the death of<br />
an innocent man was turned into<br />
a political tool to further attack<br />
the same APC candidate.<br />
“Of course, there have been<br />
other cases similar to the two I<br />
have just enumerated. This is a<br />
dangerous development which<br />
must be nipped in the bud.<br />
“If the opposition has suddenly<br />
realised that they cannot match<br />
the ruling party in a free and fair<br />
election, and have thus decided<br />
to weaponise fake news and<br />
disinformation, the media should<br />
not allow itself to be used for that<br />
nefarious purpose.”<br />
The minister lamented that<br />
there were those bent on using<br />
fake news as a strategy to win<br />
elections.<br />
“We have all seen the damage<br />
done to elections in other climes<br />
by fake news and disinformation,”<br />
he said.<br />
“No government will sit by and<br />
allow anyone or any organization<br />
to use fake news and<br />
disinformation to sow the seeds<br />
of discord.<br />
“We are therefore compelled to<br />
warn the purveyors of fake news<br />
and disinformation, especially in<br />
the run-up to next year’s<br />
elections, to stop forthwith.<br />
Enough is enough,'' he added.<br />
NSMP: Dangote Sugar upscales<br />
its $700m Investment<br />
•Increases sugar plantation by 179% to<br />
24,200 hectares has spent billions of naira in<br />
PRESIDENT of the Dangote<br />
Group, Aliko Dangote has<br />
announced that the Dangote<br />
Sugar Refinery, DSR, Plc is<br />
significantly scaling up its<br />
investment in the sugar sub-sector<br />
in line with the requirement of the<br />
Nigeria Sugar Master Plan, NSMP.<br />
Speaking at the Flag off<br />
ceremony of the 2022/2023<br />
Crushing Season and Outgrower<br />
Scheme Awards in Numan,<br />
Adamawa State, Dangote said the<br />
company is making massive<br />
investments in Adamawa State<br />
through the expansion of DSR<br />
Numan sugar refining capacity<br />
from 3,000 tonnes of cane per day<br />
(tcd) to 6,000 tcd, 9,800 tcd and to<br />
15,000 tcd.<br />
Noting that increasing the sugar<br />
refining capacity will require a<br />
corresponding increase in<br />
sugarcane production capacity, he<br />
revealed that the company has<br />
concluded plans to increase its<br />
sugar plantation from the current<br />
land area under cane production<br />
of about 8,700 hectares in 2022 to<br />
about 24,200 hectares within the<br />
next 7 years. He also assured that<br />
the company will double its<br />
scholarship and empowerment<br />
schemes in its host communities.<br />
“We will continue to introduce<br />
more initiatives to support our host<br />
communities. Through these<br />
initiatives and our numerous<br />
Corporate Social Responsibility<br />
activities, DSR Numan will be able<br />
to touch the lives of the people,<br />
bringing social, economic, and<br />
infrastructural development to our<br />
host communities.”<br />
He said: “We are thus<br />
committing over $700 million to our<br />
investment in the Backward<br />
Integration Programme (BIP) to<br />
enable us put in place needed<br />
infrastructure for the eventual<br />
commencement of full-scale<br />
production."<br />
Dangote further assured that<br />
Dangote Sugar will change the<br />
trajectory by making Nigeria selfsufficient<br />
in the sector.<br />
Already, the company, he noted,<br />
developing infrastructural facilities<br />
for host communities.<br />
Speaking also at the event, the<br />
Minister of Industry, Trade, and<br />
Investment, Otunba Adeniyi<br />
Adebayo described the Dangote<br />
Sugar Refinery as the biggest<br />
contributor to the sugar<br />
development stride of the Federal<br />
Government.<br />
The Minister also commended<br />
Aliko Dangote and the<br />
Management staff of Dangote<br />
Sugar for their massive support<br />
through the company’s corporate<br />
social responsibility scheme, which<br />
he said should be highly<br />
commended.<br />
He said agencies under his<br />
ministry will partner the company<br />
to provide the technical know-how<br />
that will support the Dangote<br />
empowerment schemes in the host<br />
communities.<br />
In the same vein, Governor of<br />
Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri<br />
who was represented by his<br />
Deputy Crowther Seth said he was<br />
amazed by the social-economic<br />
transformation carried out by the<br />
Dangote Group, adding that it is<br />
monumental. He assured the<br />
company of the support of the state<br />
government and enjoined other<br />
corporate bodies to imbibe<br />
Dangote’s spirit of job creation<br />
across the country.<br />
Speaking on behalf of the<br />
traditional rulers, Hama Bachama,<br />
Dr. Daniel Shaga Ismail described<br />
Dangote as God-sent and pledged<br />
that his people would continue to<br />
support the company.<br />
Aliko Dangote further<br />
announced a Free Education<br />
boon for all the students of<br />
Dangote Sugar Refinery High<br />
School, among other scholarship<br />
winners announced.<br />
The overall best Outgrower<br />
farmer, Christiana Rufus thanked<br />
the company and promised not to<br />
relent in her effort.<br />
Six farmers, mostly women<br />
emerged as overall best farmers in<br />
the contest, and were given<br />
various attractive prizes.<br />
Atiku’s ally, Chidoka replies<br />
Kwankwaso, says no party has<br />
won Lagos, Kano, Rivers at once<br />
By Juliet Umeh<br />
FORMER MINISTER of<br />
Aviation, Osita Chidoka,<br />
yesterday replied presidential<br />
candidate of New Nigeria Peoples<br />
Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa<br />
Kwankwaso, over commends that<br />
the Presidential candidate of<br />
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,<br />
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had lost<br />
out of the race, since he had no<br />
control of votes in Lagos, Kano<br />
and Rivers states.<br />
Recall that Kwankwaso had at<br />
the commissioning of a project<br />
executed by Rivers State governor,<br />
Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt<br />
on Monday, made such inference.<br />
But speaking in an interview on<br />
Channels Television's breakfast<br />
programme, Sunrise Daily,<br />
yesterday, Chidoka, who is also an<br />
ally of Atiku and a PDP chieftain,<br />
described Kwankwaso’s analysis<br />
as “not mathematically correct”.<br />
While acknowledging that the<br />
three states deliver millions of<br />
votes during elections, Chidoka<br />
said no party had won the three<br />
states in the history of Nigeria’s<br />
Fourth Republic.<br />
He said: “It is the party that<br />
wins across all segments that wins<br />
the election and no party has won<br />
the three states at the same time<br />
– most times, two out of three. In<br />
2019, APC won Kano and Lagos<br />
was marginal – it was 45 per cent<br />
to 55 per cent split between PDP<br />
and APC. PDP won Rivers.''<br />
Chidoka, who noted that his<br />
party, PDP, had won at least three<br />
presidential elections since 1999,<br />
despite losing Kano, said: “As there<br />
is Kano, there is Katsina. As there<br />
is Lagos, there is Delta, there is<br />
Akwa Ibom, there is Jigawa, a state<br />
that doesn’t have high numbers<br />
but high voter turnout if you look<br />
at historical data.'<br />
''Kano had over 1.8 million<br />
cumulative votes, the highest by<br />
any state in the 2019 presidential<br />
election, while Lagos had over one<br />
million total votes and Rivers about<br />
600,000 total votes. Kano and<br />
Lagos are currently controlled by<br />
the APC whilst PDP is the party in<br />
power in Rivers.''<br />
However, there are fears that<br />
the intra-party squabbles between<br />
Governor Nyesom Wike and Atiku<br />
over the chairmanship of Iyorchia<br />
Ayu would affect the chances of<br />
the PDP presidential candidate at<br />
the polls next February.<br />
Chidoka explained that PDP<br />
wouldn't remain a viable party<br />
without winning the bulk of votes<br />
in northern Nigeria as it did to<br />
govern Nigeria from 1999 to 2015<br />
before it lost to Muhammadu<br />
Buhari of the All Progressives<br />
Congress, APC.<br />
“What we have in the PDP now<br />
is what I call a ‘Northern Strategy’;<br />
restoring PDP as a national<br />
platform that cuts across its base<br />
in the South-East, South-South<br />
and take it to the north again.“