Headlines

SIFAX foundation trains 90 Lagos Students on AI, technology skills

Gloria Odion Maritime Reporter

The Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation, the CSR arm of the SIFAX Group, in partnership with the World Bank, has trained over 90 students of the State Senior Secondary School, Oyewole, Agege in Orile Agege Local Government Area, Lagos State, as part of its series of ongoing Community Connections Campaign Projects in Nigeria.

The training, aimed at empowering students with practical technology skills to help them improve their education, secure jobs, and become self-employed in the long term, covered various areas, including computer literacy, machine learning, and the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Representatives were selected from different classes across the school, with the hope that they would be able to transfer the skills acquired to their colleagues.

According to Mrs. Foluke Ademokun, the Executive Coordinator of the foundation, “this initiative is part of a series of efforts to address the issue of youth unemployment and skills gap in the country and it’s expected to benefit not only the students but also the community at large, as the students would be able to apply the skills acquired to improve their lives and contribute to the economic development of their communities”

Responding on behalf of the school management, the Vice Principal of the school, Mrs Sherifat Ajala, appreciated and commended AAAF for excellent facilitation and the opportunity given to the students to interact with the best minds who facilitated at the training.

“On behalf of the school management and all these students, I want to say a big thank you to Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation and their sponsor, the SIFAX Group for the good works that they have done in the lives of our students and for the wonderful gift.

“May the Lord Almighty continue to bless you”, she said.

Goodluck Innocent and Moses Faith, two of the students who participated in the training, were rewarded for good class participation and thereafter expressed gratitude on behalf of their colleagues to AAAF and SIFAX Group for providing them with the opportunity to acquire skills that would enhance their future employability.

At the end of the training session, the school was presented with the gift of a projector, laptop and projector screen as it is always done in the previous schools where similar programmes have been organised.

Other schools who have benefited from previous empowerments include; Community Grammar School, Zion Pepe, Ondo state; Osolu Senior Secondary School, Badagry; Pobuna Senior Grammar School, Epe and Baptist Model College, Ile-Epo.

Others are Ijaiye-Ojokoro Senior High School, Ifako ijaiye and Unity senior college, Alimosho all in Lagos state, which brings the total number of empowered students to nearly 600.

Economy

NNPC attributes increased crude oil production to enhanced security surveillance of pipelines in Niger- Delta

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has confirmed that national crude oil production has grown from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day and a peak production of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, owing to the establishment of the integrated energy security for pipelines in the Niger Delta.

Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made the disclosure at the Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security which held at the National Assembly, in Abuja, on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026.

Speaking on the success of the security arrangement, Ojulari explained that it was not accidental, and that it involved an “integrated energy security model that combines legislative and executive policy alignment, actionable intelligence, kinetic deployment capabilities, regulatory oversight, industry cooperation, and community‑embedded surveillance mechanisms”.

He said the resurgence of production due to the effective tackling of the twin menace of oil theft and pervasive pipeline sabotage has led to the restoration of investors’ confidence in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

In his welcome address, the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, called for collaboration among agencies and stakeholders in resolving all challenges impeding production growth.

On his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was represented by the Leader of the House, Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere, urged the forum to evaluate the progress made so far with a view to ensuring fairness and equity.

The Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security was convened by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources.

It had in attendance the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, and representatives of oil industry regulatory agencies.

The Roundtable also featured presentations by the Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director General of the Department of State Services, Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and private security companies.

Headlines

National Assembly spurns opposition against Tantita’s pipelines surveillance contract

– renews confidence in the tripartite security arrangement

Funso Olojo, Editor

The National Assembly (NASS) on Tuesday, April 7th, 2026, has dismissed three petitions challenging the pipeline surveillance contract and passed a vote of confidence on Tantita Security Services, security agencies, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their roles in protecting Nigeria’s oil assets and boosting crude oil production.

The endorsement came against the backdrop of Nigeria’s oil output rise

to about 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) as of April, 2026 up from around 900,000 barrels per day recorded in 2022 when the surveillance contract was introduced.

The resolution followed a motion moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), Henry Okojie, during a one-day parliamentary roundtable on pipeline security and efforts to curb crude oil theft.

The joint committees on Petroleum Resources said the surveillance arrangement has significantly reduced pipeline vandalism, curtailed crude oil theft, and increased national revenue.

They noted that the initiative has been instrumental in securing critical oil infrastructure, with Tantita and security agencies making measurable progress in safeguarding pipelines and other oil facilities.

Okojie emphasized that the collaboration between private security firms, host communities, and government security agencies has helped dismantle several illegal tapping points, improved production levels, and enhanced the delivery of crude to export terminals.

Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, stressed the need for sustained efforts to secure Nigeria’s oil sector amid growing global energy uncertainty.

He pointed to geopolitical tensions, including the Middle East crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as factors contributing to volatility in global energy markets, noting that crude oil remains a dominant energy source, particularly in the transportation sector.

Tajudeen explained that the pipeline surveillance contract became necessary due to long-standing challenges in the Niger Delta, where weak enforcement, agitation, and economic hardship fueled pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and illegal refining.

According to him, Nigeria was at one point losing between 10 and 30 percent of its crude oil production to theft, costing the country billions of dollars annually and undermining its credibility as a reliable oil producer.

He said the Federal Government’s decision to engage private security firms and host communities was aimed at strengthening the protection of oil facilities, stressing that community participation has proven critical to the success recorded so far.

Tajudeen also highlighted the social impact of the initiative, noting that it has created jobs for thousands of youths in the Niger Delta, many of whom were previously involved in agitation and illegal activities.

Despite the progress, he acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly in the areas of transparency, accountability, and the effectiveness of certain surveillance frameworks.

He reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to reforming the oil sector through legislation, oversight, and funding support.

Tajudeen cited the Petroleum Production and Distribution (Anti-Sabotage) Act and the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as key legal frameworks that introduced stricter penalties for vandalism and enhanced community participation.

He explained that under the PIA, host communities risk losing benefits if vandalism occurs within their areas, thereby promoting a sense of shared responsibility in protecting oil infrastructure.

Tajudeen added that the 10th National Assembly has intensified oversight on the implementation of the PIA, conducted investigative hearings on oil theft, and approved funding for pipeline security.

He stressed that crude oil theft should be treated not only as an economic crime but also as a national security threat requiring coordinated action.

The Speaker described the roundtable as an opportunity to consolidate gains from the surveillance contract, address existing gaps, and strengthen transparency, accountability, and community engagement in protecting Nigeria’s oil assets.

Stakeholders at the roundtable also commended the collaboration between Tantita Security Services, security agencies, and host communities, noting that the partnership has strengthened surveillance across key oil facilities in the Niger Delta and contributed to improved crude production.

They urged the Federal Government to sustain the initiative while enhancing transparency and accountability mechanisms to consolidate the gains recorded in the fight against crude oil theft.

“We must position Nigeria as a reliable energy supplier in the global market,” Tajudeen said.

“The world is searching for energy security, and Nigeria must present itself as a credible alternative. We cannot afford internal sabotage. Our message is clear: Nigeria is securing its assets, stabilizing production, and remains open for business.”

Headlines

NSW team acknowledges challenges, assures of better days ahead

— pledges to waive demurrage on containers caught in system glitches

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on Tuesday conducted an assessment visit to the National Single Window (NSW) office in Apapa, Lagos, to evaluate progress, identify challenges, and chart a path forward for the newly launched trade facilitation platform.

NRS Chairman ,Dr. Zacch Adedeji, acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s role in finally bringing the long-elusive project to fruition after multiple failed attempts of the past.

While reacting to concerns about teething problems raised by stakeholders, Dr Adedeji assured that the government would cushion the financial impact on traders grappling with initial operational difficulties.

“This is a special period. We will engage terminal operators and relevant stakeholders to ensure that demurrage charges are waived on affected containers,” Adedeji assured.

He attributed some of the delays to the complexities of migrating data from the old system, noting that not all transactions had been affected.

“When you have people that have delay, it is a certain percentage of the overall, some are smooth.

“The reason for that is migration from the old system. Imagine when you have the master manifest, you’ve shipped one in the old system and the other one is here,” he explained.

Adedeji also expressed appreciation for the broad acceptance the platform has received across the trade community.

“I thank Nigerians, because the success is just the adoption. If you look at it, you’ve not seen anyone say, no, this is not what we want to do, or this is what we want to do.

“So we thank Nigeria, we thank Mr. President,” he said.

On the teething challenges that have accompanied the rollout, Adedeji urged stakeholders not to lose heart.

“When you have a project of this magnitude, definitely you experience hitches. But if you look at where we’re coming from, there cannot be demoralizing.

“Instead of submitting cargo documents in 10 to 15 places, stakeholders are now submitting in one place.

“And even if you have delay, it is far, far less than going to seven places,” he said.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the visit as a working review of the system’s performance since launch and reaffirmed the service’s commitment to seeing it succeed.

“We are here to see what progress we’ve recorded, what challenges there have been, and what do we do moving forward to ensure that we get over those challenges,” he said.

Adeniyi was unequivocal about the long-term significance of the platform, saying that “National Single Window is here to stay.

“It will revolutionise the trading environment for good. It will definitely deliver benefits to the Nigerian economy, to make our trade environment more competitive.

“It will increase trade facilitation, no doubt about that. Of course, it will impact our economy,”

He acknowledged that glitches were to be expected with a deployment of such scale, adding that the team had been proactively addressing them.

“We’ve been experiencing those glitches, and we’ve been working together as a team under the National Single Window to confront those challenges and to ensure that we get over them and we move on.

“Initially, we had issues with uploading manifests from DHL. We got over that. We had issues with the shipping company. We got over that.

“Training is going on. There has been stakeholder acceptance, buy-in by all of them. You could see here that they are also undergoing those training programs,” he said.

Drawing on the experience with the Customs B’Odogwu platform, Adeniyi expressed confidence that the NSW team would overcome its current challenges faster, noting that similar complaints raised at the time of the B’Odogwu launch had since been put to rest.

PEBEC Director-General ,Zahrah Mustapha Audu, framed the NSW within the broader ease-of-doing-business agenda, describing it as a welcome solution for businesses engaged in import and export trade.

She acknowledged that software-related teething problems were inevitable but argued that the direction of travel was clearly positive.

“Yes, we will have teething problems because it’s a software, but something that is noteworthy is the fact that technology is constantly evolving.

“So as such, it’s good for us to get on board and to move with the trends. I see this as definitely progress for Nigeria,” she said.

Audu was optimistic about the prospect of achieving the administration’s cargo dwell time target.

“We started 2026 with the vision of reducing cargo dwell time to less than seven days. At this point, I’m becoming very optimistic because we’re in April.

“The system has been deployed. So hopefully, maybe we can even reduce it to three to four days, who knows, with the right political will, with the right determination, as well as cooperation from all the sister agencies who are involved in this process,” she said.

She pledged PEBEC’s continued collaboration with businesses across all sectors to ensure that government policies deliver tangible results, and congratulated the NSW team on the progress recorded so far.