The cause of the blaze was yet to be determined as of the time of this report.

A team of state fire service personnel was at the scene battling the flames, though parts of the building were difficult to access.

About seven large shops and eight rooms were destroyed, including a liquor warehouse that lost over fifty crates of beer.

The inferno was brought under control after about four hours, though smoke was still visible in parts of the building.

Operatives from the Azikiwe Police Division were at the scene to prevent looting and protect salvaged property

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Dangote also stated that the refineries, which are under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, had gulped up to $18bn, yet have refused to work.

The billionaire businessman spoke while hosting members of the Global CEO Africa from the Lagos Business School, after a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos.

According to Dangote, the 650,000-capacity Dangote refinery, which he built after the government of late President Umar Yar’adua aborted his acquisition of the government refineries now has over 50 per cent of its output dedicated to Premium Motor Spirit, petrol, saying that even government refineries committed just 22 per cent of their production to petrol.

Dangote recalled how he and his team had to return the refineries to Yar’adua, a few months after former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in 2007.

According to him, the former managers of the refinery had told Yar’Adua that Obasanjo sold the facilities below their costs as a parting gift to him.

Dangote emphasised that the turnaround maintenance of the refineries was like trying to modernise a car built 40 years ago, when technology has advanced.

“The turnaround maintenance is like you trying to modernise a car that was built 40 years ago, when technology and everything have changed. Even if you change the engine, the body will not be able to take the shock of that new technology engine,” he stated.

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The South-East Zonal Public Relation Officer, Onyedikachi Onovo, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia.

Read Also: FG Hands Over $3.02B Completed Section of PH – ABA Rail Line to NRC

Onovo said that the corporation was already refurbishing additional vehicles to achieve the plan adding that the move was aimed at reducing the current overcrowding of vehicles by passengers.

Onovo further said that following assurances by the transport ministry, the Aba-Umuahia track would soon be completed.

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Speaking at an event organised by the Rivers Ijaw Peoples Congress in his honour in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike said God used him to make Siminalayi Fubara the governor of the South-South state.

Wike also used the occasion to refute claims on social media that the Ijaw people in the state are fighting him.

The former River governor asserted that nobody has the monopoly of causing violence, stressing that he and his camp have chosen to play according to the rule of law.

The post ‘Who has Fubara made?’ Wike taunts Rivers gov appeared first on Afinju FM.

It was learnt that the arms centre had concluded its investigation into the large cache of arms and ammunition intercepted by the Nigerian Customs Service in Port Harcourt in June.

The Nigerian Customs had, during one of its operations in June, intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with 844 rifles and 112,500 live ammunition at the Onne Port in Port Harcourt.

The arms and ammunition were said to have been skillfully concealed within items such as doors, furniture, plumbing fittings and leather bags.

The intercepted container was also reported to have originated from Turkey and its duty-paid value was put at N4bn.

In the copy of the charge sheet the defendants are Ali Ofoma; Okechukwu Charles; Kingsley Chinasa; Oroghodo Maxwell; Akinkuade Segun; Augustine Elechi; Osumini Kennedy; Ajala Ojo; Faboro Oluwatimilehin and Tolulope Ogundepo.

In the suit, four charges, bordering on acts of terrorism, illegal importation of prohibited firearms, and forgery, among others, were preferred against the defendants.

The defendants were accused of intentionally conspiring with others at large to illegally import prohibited 844 firearms and 112,500 rounds of cartridges concealed in plumbing materials and other items loaded inside a 1 x 40ft container with Registration Number MAEU- 9165396.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The FG also accused the defendants of altering a bill of lading of the consignment from Ola Gold Maratine Services to read Dan Autos Limited and diverted the movement of the container from the West African Container Terminal to WAX Logistics Limited to cover up their illegal intention to import prohibited arms and ammunitions.

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News reports gathered that the boat was travelling from Bonny to Port Harcourt at about 10 am when the incident occurred.

The state Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Rivers Commercial District, Israel Pepple, who confirmed the incident, said the abducted boat passengers were travelling from Bonny Island to Port Harcourt when the suspected pirates swooped on them.

He said the incident had been reported to the police, even as he called on the government and relevant security agencies to beef up security in the waterways to prevent attacks on the sea.

Reports say that the latest incident came less than a week when People led the maritime union members on a protest at the Government House, Port Harcourt on the upsurge of pirate attacks on the waterways.

 The state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, also confirmed the incident, saying an investigation was ongoing.

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The national president of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry disclosed this in an exclusive interview with newsmen.

He said his recent visit to the 250 barrels per day refinery showed readiness to produce petroleum products in commercial quantity.

Gillis-Harry explained that the full-scale kickoff of Port Harcourt Refinery and Dangote Refinery would guarantee an end to fuel queues in Nigeria.

In a similar interview with an oil and gas expert, Zakka Bala, he said the hope for Nigeria’s energy security lies with the revitalization of its Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries.

According to him, Dangote Refinery is in the business to make a profit but the government-owned refineries are to provide services for Nigerians.

According to him, the government must not allow those who do not want the country’s national refineries to succeed.

Recall that in July 2024, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari projected that the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operation in August this year.

NNPCL had earlier announced March and July 2024 dates for the commencement of the refinery after its mechanical completion in December last year.

This comes after the Nigerian government in 2021 approved $1.5 billion for the turnaround maintenance of the refinery.

Recently, Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman of the Senate Committee investigating alleged economic sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry called for a probe on the $1.5 billion for the maintenance of Port Harcourt refinery.

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This was revealed by the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, while addressing an emergency session at the National Assembly joint committee on finance.

He explained that the Port Harcourt refinery will kick off production by early August this year, while that of Kaduna will commence by December 2024.

Kyari who had earlier announced two weeks from March 2024 as the kick-off date for production from the Port Harcourt refinery, maintained that ‘he is not lying’, as he reaffirmed the new August date.

According to him, with the Dangote refinery, the target for Nigeria to attain two million barrels per day, and become a net exporter of petroleum products by December is feasible.

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