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Group Tackles Mobil over $600m Oil Bloc

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A non-governmental organisation, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), has requested for clarification on the renewal of some oil mining leases in possession of Mobil Producing Nigeria.

 

In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request issued to the Managing Director, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, dated. 2nd January, 2018 and signed by HEDA’s chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the organisation said it is seeking inquiry for the Forensic Audit report regarding the renewal of three Oil Mining Leases (OMLs 67, 68 and 70) for Mobil Producing Nigeria for $600 million.

 

According to HEDA, the renewal of three Oil Mining Leases (OMLs 67, 68 & 70) for Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN) by the Federal Government was widely reported in the newspapers in Nigeria and abroad. The organisation, however, said the details of the terms of the renewed leases were not disclosed to the press, thereby causing so much controversies as to the circumstances surrounding the payment and the amount paid.

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It would be recalled that based on the valuation conducted by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, MPN and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as equity holders, were required to pay $6.375 billion as 100% of the reserve fee. Mobil’s 40% share in the lease was fixed at $2.55 billion, of which there would be a commitment to invest the sum of $1.2 billion in a refinery and gas infrastructure for the domestic market.

 

According to HEDA, “Reports in the public domain and some documents sighted by this organisation, Mobil rejected the said terms and allegedly paid $600 million for the renewal of the three oil blocks which have a combined output of 580,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Curiously, the payment was accepted by the then Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, who purportedly signed the deal.

 

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“However, the predecessor of the erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources had refused to endorse this transaction, accusing MPN of undervaluing the oil block. The said leases were however, renewed for 20 years by the erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources on behalf of the Government of the Federation.

 

“You will recall the successor of Mr. Ajumogobia in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, rejected the terms for the renewal of this licenses, resulting in a fresh negotiation leading to additional payment by your company for the block.”

 

HEDA said in the light of the foregoing, and in view of the demand of the Nigerian people for the transparent management of the oil and gas industry, “We would appreciate your company furnishing us with details of the renewal and the total amount paid by Exxon Mobil for these licenses. More so, when a Chinese company had offered to pay the difference of $3.75 billion for 40% equity interest in the NNPC-Mobil Joint Venture or $18.75 billion for 100% equity interest in oil and gas reserves at the time of this renewal.

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“HEDA Resource Centre is hereby requesting, in accordance with Section 1(1) of the FoI Act 2011, for information on the payments and conditions attached to the renewal.

 

“Section 1(1) ‘Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution however described, is established’.

 

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“Section 2(7) ‘Public institutions are all authorities whether executive, legislative or judicial agencies, ministries, and extra-ministerial departments of the government, together with all corporations established by law and ALL COMPANIES IN WHICH GOVERNMENT HAS A CONTROLLING INTEREST and PRIVATE COMPANIES UTILIZING PUBLIC FUNDS, PROVIDING PUBLIC SERVICES OR PERFORMING PUBLIC FUNCTIONS’.

 

“Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited operates a Joint Venture with the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Federal Government has controlling 60 percent share, with the remaining 40 percent being MPN.

 

“As an internationally reputed firm with integrity in standard and discipline, we shall look forward to receiving this report promptly, and in any event, within 7(seven) days after this application is received, as provided for in Section 4 and 4a of the FoI Act 2011,” HEDA said.

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Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

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Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.

Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.

As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

‎The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.

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‎In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.

Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.

The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.

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NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.

The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.

The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.

According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.

The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.

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NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.

“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.

However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.

According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.

He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.

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The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.

NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.

The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.

The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.

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EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

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European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.

EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.

The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.

EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.

The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.

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The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.

Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.

The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.

The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.

Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.

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If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.

The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.

Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.

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