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NOA DG Urges National Assembly to criminalise Fuel Scooping
The Director- General called on the National Assembly to urgently initiate and enact comprehensive legislation that will expressly criminalise the act of fuel scooping from fallen tankers and prescribe firm, clear, and deterrent penalties for perpetrators.
• Fuel scooping from a fallen tanker at Liverpool bridge, Lagos , Monday 19 January 2026.
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has condemned the act of scooping fuel from a fallen tanker, as witnessed today at the Liverpool Bridge, Apapa area of Lagos State.
The Director- General therefore called on the National Assembly to urgently initiate and enact comprehensive legislation that will expressly criminalise the act of fuel scooping from fallen tankers and prescribe firm, clear, and deterrent penalties for perpetrators.
” This practice is completely unacceptable in a modern society and poses an extreme and avoidable threat to human life, public safety, and national infrastructure,” said Issa-Onilu .
He pointed out that the risks involved are not limited to those directly engaged in the act; the collateral danger to motorists, nearby communities, emergency responders, and critical assets is enormous and far outweighs any perceived or imagined benefit.
Issa-Onilu noted that the National Orientation Agency has, over the years, consistently deployed nationwide sensitisation and public enlightenment campaigns to conscientise Nigerians on the dangers inherent in fuel scooping and similar high-risk behaviours. Regrettably, despite sustained advocacy, repeated warnings, and value-reorientation efforts, some individuals have remained adamant and have continued to engage in this undesirable and life-threatening conduct.
The Director General stated unequivocally that this behaviour cannot be justified under any circumstances. “This is not poverty.
Poverty does not take away the sense in people’s heads, nor does it eliminate judgement or the instinct for self-preservation. What we are witnessing is a conscious, reckless, and criminal disregard for human life and public safety,” he said.
He recalled that Nigeria has, in the past, recorded several tragic incidents across different parts of the country where fuel tanker accidents led to explosions and infernos after people attempted to scoop fuel, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives. These recurring tragedies, he stressed, are painful reminders that this menace is recurrent, preventable, and must no longer be tolerated.In view of the grave danger posed by this practice, t
He emphasised that sustained public enlightenment must now be complemented by strong legal and enforcement frameworks to decisively end this deadly behaviour.
Issa-Onilu emphasised that this trend must not be allowed to continue, adding that Nigerians must collectively reject actions that repeatedly lead to mass casualties, national trauma, and avoidable loss of lives.
He reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to intensifying its value-reorientation and safety advocacy across the country.
“Human life is sacred and priceless. No situation, no (excuse, and no momentary gain should justify conduct that places lives in imminent danger,” said the Director – General.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to Nigeria following a successful two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, arriving in Lagos alongside First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The President is expected to spend the upcoming Sallah break in the city.
He received a warm welcome at the airport from senior government officials, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, with applause from gathered supporters and well-wishers.
The visit, hailed as historic and the first full state visit by a Nigerian president to the UK in nearly 40 years, aimed to deepen diplomatic, economic, and trade relations between the two countries.
Key engagements included a royal reception and state banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, as well as high-level bilateral talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street.
A major achievement was President Tinubu witnessing the signing of a £746 million financing agreement backed by UK Export Finance (UKEF).
The deal, involving Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, the Nigerian Ports Authority, Citi Bank, and other partners, will fund the modernization and refurbishment of two vital Lagos seaports: the Lagos Port Complex (Apapa) and the Tin Can Island Port Complex.
The project is designed to reduce congestion, improve efficiency with modern systems, boost Nigeria’s role as a leading maritime hub in West and Central Africa, and include commitments to sourcing components from the UK.
The engagements highlighted strengthened bilateral cooperation, record trade levels, and mutual interests in infrastructure development and sustainable growth.
News
Twining Boosts UK’s Investment in Nigeria By £24mn Ovaltine factory
Located on Wempco road, Ogba, Lagos, Ovaltine has been available and popular in Nigeria since the 1930s via imports.
The manufacturing facility marks the commencement of direct, local manufacturing of the brand by Twinings.
British beverage maker Twining Ovaltine is pumping a fresh £24 million into its Lagos manufacturing facility in an efforts to strengthen the bilateral trade between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
This is disclosed in a statement a statement issued by the UK’s Department of Business and Trade.It said that the investment will create over 100 direct jobs and boosting the company’s exports across West Africa.
Peter Kyle, the UK’s business and trade secretary, said that with bilateral trade now at an all-time high of £8.1 billion a year, the UK and Nigeria are showing how countries grow faster when they grow together.
He emphasised that as the two economies continue to enhance cooperation and trade relations, the investment plans will provide jobs for both countries while transforming lives.
“With Nigerian firms creating jobs across the UK and British businesses expanding into one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, our partnership is strengthening both economies and delivering real benefits for people in both countries,” Kyle said.
Meanwhile, located on Wempco road, Ogba, Lagos, Ovaltine has been available and popular in Nigeria since the 1930s via imports.The manufacturing facility marks the commencement of direct, local manufacturing of the brand by Twinings.
News
Insecurity: PDP says Nigeria’s Safer in 2015 Than Today
In the statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, the party sympathise with the families who have been affected by bombing and calls on the federal government to move beyond rhetoric in security matters.
Opposition party -The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has beaten it’s chest saying, “There is no one, including the President, who will not agree that our country was safer in 2015 than it is today.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the opposition party referenced the recent multiple bombings in Maiduguri, resulting in at least 23 deaths and injuring more than 100 people, alleging that “it was another incontrovertible piece of evidence of the inability of the APC-led federal government to curb the growing insecurity in the country.”
This bombing is an unfortunate addition to the numerous acts of grave insecurity that have occurred under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who was the loudest campaign voice for the APC, promising to end insecurity immediately if his party is elected. Sadly, 11 years later, insecurity has not only increased significantly in the Northeastern part of Nigeria; it has spread almost uncontrollably to many other parts of the country that were hitherto very safe and peaceful.
Despite this glaring failure, the APC-led Presidency has devoted more time, energy, and resources to the task of political genocide against the opposition, instead of deploying the same to combat the growing insecurity that has become the lived reality and new normal of Nigerians.
In the statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, the party sympathise with the families who have been affected by bombing and calls on the federal government to move beyond rhetoric in security matters and engage strategic stakeholders, especially community leaders, as part of a whole-of-society approach to combating insecurity.
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