Nigeria strikes deal with Shell to supply $3.8 bln methanol project

Nigeria has struck a deal for Shell to supply gas to its proposed $3.8 billion Brass methanol facility, resolving a major hurdle to a final investment decision on the project, the minister of state for gas said on Thursday.

Nigeria, which holds Africa's largest natural gas reserves of more than 200 trillion cubic feet, has struggled to tap the commodity due to capital constraints and a lack of infrastructure.

Minister Ekperikpe Ekpo said in a statement that the Gas Supply and Purchase Agreement, crucial for the Brass methanol project, will be executed next month following successful talks with Shell's Nigeria CEO and executives from other companies involved.

The GSPA will secure a long-term gas supply from a Shell-operated joint venture for the methanol production facility that will be built on Brass Island in the oil-rich coastal Bayelsa state.

"The NNPC/Shell joint venture partners are now fully committed to uninterrupted gas supply for the development of the Brass Methanol project," Ekpo said.

"Mr President is very passionate about this project and wants something positive to happen in respect of the Brass Methanol project before the end of May this year," Ekpo said.

The project includes a gas processing plant, a methanol production and refining site, and product export facilities.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

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Many people in Nigeria are shocked at the surge in the cost of cassava flakes. Production of cassava flakes or garri, as they are locally known,, is being hampered by rising insecurity which has led to death and kidnapping of farmers for ransom.

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Nigeria suspends permit of 3 private jet operators

Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken action against private jet operators flouting regulations by suspending the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) of three operators caught conducting commercial flights.

This crackdown follows warnings issued in March 2024.

Acting Director General Capt. Chris Najomo stated that increased surveillance at Nigerian airports led to the grounding of three operators found violating their PNCF terms. Specifically, they breached annexure provisions and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.

In response, the NCAA announced a thorough re-evaluation of all PNCF holders to ensure compliance with regulations, to be completed by April 19th, 2024. PNCF holders have been instructed to submit necessary documents within 72 hours to expedite the process. Najomo emphasized these actions highlight the NCAA's commitment to enhancing safety in Nigerian airspace.

Furthermore, the NCAA warned the public against using charter operators without a valid Air Operators Certificate and urged legitimate industry players to report any suspicious activities promptly.

This crackdown comes after the NCAA's stern warning in March against PNCF holders engaging in commercial operations.

Africa News

Nigeria says no record of child deaths from recalled J&J cough syrup

Nigeria's drug regulator has no record of children dying or falling ill from exposure to a batch of cough syrup made by Johnson & Johnson in South Africa that was recalled last week, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced the recall after laboratory tests found an unacceptably high level of diethylene glycol, which is toxic to humans, prompting regulators in five other African countries to also issue recalls.

South Africa's drug regulator said on Tuesday that there was no record of adverse reactions in South Africa or anywhere in the world to the two batches of Benylin Paediatric Syrup it recalled.

It said it was conducting tests and investigations, as was manufacturer Kenvue, which now owns the brand after a spin-off from J&J last year.

"We hope to finalise these soon," the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority told Reuters.
Consuming diethylene glycol can result in acute kidney failure. The substance has been linked to deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world's worst waves of poisoning from oral medication.

Fraden Bitrus, NAFDAC's director of pharmacovigilance, told Reuters the regulator had been testing cough syrups in response to those deaths, not because of any specific report of harm to children in Nigeria.

"We sampled a number of products. Some failed and some passed. This particular product had been sampled earlier, but we were not thinking of diethylene glycol, and because of this, we decided to test the product again," he said.

The recalled batches of syrup were made by J&J in South Africa in May 2021. Asked whether J&J was working with Kenvue to investigate what had gone wrong, Joe Wolk, chief financial officer of J&J, told Reuters: "This is just with Kenvue at this point."

Kenvue has said it is working with health authorities to determine next steps.

In addition to Nigeria and South Africa, regulators in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have recalled the same batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup.

By Ope Adetayo and Bhargav Acharya, Reuters 

Related story: Nigeria recalls J&J children's cough syrup over toxic substance

Government of Nigeria secures release of over 1,000 kidnapped people

The Nigerian Government has secured the release of over 1,000 people kidnapped recently in the northern part of the country, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said.

Mr Ribadu stated this on Monday while receiving 23 persons rescued on Sunday after they were kidnapped last September at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, North-west Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how security sources said the kidnapped students and staff of the university were rescued by security agents near Kuncin Dutse, a village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara. The Coordinator of the National Counter-terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, a major general, reportedly coordinated the operation.

Receiving the rescued persons, Mr Ribadu said: “This is yet again a success story in our effort to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity. We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.”

The 23 persons released include 15 students and eight workers of the university. A woman abducted in Funtua in Katsina State was also rescued, a source earlier told PREMIUM TIMES.

Earlier last month, nine of the female students were released after 178 days in captivity.

While addressing the released victims, Mr Ribadu congratulated them and their families on their safe return home.

He said the released students were the last batch of victims of a recent mass abduction the government had successfully rescued.

He urged the release victims to consider their experience as a trial that will make them stronger, not weaken their efforts in the future.

“Consider this experience a trial that should not break you but make you stronger. I also wish to specifically thank the parents of the rescued victims for your patience and understanding during this period.

“On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing any of them or paying any ransom.

“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.

“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.

“I am grateful to all our security and enforcement agencies for their tireless work and sacrifices. Finally, I want to put on record and appreciate the leadership and encouragement of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who made all these possible, Mr Ribadu said while reuniting the victims with their loved ones in Abuja. 

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, Premium Times 

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