Monday 29 February 2016

Yesterdays (Feb. 29) there were rumours that Jay Z's streaming service Tidal was facing a lawsuit. John Emanuele, of the band The American Dollar, and Yesh Music, LLC. Alleged that the company did not live up to their side of their contractual promise thereby suing him with a $5 million class-action lawsuit. However, Jay Z's Tidal released the following statement, dismissing the allegations:
"TIDAL is up to date on all royalties for the rights to the music stated in Yesh Music, LLC and John Emanuele’s claim and they are misinformed as to who, if anyone, owes royalty payments to them. As Yesh Music, LLC admits in their claim, TIDAL has the rights to the Master Recordings through its distributor Tunecore and have paid Tunecore in full for such exploitations. Their dispute appears to be over the mechanical licenses, which we are also up to date on payments via Harry Fox Agency our administrator of mechanical royalties".
"The entire catalogue in question streamed fewer than 13,000 times on TIDAL and its predecessor over the past year. We have now removed all music associated with Yesh Music, LLC and John Emanuele from the service. This is the first we have heard of this dispute and Yesh Music, LLC should be engaging Harry Fox Agency if they believe they are owed the royalties claimed. They especially should not be naming S Carter Enterprises, LLC, which has nothing to do with Tidal. This claim serves as nothing other than a perfect example of why America needs Tort reform."

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Thursday 25 February 2016

10-year-old California girl Kiera Larsen, died while saving two toddlers from a rolling vehicle. The 3 children were playing on Monday evening around 5pm, when the 10 year old noticed an SUV rolling in reverse towards them and pushed the two babies, ages 1 and 2, away from the SUV, police in Lakeside said.
The vehicle struck the 10-year-old and pushed her through a fence, KGTV reported. She was immediately rushed to the to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Neighbours said the children were playing in their yard before the vehicle rolled towards them
Officials didn’t explain why the SUV, a 1999 Mercedes-Benz, started rolling in reverse down the driveway.
“She is truly a hero. She will forever be my kids’ guardian angel,” said Alissa Jenkins, who is the mother of one-year-old Adison and two-year-old Emma, the girls Kiera had saved.
“She saved both my daughters’ lives. These are my two kids that I have and both of them could’ve been gone in an instant and she stepped in and took over and did what she knows best to do—and that’s to protect those around her.”
Jenkins and fiance Jonathan Gusich said they’ll never be able to repay her.
“She was a big sister to them. She was always looking out for them and apparently she gave her life for my kids,” Gusich told FOX5. “I don’t know how to repay them, repay her. She must have been the guardian angel yesterday and they’re here because of her.”
A GoFundMe account was set up for Kiera’s family, and more than $53,000 has been raised as at this morning.
A CHP officer on the scene also described her as a hero.
“A child died heroically, I mean if you think about it, she sacrificed herself for another small child,”
Adding that police are going to do an inspection on the vehicle, find out why this happened, find out if there was some sort of malfunction on the vehicle and go from there.


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During an interview for the new issue of Rolling Stone, ace singer, Sir Elton John accused singer, Janet Jackson of lip-syncing and fumed that he would rather see a drag queen sing than hear her sing.
Sir Elton John said that for the life of him, he can't understand why Janet Jackson attracts so much praise for her concerts because he doesn't think she sings live, he thinks she lip syncs at all her concerts.

He said:
"You know, f**king music magazines writing a review of Janet Jackson saying, 'This is the greatest show - four and a half stars.'
"It's f**king lip-synced! Hello! That's not a show! I'd rather go and see a drag queen. F**k off."
Elton John who is known to be outspoken has called out several artists in the past, including Madonna, his old friend Billy Joel  etc.
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Sunday Oliseh resigns as Super Eagles Coach

After only seven months and several 'misunderstandings' with the NFF, Sunday Oliseh has resigned as Super Eagles Chief Coach. He did so about 2 hours ago.
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Wednesday 24 February 2016

9 people were killed following a gun battle between militants and the Nigerian military in Bori village in Rivers state yesterday February 23rd. Residents of the village say the military were on a retaliatory mission following the killing of some military men by militants in the area on Monday February 22nd. The area had become restive since Sunday after some militants burnt down the campaign office of Senator Magnus Abe who they accused of working against one of their former leaders popularly known as Solomon Ndigbara aka Solo. Graphic photos after the cut..
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A small plane with 21 people on board has gone missing. This happened while flying in a mountainous area in Nepal. The plane lost contact after taking off from Pokhara - a resort town west of Kathmandu. According to officials, it was heading north to Jomsom - the starting point for trekkers going into the mountains. Details to Come.
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Tuesday 23 February 2016

The Nigerian navy says it has rescued a hijacked oil tanker in a dramatic night-time operation in which one pirate was killed.
The Panama-flagged Maximus, owned by a company in the UAE and on lease to a South Korean shipping company, was escorted on Monday into Lagos harbor with six captured hijackers from Nigeria and Ghana and the crew of 18 from India, Pakistan, China, South Korea, Sudan and Ghana.
Rear Admiral Henry Babalola said the navy is still searching for two crew taken hostage by two hijackers who escaped in a pirate vessel. The Indian defence attache, Capt Gautam Marwaha said one hostage is Indian and the other is believed to be Pakistan. They have not received any ransom demand, he added.
The bandits were after the ship's 4,700 tons of diesel fuel when they seized it on February 11. off the coast of Abidjan. The ship was rescued on Saturday night about 310 (500 kilometers) southwest of Lagos.
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Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) was ordered by a Missouri state jury to pay $72 million of damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company's talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades.
In a verdict announced late Monday night, jurors in the circuit court of St. Louis awarded the family of Jacqueline Fox $10 million of actual damages and $62 million of punitive damages, according to the family's lawyers and court records.
The verdict is the first by a U.S. jury to award damages over the claims, the lawyers said.
Johnson & Johnson faces claims that it, in an effort to boost sales, failed for decades to warn consumers that its talc-based products could cause cancer. About 1,000 cases have been filed in Missouri state court, and another 200 in New Jersey.
 
Fox, who lived in Birmingham, Alabama, claimed she used Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for feminine hygiene for more than 35 years before being diagnosed three years ago with ovarian cancer. She died in October at age 62.
Jurors found Johnson & Johnson liable for fraud, negligence and conspiracy, the family's lawyers said. Deliberations lasted four hours, following a three-week trial.
Jere Beasley, a lawyer for Fox's family, said Johnson & Johnson "knew as far back as the 1980s of the risk," and yet resorted to "lying to the public, lying to the regulatory agencies." He spoke on a conference call with journalists.
Carol Goodrich, a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman, said: "We have no higher responsibility than the health and safety of consumers, and we are disappointed with the outcome of the trial. We sympathize with the plaintiff's family but firmly believe the safety of cosmetic talc is supported by decades of scientific evidence."
Trials in several other talc lawsuits have been set for later this year, according to Danielle Mason, who also represented Fox's family at trial.
In October 2013, a federal jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota found that plaintiff Deane Berg's use of Johnson & Johnson's body powder products was a factor in her developing ovarian cancer.

Nevertheless, it awarded no damages, court records show. 
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (VRX.TO) now owns the Shower to Shower brand but was not a defendant in the Fox case.
The case is Hogans et al v. Johnson & Johnson et al, Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri, No. 1422-CC09012.


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Friday 5 February 2016

I'm sure the Ooni would have been uncomfortable and perhaps tried to stop him...but trust Baba...lol Former President Olusegun Obasanjo prostrated for the Ooni of Ife during his visit to the monarch's palace earlier today. More photos after the cut...
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Meek Mill was sentenced today for violating his probation and according to a report by TMZ, he escaped prison. The report below...
Meek Mill just got the best possible outcome at his sentencing for probation violation -- zero time behind bars. A Philadelphia judge gave Meek 6 to 12 months in county jail, BUT he will be allowed to serve the time on house arrest. He will do a minimum of 90 days, and won't be able to do his regular job -- rapping and performing, he can only do charitable work for the community.
That ban from work includes releasing any mixtapes. Translation: No new diss tracks aimed at Drake ... for a while. The judge will reevaluate after 90 days to determine how much longer he'll remain under house arrest. Meek had been on probation for a 2009 drug and gun conviction when he skipped town for the AMAs in November without getting written permission from his probation officer.
He also failed a pee test. A judge ruled in December he was in violation, despite heartfelt testimony from gf Nicki Minaj and Meek's own waterworks. Nicki was in court on Friday, and was even brought into chambers with Meek and the judge to discuss what kind of charity work he'll be doing. Meek has to turn himself in by March 1st, when he'll get his ankle monitoring bracelet.
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As shared by the supposed new wife's friend on Facebook...
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Pres. Buhari who is currently in London, met with some Nigerians who reside in the UK. Continue to see more photos...
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This is according to a story by Radar Online. They claim that Kim is fed up with Kanye's obsession with Amber and that their marriage has reached its breaking point. Yeah, right! Read their report below 
Kanye West‘s epic rant about Amber Rose didn’t just infuriate Wiz Khalifa. RadarOnline.com has learned his wife Kim Kardashian went ballistic and kicked him out of the house over his public meltdown! When West went off on Khalifa, calling his baby mama Rose a “stripper,” Yeezus was slapped down by his ex’s X-rated response. She wrote, “are u mad I’m not around to play in ur a**hole anymore?”
 Kim is absolutely mortified by Amber’s post,” Life & Style magazine reported. “She said she’s never felt so humiliated in her life.”
And so, the report claims, the 35-year-old mother of West’s two children went to extremes to punish her husband.
“She was so angry, she wouldn’t let Kanye into the house,” a source told the magazine. “She changed all the codes and asked security not to let him through the gate.”
“She was fuming with Kanye for antagonizing Amber. She said she’s had enough. She believes every word of what Amber wrote. All she wanted to do was crawl under the covers and never show her face again.”
Rose previously said that West cheated on her with Kardashian, but North West‘s mother doesn’t believe her hubby is over his ex, according to the report.
“Kim accused Kanye of reveling in the drama of feuding with his ex and of still being obsessed with her,” the source said. “Kim told Kanye he should be ashamed of himself for what he’s done to her and the family.”
And this ultimately might be the end of her third marriage, the source said.
“Kim is so enraged, she’s considering divorce,” the source said. “She said she can’t take much more. This latest saga has just proved to her how destructive Kanye is. She’s convinced that if she stays with him, he’ll take her down with him.”
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Sarah Snyder, 19, gave a kiss to her boyfriend, Jaden Smith, 17, as he carried her down a sidewalk in New York on Tuesday. They have been dating for about a year...
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Read the press statement below...
Our attention has been drawn to yet another mischievous report credited to the Public Relations Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, in The Punch newspaper of today, Friday, February 5, 2016, purporting that Senator Buruji Kashamu is still facing some extradition proceedings. Nothing could be farther from the facts and truth.
 Notwithstanding the misleading impression being created that the agency intends to allow the rule of law prevail, we are aware that its ex-Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Giade, who is now the Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on Narcotics is set to arm-twist the NDLEA to resort to yet another extra-judicial move.
The misuse of the word “extradition” by NDLEA is a euphemism for the illegal rendition they actually are planning. Let it be reiterated that Senator Kashamu is not worried about extradition proceedings being brought against him in accordance with Nigerian Laws. He knows that can never succeed in view of the decisions of the English courts that have exonerated him and has confirmed by several judgments of competent Nigerian Courts.
What Senator Kashamu is complaining about is the plan to abduct and ship him out of Nigerian without resort to due process or the Rule of Law, an illegal venture that is known as “rendition” not extradition as the NDLEA misrepresents to the public. For the avoidance of any doubt, extradition proceedings have already been brought against Senator Kashamu by the previous Attorney General of the Federation in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015 and was dismissed on the 1st of July, 2015.
The AGF has not appealed against that dismissal. In its judgment in that extradition proceedings the court expressly held that, “This suit is hereby dismissed…The Applicant (i.e the AGF), being an office created by the Constitution (see Section 150 (1) of the Constitution 1999 As Amended) has a greater obligation, by its act and conduct, in the context of its very extensive constitutional powers…to be seen to be law abiding and to give maximum and unqualified respect to every judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, regardless of its opinion as to whether the Court was right or wrong until such decisions are set aside by the appellate Courts.
To do otherwise is to further deepen an incipient culture of disobedience of Court’s orders and of unmitigated acts of unbridled impunity to judicial process even by the citizenry and the proverbial ‘common man’ whose last hope lies in the Judiciary.” It is highly mischievous for anyone to claim that “there is a pending appeal by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Justice to extradite Kashamu to the US for him to face trial.”
The appeals in question are in relation to other judgments and orders that restrained them from taking any steps against Senator Kashamu on the basis of the same allegations that he had been exonerated from. Mr. Ofoyeju and his co-travellers should acquaint themselves with the basic facts and details of a case before making pronouncements that could further cast the NDLEA as a lawless organisation in the eyes of right thinking members of the society, and among the comity of nations.
As we have often said, based on the Extradition Treaty between Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, two British courts heard extradition proceedings against Senator Kashamu at the instance of the US authorities and found that it was a case of “mistaken identity”, and released him.
The same NDLEA that Mr. Ofoyeju claims to be speaking for had sent two of its top officials – the then Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Mr. Femi Oloruntoba and one Umaru Dan Asabe (former Director of Operations) – to London to give evidence (confirming that Senator Kashamu was not the person sought for by the U.S. authorities) with the approval of the then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.

It is on the basis of these two British judgments that several Nigerian courts have held that the NDLEA cannot take any further steps against Senator Kashamu. And when they did, in spite of the subsisting orders and judgments of the court, the action was dismissed. It is noteworthy that in the same report, the current Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation has given indication that his office would not be a party to any illegality.
His position as expressed by his media aide is in tandem with global best practices in the comity of nations where any country that lacks regard for the rule of law is seen as a lawless society. There can be no extradition without the courts only illegality. Finally, our advice to Mr. Ofoyeju and Alhaji Giade is that they should leave Senator Kashamu alone.
He does not have any extradition case to answer. A dismissal is a bar to any further action before the court and it is therefore clear that when NDLEA says “extradition” what it actually means is “rendition” since it cannot go back to any Nigerian court after the dismissal. NDLEA should be called to order to avoid being used to perpetrate illegality, political vendetta and blackmail.
Signed
Austin Oniyokor
Media Adviser to Senator Buruji Kashamu

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Tuesday 2 February 2016

A supposedly mentally ill man stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death as she finished work in a health food store, a court heard.
Shane Smyth, 29, is believed to have been suffering from a psychotic illness when he allegedly murdered Mairead Moran, 26, in May 2014.
Smyth, from Evans Lane, Kilkenny, pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Moran by reason of insanity in court on Tuesday, the Irish Mirror reported.
Prosecution counsel Mr John O’Kelly SC said the factual evidence of the case would not be disputed and the “major factor in the case” is whether or not Smyth was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
He said that two consultant psychiatrists had prepared reports indicating that Smyth was suffering from a form of psychosis.
Mr O’Kelly told the court that the evidence in this case will be that Smyth attacked Ms Moran with a knife and stabbed her repeatedly at the Market Cross Shopping Centre in Kilkenny City.
The court heard that Shane Smyth had known Mairead Moran “years earlier” in their late teens when they went out together for a “brief period of seven months” after which they went their own ways.
Counsel said Ms Moran was away for some time and when she came back to the area, she started working in the Holland and Barrett store.
The court was told that Smyth had been diagnosed in 2005 as suffering from schizophrenia, he had treatment for a number of months at the time in a psychiatric hospital and since then “was back out in the community.”
Mr O’Kelly said in the months leading up to May 2014, Smyth had become aware of where Ms Moran was working and there had been a previous occasion when he had confronted her.
He said:
“He had in fact spat at her and this was disturbing for her, she was upset about it.”
At 8pm on the evening of May 8, 2014 counsel said Smyth came into the shop and started speaking to her “quite aggressively.”
Counsel said:
“You will hear evidence from people saying they heard Mr Smyth asking a question to the effect of ‘why do you want my blood’.”
The court was told that Smyth had a verbal altercation with Ms Moran but was sent away from the shop by a security guard.
Counsel said that “within five minutes”, Smyth was back in the shop again and “this terrible attack took place.”
The court heard Ms Moran was “stabbed repeatedly” with a knife which Smyth had brought to the scene and then dragged outside.
Smyth fled the shopping centre and got a taxi to his cousin’s home, the court heard.
Counsel outlined that Smyth told his cousin he had stabbed “his ex-girlfriend”.
A report compiled by psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright outlined to the court read:
“He believed he was being persecuted and people were conspiring to harm him and Ms Moran was part of this conspiracy.
“He delusionally believed he was being victimised and his life was in danger and Ms Moran was part of the plot against him.”
During the trial on Monday, Mr Coffey who is the security guard said that Ms Moran told him that Smyth had accused her of “kidnapping him and stealing his blood”.
The security guard then ordered the accused to leave the shopping centre immediately, the court heard.
The court heard after Mr Coffey radioed a colleague in the centre to tell him Smyth was not welcome there again, he got another call on his radio.
Mr Coffey said:
“All I heard on the radio was Holland and Barrett, I heard the girl crying out ‘Oh my god, Oh my god, I don’t believe it’.”
Ms Moran was slumped at the door of the shop and Smyth was standing a couple of feet away.
The court heard Smyth had a “complete blank look on his face”.
Another witness Seamus Walsh told the court he heard screams coming from just inside the Holland and Barrett shop.
Mr Walsh said the man shouted twice at the girl “you stole my f**king blood”.
The trial continues.
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A case of the Zika virus being transmitted between sexual partners reported on Tuesday in Texas has raised new concerns about the transmission of the disease, which is typically spread by mosquitoes and can cause birth defects. 
The patient, whose gender has not been released, was the first person confirmed to have been infected with the virus in the US.
Cases of Zika being spread by sexual contact have only rarely been reported, and health authorities had previously treated the idea that sexual transmission was possible as theory rather than documented science.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Tuesday that the patient had contacted the virus after having sexual contact with someone who had travelled to a country where Zika is present.
 
The Dallas County health department said the sexual partner had travelled to Venezuela, but that the patient had not left the country, and had been infected in Texas.
"Dallas County Health and Human Services has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the first Zika virus case acquired through sexual transmission in Dallas County in 2016," the department said a statement.
Zachary Thompson, the health department's director, said the case proved that Zika could be transmitted sexually.
“Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others,” he said. “Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections.”
A total of 31 people in the US are believed to have been diagnosed with Zika in the US in the past 12 months, but all of those cases originated in Central and South America, where the virus is more prevalent.
Symptoms are typically mild in adults, but babies whose mothers have contacted the disease can be born with smaller heads and brains.
Brazil has been the country worst-affected by Zika, though the virus has been reported in more than 20 countries.

Source: The Telegraph
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Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili who is championing the Bring-Back-Our-Girls campaign has urged President Buhari to tell Nigerians the truth about the war against Boko Haram.
She said:
“What drove us out of our comfort zone is that we got tired of not doing anything. We will continue with our core value. No matter what anyone want to do, this advocacy will continue. A pledge is a pledge. We made a pledge to parents of the Chibok girls and will not fail in this pledge.” 
“We have gone through a lot. But what we have gone through is little of what the 219 girls are going through in the hands of the Boko Haram sect. Let nobody succeed in making us feel we should not continue. We will continue until the girls are back. The girls deserve justice and they have not been given justice. We are unhappy that they are spending close to two years in the hands of the terrorists.” 
“I have not lost hope. There is no basis to lose hope. Though we might be depressed sometimes, we won’t lose hope. We will stand for the girls. We will hold on to the commitment the president made to the Chibok girls’ parents and Nigerians. We believe that he will keep his promise and bring the girls back.” 
“Some people have been vocal about our Chibok girls, but now they feel the Chibok girls are distractions. Our Chibok girls are not distractions”.

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An inspector of Police and a corporal have been reportedly shot dead, while nine other policemen were injured after a Police station located at Okoroete, the in Akwa Ibom State, was invaded by armed youths suspected to be from Andoni, a neighboring community, in Rivers State.
It was gathered that over 10 thugs invaded the police station and tried to disarm the dead police officers, but met resistance, which caused them to shoot the officers, killing two of them instantly.
No reason for the attack is known yet but there are reports that the place has been a hotbed for violence following the communal clash between Amazaba community in Eastern Obolo and Ikot Akpan Udo in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
A chieftain of the area, Chief M. W. Ujile, said:
“I do not know what might have propelled the hoodlums to take such action against the police.”
So far, one suspect has been arrested, the PPRO implored members of the public to report any info they have about the thugs to the police.

Vanguard
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Gorgeous! Shakira took to her social media account on Feb. 2 to tell her 16 million followers that its her birthday.
"Birthday bun / Una ducha y a celebrar mi cumple! Shak," the 39-year-old captioned the photo showing her with her curly up.
In her image, the singer was makeup free, smiling and looking as beautiful as ever. It's as authentic a photo as you'll see of any international superstar.
Late January/early February is a special time for Shakira, as she shares a birthday with her husband Gerard Piqué.
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The Minister of State for Petroleum/Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe. Kachikwu, yesterday appeared before the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee set up to investigate the NNPC’s offshore processing and crude swap arrangement for the period from 2010 to date stating that the Federal Government did not pay any subsidy on petroleum products in January 2016.
He also said that the country would save $1 billion from the newly introduced  Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase, DSDP, arrangement in Nigeria’s crude oil for products transaction which is supposed to start next month
He explained that the DSDP was adopted to replace the Crude Oil Swap initiative and the Offshore Processing Arrangement in order to introduce and entrench transparency in the crude oil for product transaction by the corporation in line with global best practices.
Kachikwu stated that the DSDP option eliminated all the cost elements of middlemen and gave the NNPC control of sale and purchase of crude oil transaction with its partners, thereby saving one billion dollars for the Federal Government.
He said:
“When I assumed duty as the Group Managing Director of NNPC, I met the Offshore Processing Arrangement (OPA) and like you know, there is always room for improvement.
“I and my team came up with the DSDP initiative with the aim of throwing open the bidding process. This initiative has brought transparency into the crude-for-product exchange matrix and it is in tandem with global best practices.”
Vanguard
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