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California sues Exxon over plastics recycling ‘deception’

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(BBC)
California’s attorney general is suing ExxonMobil, alleging the oil giant engaged in a “decades-long campaign of deception” about the effectiveness of plastics recycling.

In the civil lawsuit filed on Monday, Attorney General Rob Bonta accused Exxon of contributing to a “deluge” of plastic pollution, while telling Californians that recycling was a fix.

“For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible,” Bonta said.

In a statement, Exxon blamed California for an inefficient recycling programme.

For decades, California officials have known their recycling system isn’t effective. They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills,” the company said in a statement.

An Exxon spokesperson added that the company had processed more than 60 million pounds (27 million kilograms) of plastic waste into usable raw materials, “keeping it out of landfills”.

Bonta’s office said the case marks the first time US officials have attempted to hold a gas or oil company accountable for deceptive claims about plastics recycling.

California is seeking an unspecified amount of money that Bonta said could come to as much as “multiple billions of dollars”.

“ExxonMobil lied to further its [record]-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardising our health,” he said.

Last year, Bonta sued ExxonMobil as well as four other oil giants for compensation over climate change damages.

The most recent lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, comes after a nearly two-year investigation by Bonta’s office into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries and global plastics pollution.

ExxonMobil is the world’s largest producer of resins used for single-use plastics, according a report by Australia’s Minderoo Foundation.

Bonta alleged that, through its marketing, the company was promoting its “advanced recycling” programme to the public as a solution to plastic waste, while knowing that the company would “never be able to process more than a tiny fraction of the plastic waste it produces”.

The 147-page suit alleges that nearly all of plastic waste processed by the company has been turned into fuel instead of recycled plastic.

The deception violated state nuisance, natural resources, water pollution, false advertisement and unfair competition laws, Bonta said.

The world produces over 400 million tons of plastic each year, but only 9% is recycled, according to a 2022 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Tax Reform: I rented secret apartment after death threats –Oyedele

These are not small boys and girls,” he said. “They are big people with deep connections and resources. So naturally, they would resist any effort to block those illegal streams.

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Oyedele said that the threats began shortly after he announced a clampdown on more than 60 government agencies illegally collecting taxes and levies across the country.

Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has revealed that he was forced to flee his home and now lives in a secret location under armed police protection after receiving death threats linked to his tax reform efforts.

The Guardian reports that during a live radio interview on Nigeria Info FM, Oyedele said that the threats began shortly after he announced a clampdown on more than 60 government agencies illegally collecting taxes and levies across the country.

“I had to pack out of my house,” he said. “I rented a place in a secret location where I now live. I’m not the kind of person who wants anybody carrying a gun to follow me around, but I had to accept mobile police protection.”

”Oyedele, a former Africa Tax Lead at PwC, has led the drive to simplify and clean up Nigeria’s tax system.

He described the backlash as unexpected but driven by powerful individuals who had turned tax collection into a personal revenue stream.

“These are not small boys and girls,” he said. “They are big people with deep connections and resources. So naturally, they would resist any effort to block those illegal streams.”

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Dangote Refinery Planning 1.6m Barrels Fuel Storage Tanks in Namibia

The storage tanks would be used to supply petrol and diesel to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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Dangote petroleum refinery will construct storage tanks in Namibia to hold at least 1.6 million barrels of petrol and diesel to supply refined fuel to southern Africa.

Reuters reports that the storage tanks would be used to supply petrol and diesel to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Dangote was also considering supplying fuel to southern Democratic Republic of Congo, the sources said.

It was not immediately clear how much the project would cost, but the second source said construction of the storage tanks would begin shortly in the port city of Walvis Bay.

The move underscores the refinery’s ambition to dominate fuel supply in Africa and beyond, potentially reshaping energy trade flows in the region and boosting access to refined products for southern African nations.

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UBA Announces Strategic Expansion into Key Markets Across Africa

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UBA Group senior executives have concluded the Group’s Half Year Business Review, which was held at the global headquarters in Lagos Nigeria.

UBA Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, brought together executives responsible for UBA’s twenty-four countries of operation.

He said “the gathering was an opportunity to restate the Group’s pan-African strategy, and commitment to further expanding the Group’s coverage across high potential markets across Africa, while also deepening its operations in its existing twenty African presence markets.

“With over 51.7% of Group revenues from ex Nigerian operations, UBA’s journey to being Africa’s most diversified financial services group was clearly in evidence.”

The international strategic intent reinforces with the Group’s intention to deliver innovative financial solutions to its fast-growing global customer base.

The strategy demonstrates UBA’s unique position as Africa’s global bank and ability to leverage growth opportunities in emerging and leading African markets.

The Group commenced its Pan African journey, with its entry into Ghana in 2004, followed by rapid expansion into 18 additional African markets.

Today, as a resilient and future-focused institution, UBA continues to push boundaries by connecting Africa to the world and the world to Africa.

Mr Alawuba highlighted the Group’s expansion plans, disclosing that the Group is excited about the vast opportunities that the new markets present, a testament to UBA Group’s confidence in the African economy, providing world-class banking services that meet the continent’s evolving needs.

He noted that: “UBA’s vision is clear – we are building a truly global institution anchored in Africa, but serving customers across continents”.

“Further strategic expansion positions us to unlock new opportunities, support intra-Africa trade, and deliver world-class banking experiences wherever our clients choose to do business,” Alawuba said.

“In Europe, UBA has operations in the United Kingdom and upgrading its license in France, expanding its capacity to serve cross-border trade, investment flows, and the African diaspora, complementing our over 40-year presence in NY.”

These moves signal a clear message of UBA’s intent to reshape the competitive landscape”, Alawuba further said.

As part of the Group’s plan to expand its global presence, UBA, in January, announced plans to open operations in Saudi Arabia.

Operating in twenty African countries and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees’ group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally.

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