Five family members of the victims of Ojuelegba trailer crash has filed a N10 billion suit against the Lagos State government, before a Federal High Court in Lagos.

THE 2016 budget was a mixture of surprises. While some sectors jubilate, others are racking their brains on how to sort out the confusion the budget has put on their operations. For instance, the Ministry of Communications and two of its agencies are to share N15, 997, 128, 516 billion as their total budgetary allocation for the year 2016. While this is a great improvement upon last year’s N9.9 billion, it also has its own flaws.

Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit have apprehended four suspected pipeline vandals, who specialised in printing fake way bills and other documents of major oil marketers in order to facilitate movement of stolen petroleum products within and outside Lagos State.

MEMBER representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo federal constituency in Ebonyi State, Linus Okorie, has distributed constituency empowerment packages valued at over N65million to constituents.

THE Minister of Environment Hajiya Amina Mohammed has projected that the country can generate $7, 5 billion (about N15 trillion) from of grid solar energy.

SEVEN of the fifty four people arrested in connection with pipeline vandalism and adulteration of crude oil products in Akwa Ibom state last year have been convicted.

THE Ijaw Oil Producing and Pipeline Communities in Warri and Environs, IOPPCWE, Delta State, yesterday, threatened that it would halt the flow of crude oil from Ijaw locations to Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, if the company refuses to recall its kinsmen fired lately and employ more Ijaws in the ongoing recruitment of new workers.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State yesterday signed into law the N25billion Employment Trust Fund, ETF bill, aimed at tackling the high rate of unemployment in the state.

AHEAD of Saturday’s Bayelsa State governorship run-off election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to steer clear of the election by remaining neutral.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria PENGASSAN, have rejected planned sack of no fewer than 1100 workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and threatened to shut down the nation’s petroleum sector should the management go ahead with the sack.

It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugural speech, shortly after he was sworn-in as president of Nigeria at the Eagle Square, promised Nigerians drastic diversification from a mono-economy and sole revenue generation from the oil and gas sector to agriculture and solid minerals.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration would soon establish an inter-ministerial committee to ensure the speedy reform of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

There were indications that the 2016 Appropriation Bill may be subjected to further scrutiny and amendments by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, despite being already presented to the National Assembly for legislative action.

Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Mr Solomon Dalung yesterday in Lagos condemned the usual rejection of corps members by companies and government agencies during their mandatory service year.

Audrey Joe-Ezigbo is the Co-Founder and Executive Director, Commercial Operations of Falcon Corporation Limited and a member of the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Gas Association.