The state of the industry as today, specifically in 2013, is a mixed grill of gains and losses. The refineries’ capacity utilization was enhanced though still not where they should be and this meant that Nigerians were able to fuel their cars without tears for another whole year. On the other side of the coin are the sad issues of massive vandalism of petroleum products pipelines, crude oil theft and further divestments by some of the Oil Majors.

President of Delta State Muslim Council, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha, has called on Nigerians to stop celebrating corrupt and bad leadership, saying such action had promoted corruption in the country.

2013 has been described as a year that lots of attention was given to Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG also known as cooking gas, and the country’s preferred energy of choice. However, the attention is yet to hit national scale despite the comparative advantages LPG have over traditional fuel. In this interview, President of Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association, NLPGA, Mr. Dayo Adeshina, outlined the successes, challenges in 2013 and projections in 2014.

Commended MorganCapital Group, one of leading investment banking and securities dealing firms in the country for its crucial role in ensuring the success of the second tranche of the Ekiti State N25 billion bond raising programme.

Rice dealers on Tuesday in Asaba appealed to the Federal Government to extend the deadline for the proposed ban on the importation of rice from 2015 to 2019.

It could be argued that the government’s transformation agenda would succeed only to the extent that the petroleum sector is transformed. The reason is that oil exports and proceeds from domestic sales account for nearly 80% of all federally- generated revenues and 95% of foreign exchange earnings. This statistics demonstrate that Nigeria operate largely a mono- product economy.

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Culture, Alhaji Zubairu Yari, said the state government would evacuate, treat and rehabilitate 50 lunatics from the streets of Sokoto metropolis.

Last year, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke delivered a paper on the future of Nigeria’s petroleum industry in the next five years. Below is an extract from the presentation:

1. Nigeria, with a 2013 estimated population of 174,507,539 is the most populous Black nation and the 7th most populated nation in the entire world, trailing after—from least to most—Pakistan, Brazil, Indonesia, USA, India and China (1.3bn).

2. Nigerians are 1/5th the total population of Black Africa.

3. Nigeria, with 521 languages has the fourth most in the world. This includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages.

Michael Schumacher’s wife pleaded Tuesday with journalists to leave her family and doctors alone, in her first comments since a ski accident in the French Alps left her famous husband in a coma.

At least 34 foreign jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and an ally were killed after clashes with rival Syrian rebels, a watchdog said on Tuesday.

Lagos State Fire Service says it has recorded 193 fire outbreaks from December, 2013 to till date.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, Zone 5 commandMr Hashimu Argungu,, said on Tuesday that 150 armed robbers were arrested in a total of 124 armed robbery cases reported in 2013. The zone comprises the three states of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa.

A Spanish court summoned King Juan Carlos’ youngest daughter Cristina as a suspect over tax and money-laundering crimes Tuesday, a first for a direct relative of the monarch.

Cristina, 48, has been linked to the business affairs of her husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, who is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds.

In the wild the Brazilian three-banded armadillo is classed as “vulnerable”, but a million furry versions of the creature picked as the 2014 World Cup mascot are taking shape in a Chinese factory.