Nigeria Roundup: Oil production, bilateral partnerships, ban on single-use plastic
Political party chair dies
The chairman of the Ondo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria has passed. According to local news outlet Dailypost, Fatai Adams died in the early hours of Wednesday. Publicity Secretary Kennedy Peretei confirmed the news. The party will soon make an official communication.
Arms factory discovered
Troops from the Special Military Taskforce in charge of maintaining peace in the Plateau state have uncovered a weapon factory in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state. The factory was discovered during a raid by troops. Items retrieved from the factory included arms and ammunition of different kinds, the spokesperson for the task force, Captain Oya James revealed. One suspect was arrested, the Punch media outlet indicated.
Bilateral partnerships
Nigeria has signed a landmark investment partnership with the United Kingdom (UK) to boost trade and investment. The Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (EITP) was signed in Abuja and is the first the UK has signed with Nigeria. Nigerian News Agency reports that the UK Minister for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch who signed the agreement said that both countries will continue to share cultural bonds and common law systems.
Ban on single-use plastic
Nigerian parliamentarians asked the government to ban the production, use, and distribution of Styrofoam and single-use plastics in the country. The House of Representatives asked the government to implement the ban in phases to provide sufficient time for affected businesses and industries to transition to alternative eco-friendly materials and practices. The move follows the adoption of a motion moved by Muktar Shagaya who claimed that the increasing use of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics in Nigeria poses dire environmental and public health risks, Premium Times reports.
Drop in oil production
Nigeria’s oil production has dropped to 1.419 million barrels per day according to statistics provided in January. This is against the 1.422 figure recorded in December, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) confirmed. Production is about 400,000 less than the projected benchmark in the 2024 budget which anticipated a 1.78 million daily output. Between 2022 and 2024, Nigeria’s oil production has only seen an increase of 200,000 barrels per day according to OPEC. Output was on average 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2022, 1.3 bpd in 2023 and 1.4 bpd in 2024, The Guardian reported.
