The eulogies from global leaders and leading personalities for Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch, as she died at the age of 96 dominate the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that eulogies from global leaders and leading personalities all over the world poured in for Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch, as she died at the age of 96 on Thursday.
She died peacefully at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands in the afternoon marking the end of an era in the United Kingdom.
Her death, which was announced by Buckingham Palace, attracted glowing tributes from global leaders, who described her in glowing terms.
The crown passes immediately to her son and heir Charles, who will officially be known as King Charles III.
Two members of staff posted the formal notice of the Queen’s death on an easel on the railings of Buckingham Palace.
The notice says, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
On Wednesday, there were concerns over her health when Buckingham Palace announced that she had postponed a virtual meeting of her Privy Council after being advised by doctors to rest.
On Thursday, the palace disclosed that she was under medical supervision, adding that she said she was “comfortable” at Balmoral.
Shortly after her death was announced, mourners gather at Buckingham Palace to pay tributes.
Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, she emerged the Queen in February 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI and reigned for 70 years.
The newspaper says that protesting members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Thursday threatened to shut down oil production in Nigeria for 30 days if the Federal Government fails to curb the lingering massive oil theft in the Niger Delta.
Members of the union staged protests in various parts of Nigeria, including Abuja, Warri in Delta State, Kaduna and Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
Findings by our correspondent showed that should the workers implement their threat, Nigeria might lose about N1.37trn from the non-production and sale of crude oil, a major foreign exchange revenue earner for the country.
Speaking at the sensitisation rally that was held at the Delta State Governor’s Office Annexe in Warri, the PENGASSAN Zonal Chairman, Prince Audu Osihiokhamele, noted with concern that “the big men doing the business of crude oil theft are in government.”
He added, “They say they load vessels, but we don’t see any. Is it a needle?”
He then declared that failure by the authorities to find lasting solutions to the menace would push PENGASSAN into taking more drastic actions.
“We will shut down the country for 30 days until we all come to the round table to unravel the mysteries surrounding the thefts,” Osihiokhamele stated.
The Guardian reports that as stakeholders advocate diversification of energy sources, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, yesterday, stated that the firm is already implementing studies on Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS), hydrogen electrification and evaluating how they can support the nation’s energy transition journey.
Though Nigeria has identified gas as transition energy, the reality of the Russia-Ukraine crisis has led many nations and operators to explore opportunities in hydrogen and other renewable alternatives.
Besides, the company said it delivered over 5,400 cargoes to its customers around the world in its 21 years of operations. NLNG’s first cargo sailed from Bonny Island in Rivers State to France putting the firm on the map as an operational company.
According to the NLNG, future-proofing the gas business through a sustainable approach cannot be ignored, especially in the light of global concerns and crisis.
Speaking during a panel on “Molecules and electrons: Managing the new agenda for growth”, at the GASTECH exhibition and conference in Milan, Italy, the Deputy Managing Director of NLNG, Olalekan Ogunleye, explained that with its expansion plan through the ongoing Train 7, which will add additional eight million metric tonne yearly or 30 per cent additional capacity, the firm hopes to further increase its contribution to addressing energy security concerns.
“But more importantly, we’ve delivered over 5400 LNG cargoes safely and counting. As an enterprise, we have completely embraced energy transition. And there are many elements to that. There is a business necessity to that because our stated vision is to be a globally competitive energy company that is helping to build a better Nigeria.
“We cannot be globally competitive if we are not in touch with market dynamics and new realities, and if we are not embracing decarbonisation. So, another important element is that we have integrated energy transition into our business at all levels. We have a Carbon Council that has been in place for over one year.
“We are also creating a green culture within the organisation by recasting energy transition in personnel channels. It is about job security and sustainability, future-proofing our business, and so all the members of staff can see the benefits in real concrete terms. These are great learnings and we also found that we cannot embark on this journey in a silo. We have got to reach out and touch base with what is going on globally.
“We have developed and approved an energy transition roadmap that is robust, navigable and comprehensive, with specific milestones and short-term targets, mid-term and long-term targets with different deliverables and work plans in them. For us, it is all-encompassing. It’s not just the plant but also non-plant assets. We are revisiting our shipping assets and replacing steam engine ships with modern engines that are more environmentally compliant.
“We are gradually focusing on decarbonising all across our value chain. In terms of key learning, we have found an easy transition to be an opportunity to validate our business model, deepening digitalisation and creating efficiency across our business. We also see that as an opportunity to create a new partnership, a relationship and to learn and to grow as an organization,” he added.
The newspaper says that a suspected foreign logistics supplier to Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT)/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abatcha Bukar, has been arrested by troops on the frontline.
Bukar was nabbed with assorted injections, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and N294,520 cash.
The troops also rescued three more Chibok girls, who were on serial numbers 3, 20 and 24 of the abducted Chibok girls’ list.
Briefing newsmen on the activities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security agencies from the various operational theatres across the six geopolitical zones of the country, Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Musa Danmadami, said troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) operated at the fringes of various villages and communities in Kukawa, Dikwa, Bama, Kaga, Monguno, Guzamala, Konduga, Gwoza and Mafa local councils in Borno State as well as Gujba Local Council of Yobe.
“During the operations, troops neutralised 52 suspected BHT/ISWAP fighters and arrested 14 terrorists. They also recovered two unexploded grenades, 12 AK-47 rifles, the FN rifles, five AK-47 magazines, automatic grenade launcher, hand grenade, AP mine, 86 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, motorcycle, 16 bows and arrows, seven bicycles and 10 mobile phones.
“Further, they rescued three Chibok girls named Jinkai Yama, Falmata Lawal and Asabe Ali at different locations with their children and 19 other abductees,” Danmadami said.
He noted that as part of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH)’s non-kinetic approach to winning the hearts of locals and promoting peaceful coexistence, OPSH, in collaboration with Beautiful Gate Handicaps People Centre, Jos, on September 3, 2022, distributed 220 tricycles and bags of rice to the People Living With Disabilities (PLWD) in Plateau and Bauchi states.
GIK/APA