By Our Correspondent

As part of efforts to boost the nation’s revenue earning,Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) ,
Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga has said the issuance of the Permit to Access Flare Gas (PAFG) under the 2022 NGFCP signifies the transition from legacy challenges to market-driven solutions that unlock economic opportunities, strengthen energy security, reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency across the industry.

Speaking as the NUPRC issued Permits to Access Flare Gas to 28 successful awardees under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), the CCE said the move marks a pivotal shift from environmental liability to economic opportunity in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.

In particular, the Commission awarded the permits to the winners at the official ceremony titled “Permit to Access Flare Gas Issuance” held on Friday, December 12, 2025, in Abuja.

The successful awardees are: Ace Energy Limited; Afagaf Company Limited; AGH Lero; Almina Resources Limited; Amazon Energy Limited; AUT Energy; Beluga Asiko; Bodej Investment Limited; Cainergy Limited; Cimcmonobuo Nigeria Limited; Dawcon Consortium; Dawnwatch Limited; Fargab Limited; Folstaj International Limited; Geospectra Energy Limited; Izzi Project Limited; and MMLet Energy Limited.

Others are: MSN Consortium; Newgaz Integrated Services Limited; NG Lyon Construction Limited; Oaks Cluster Energy; Seal Energy Limited; Tecnis EPS International Limited; Teobell International; Terms Energies; Zipora Gas; and Stelog Gas Company Limited.

The permit issuance marks a major milestone in NUPRC’s quest to utilise flare gas and move Nigeria towards achieving its net-zero target.

Engr. Komolafe stated that the permit aligns with the Presidential ambition and Nigeria’s carbon-reduction goals. He said the Commission is “pleased to announce that 28 awardees have fully executed the required suite of commercial agreements, which include the Connection Agreements, Milestone Development Agreements, and Gas Sales Agreements; and now qualify to receive the Permit to Access Flare Gas.

“These entities represent a strong blend of operational capability, financial readiness, and technological competence. To all our flare site awardees soon to become Permit Holders, I offer warm congratulations,” the CCE said.

He added that the award aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the country to harness hydrocarbon resources, as reflected in the Executive Orders issued in 2024.

“Allow me to express deep appreciation to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. His reform-driven leadership and commitment to enabling the petroleum sector continues to shape the strategic direction of our work at NUPRC. The Presidential Executive Orders on NAG fiscal incentives and tax rebates, local content directives and cost efficiency demonstrate his emphasis on investment competitiveness for the sector,” he noted.

He explained that the NGFCP was redesigned after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and refined for transparency, commercial viability, and global competitiveness.

“From 300 initial expressions of interest, 139 applicants qualified for the RFP stage. Following a competitive and transparent evaluation process, 42 successful bidders were awarded 49 flare sites, an achievement widely recognized for its integrity and rigour,” the NUPRC boss said.

On the benefits of the award, Engr. Komolafe said the programme is expected to reduce carbon dioxide by six million tonnes yearly, attract US$2 billion in investments, and create over 100,000 jobs.

The NUPRC boss stated: “A total of 49 flare sites have been auctioned. Forty-two (42) bidders have been awarded the sites. Between 250 and 300 mmscfd of currently flared gas will be captured and commercialised, eliminating approximately six (6) million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) annually.

“The programme is expected to attract up to US$2 billion in investment. More than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created. About one hundred and seventy thousand (170,000) metric tons of LPG will be produced annually, enabling clean energy access for approximately 1.4 million households. And nearly 3GW (gigawatts) of power generation potential will be unlocked.”

He disclosed that an NGFCP Forum and College of Awardees has been established to support project implementation and knowledge exchange.

He also revealed that the NUPRC has deepened engagement with international financiers and technology partners.

The CCE said it is important to note that although the issuance of this permit is significant, it only signals the start of the implementation phase.

He noted that while the competitive bid process may now be complete, the real work has just begun.

“Engineering, construction, financing, commissioning must begin in earnest. Be assured however, that the Commission remains fully committed to providing the needed regulatory support for the awardees and now Permit Holders to meet their timelines and obligations,” he added.

To ensure disciplined execution, the CCE said the Commission will closely monitor the implementation of milestone development agreements, conduct regular performance reviews, and proactively address emerging barriers.

This approach supports Nigeria’s broader ambition for a cleaner, more resilient energy system and enhances the competitiveness of the upstream petroleum sector.

By Our Correspondent

To guide against fraudulent practices in the nation’s financial institutions, an Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating deduction of taxes and sundry charges from civil and public servants earnings and multiple bank charges on customers account in Nigeria has given the commercial banks operating in Nigeria a 4-Day deadline to submit all requested documents on their charges

The House probe panel also insisted on the appearances of the Chief Executive Officers CEOs of these financial institutions at the investigative hearing and rejected representation of any bank CEO without authorization letter to the panel appropriately signed.

Chairman of the House Committee Hon. Kelechi Nwogu in a remark at the commencement of the House panel session on Tuesday in Abuja said that the House probe panel is mandated to ensure that all deductions of charges by banks on customers account must be fined rightly and used rightly.

He further stated that the House Committee had extended invitation to the Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation OAGF, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC and commercial banks operating in Nigeria on the investigation.

The House Committee members during the investigation said that the commercial banks are perpetrating illegality by deducting inexplicable charges from civil servants, public servants and other customers bank accounts without remittances.

The House Committee Chairman and some members who rejected representation of the CEOs of GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other commercial banks cannot hold waters as they insisted that they must appear before the panel unfailingly

He said: “You cannot appear here without an identity. We are not here on our own. We are here on the mandate of the people that elected us into parliament.

“We have resolved to meet next week Wednesday. You must submit all requested documents on or before Monday.

“We will go through all the documents and we will put you on oath”.

“It will not be well if we invite you here again and you tell us the same story. We have given a deadline that any bank that failed to submit the requested documents on Monday must be sanctioned”.

The House Committee Chairman said that the House panel is not leaving any stone unturned to unravel why the commercial banks engage in spurious decudctoon of charges on their customers account.

Other members of the panel notably Hon Chidi Mark Obeta,Hon. Engr Dominic Okafor,and other members while speaking in support at the hearing demanded that the bank chief executive officers must appear before the panel unfailingly.

BY David Owei.

Niger Delta Progressive Alliance (NDPA) has felicitated with Chief Ikenna Nicholas Ukwa on the occasion of the Ikenna Ukwa Progressive Group Summit and Empowerement of Youths, Women and the Disabled in Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency on Sunday December 7, 2025.

The occasion, which took place at Ohafia Central School Playground, Elu Ohafia, provided an opportunity for Chief Ukwa, Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, to once again demonstrate his humanitarian and philanthropistic gesture to the people of his constituency.
Hundreds of youths, women and people living with disabilities were generously empowered with scholarships, skills acquisition training, business capital and other livelihood materials.

In its goodwill message the NDPA commended High Chief Ukwa on his social investment in his people describing it as a testament “of selflessness guided by humility and love for humanity”.

The message, signed by Ambassador Victor Ufoh, President General of NDPA said; “Certain moments in the chronology of a community transcend the ordinary passage of time, embedding themselves within collective consciousness with the gravitas of historical import. These are occasions when society collectively pauses, draws breath, and acknowledges that an occurrence of profound consequence has unfolded in its midst”.
Describing the occasion as one of such moments the NDPA said that it stood as precisely such a watershed moment. “Its significance derived not from theatrical display or calculated political spectacle, but from the substantive gathering of citizens at Ohafia Central School Playground, Elu Ohafia, who assembled to witness a deliberate and transformative act of communal elevation.”
“At the heart of this remarkable occasion stood Chief Dr Ikenna Nicolas Ukwa, Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, a distinguished leader who comprehends with crystalline clarity the authentic responsibilities they shoulder by virtue of humility and conscience.
“He addressed the assembly with the composed assurance characteristic of those who have discerned their fundamental purpose, projecting a conviction shaped and energized by the unwavering belief that genuine human advancement must be engineered through concrete, measurable intervention. His objective was unambiguous: to furnish the youth, women, and persons with disabilities with the competencies and resources capable of fundamentally redirecting the trajectory of their lives.

According to the group, the occasion was a chapter that found “its foundation in substantive empowerment rather than rhetorical flourish. Representatives from every ward within the constituency participated.

Each beneficiary was selected through meticulous deliberation. The animating principle was not to generate applause but to construct capacity and resilience”.
“To fully appreciate the magnitude of this moment requires examination of the patterns that preceded it. Ukwa’s philanthropic endeavours cannot be reduced to a sporadic collection of charitable gestures. His work has never announced itself through clamour or ostentatious display. Rathe, it constitutes a sustained tradition that has expanded methodically, incrementally, village by village and family by family, through actions that resonate far more powerfully than any declaration.

Across successive years, Ukwa has systematically transformed the physical and social landscape of Ohafia and Arochukwu through manifestly visible interventions”.
NDPA went further to catalogue Chief Ukwa’s interventions in the community; “He has installed solar-powered street illumination throughout rural communities. These installations accomplish far more than mere environmental lighting. They illuminate confidence, enhance security, and fundamentally alter the pattern of daily existence for families who have endured excessive periods shrouded in darkness and apprehension.

He has orchestrated comprehensive medical and ophthalmological outreach programs, visiting vulnerable households, supporting orphaned children, and delivering healthcare services where they remained desperately scarce.
He has championed educational advancement through the systematic distribution of academic materials to both pupils and educators. Chief Ikenna evidently recognizes that education functions as the subtle revolution capable of elevating populations from mere subsistence to visionary possibility.
Agricultural producers have received fertilizers during seasons when the soil proved particularly unforgiving. Women entrepreneurs have obtained support that stabilized their commercial enterprises. Medical interventions have reached remote villages and care facilities where assistance rarely penetrates. Even the Uzuakoli Leprosy Colony has experienced his compassionate attention.
Women and persons with disabilities have occupied not a peripheral position in his strategic vision but rather its very center. His empowerment initiatives acknowledge that these populations frequently stand at the threshold of opportunity rather than within it. By placing implements, capital, and professional training directly into their hands, he relocates them from the margins to the productive core of community life. These are not transient donations but rather invitations to reclaim autonomy and participate comprehensively in constructing more robust communities.
Yet what fundamentally distinguishes Ukwa extends beyond the inventory of accomplishments to encompass the very manner in which he conducts himself. What proves most striking about this leader is the elegant simplicity of his bearing. There exists no grandiosity in his self-presentation, no calculated effort to project an outsized persona. He carries himself as would a neighbour blessed with greater access who consciously elects to deploy those advantages for collective benefit”.