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President Tinubu Smiles As Shell and Partners Invest $5bn in Nigeria’s DeepWater
The Bonga North FID dispels the misconceptions about International Oil Companies leaving Nigeria
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomes Shell and its partners’ announcement today of the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Bonga North Deep Offshore Field.
Also, barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu will today preside over what is expected to be the final Federal Executive Council meeting for 2024, ahead of his budget presentation at the National Assembly on Tuesday. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President, (Information & Strategy), said this morning in a State House press release.
It reads: ” This landmark development, Nigeria’s first deepwater oil project in over a decade, underscores the transformative impact of the President’s policies and reforms in attracting investments in the oil and gas sector.
The Bonga North oilfield, located 130 kilometres offshore in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, represents an impressive estimated $5 billion investment and is expected to yield approximately 350 million barrels of crude oil.
Shell holds the largest operational interest, with 55%. Its other partners are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Eni.
The FID signals renewed confidence in Nigeria’s energy sector and demonstrates the effectiveness of the Tinubu administration’s strategic focus on engendering a robust and competitive investment climate.
President Tinubu remarked: “The Renewed Hope Agenda fundamentally focuses on attracting investments to transform the Nigerian economy and deliver prosperity to our people.
We designed our policies and reforms from the start of my administration to achieve this goal. Shell and its partners’ decision to invest in Bonga North affirms the success of our efforts. We will continue to offer the necessary support to ensure their success and the realisation of Nigeria’s energy potential.
“President Tinubu’s strategic engagement with global energy stakeholders has been instrumental in this renewed wave of investments.
In July 2023, at the first of several high-level meetings with Shell’s global leadership, President Tinubu declared, “We are open for business and serious about creating a stable, predictable, and investor-friendly environment.
” Presidential Directives issued in early 2024 reinforced this commitment by fast-tracking regulatory approvals, reducing operational costs, and introducing competitive fiscal incentives.
The Bonga North project is the second of the blueprint projects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu selected to drive the implementation of the transformative Presidential Directives 40, 41, and 42 issued in the first quarter of 2024.
These directives, aimed at enhancing regulatory clarity, accelerating project timelines, and incentivising investment in Nigeria’s energy sector, have yielded remarkable results.
Earlier this year, the Ubeta oilfield (OML 58), the first blueprint project under this initiative, achieved a Final Investment Decision (FID) through a partnership between TotalEnergies and NNPC Limited.
Dormant since its discovery in 1965, the Ubeta project will produce 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, bolstering domestic supply and expanding Nigeria’s presence in the global energy market.
With both blueprint projects now achieving FID, the success of these initiatives underscores the effectiveness of the President’s strategic vision for Nigeria’s energy future.
Ms Olu Arowolo Verheijen, Special Adviser to the President on Energy, commented on the Bonga North milestone:
“The Bonga North FID dispels the misconceptions about International Oil Companies leaving Nigeria.
Instead, we are witnessing a strategic pivot of IOCs-powered capital and technical capacity to deepwater and integrated gas projects, which align with President Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria into a global energy hub.
The divestments from onshore operations create opportunities for local oil and gas companies to expand and thrive, building a strong foundation for Nigeria’s energy future.
” Ms Verheijen further noted: “The success of Bonga North and Ubeta demonstrates the efficacy of the reforms and directives championed by the President.
These projects will trigger broader investments to revolutionise Nigeria’s power generation, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.
As we look ahead to 2025, we anticipate further FIDs from international and domestic players, marking a new era of growth and opportunity for Nigeria.
” The Tinubu administration remains steadfast in positioning Nigeria as a global leader in energy innovation and investment, ensuring that these efforts translate into tangible benefits for all Nigerians.
News
BREAKING: Private Jet crash Lands in Kano (Video)
A private jet operated by Flybird has reportedly crash-landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in the early hour of today.
The aircraft, was said to be flying from Abuja, and landed around 9:30 a.m with 11 people on board, including three crew members.
Reports says passengers were quickly and safely evacuated from the plane, and no deaths were reported.
More details are expected to come in later.
See video below:
News
Botswana, Nigeria Explore Deeper Collaboration in Livestock Development (Photos)
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing evidence-based policies that will modernise Nigeria’s livestock sector and position it as a key driver of national economic growth.

The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, reiterated this position on Friday, 12th December 2025, when he received Her Excellency, Philda Nani Kereng, High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana to Nigeria, during a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.
He emphasised that the nation can no longer rely on outdated systems but must embrace structured reforms that support productivity, enhance value addition, and create sustainable livelihoods for farmers and livestock value-chain actors.

“The Botswana experience is a major inspiration. Your nation has achieved in 50 years what the world continues to study, and we are interested in domesticating many of those lessons,” the Minister said.
“Nigeria, as the largest market in Africa, is ready to expand its livestock sector to compete globally, while also partnering with Botswana to accelerate the journey,” he added, noting the country’s unique success in exporting beef to Europe, managing transboundary diseases, and integrating technology in livestock traceability.

He stressed Nigeria’s readiness to learn from Botswana’s model, especially as the Ministry moves to rehabilitate and modernise 417 grazing reserves across the country into structured ranching ecosystems.
In her remarks, the High Commissioner highlighted Botswana’s five-decade success story in beef production and export to the European market, describing it as a product of deliberate policies, strong governance structures, and extensive farmer support systems.

She explained that Botswana’s livestock sector grew from a rural development model that prioritised agriculture, backed by policies and laws enabling farmers to produce high-quality cattle for livelihood improvement and national economic growth.
Her Excellency noted that Botswana’s beef sector, second only to diamonds in national revenue, thrives on strict disease-control systems, communal land management, targeted veterinary interventions, and highly subsidised farmer support programmes.
She outlined several areas where Botswana is prepared to collaborate with Nigeria, including beef quality improvement through enhanced genetics, modern abattoir practices, disease management, veterinary protocols, vaccine production, livestock traceability and grazing management.
News
JUST IN: Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda, Overrides President’s Pardon
Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, the Abuja housewife convicted of stabbing her husband to death in 2018, reinstating her original death sentence by hanging.
Sanda, 37, was sentenced to death in January 2020 by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court for culpable homicide punishable with death after she fatally stabbed Bilyaminu Bello during a heated domestic dispute over alleged infidelity. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in December 2020, and the Supreme Court affirmed it in 2023, exhausting her appeals.
In October 2025, President Bola Tinubu initially granted Sanda a full pardon as part of clemency extended to 175 convicts, citing her family’s pleas for the sake of her two children, her good conduct in prison, and remorse. However, amid public backlash, the administration revised the decision, commuting her sentence to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds.
The Supreme Court’s 4-1 majority decision, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, dismissed Sanda’s final appeal as meritless. Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, affirming the lower courts’ findings that Sanda’s actions constituted intentional murder.
Crucially, the apex court held that the executive branch’s exercise of pardon powers under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution was invalid in this instance, as Sanda’s appeal was still pending before the judiciary at the time of the grant. “It was wrong for the Executive to seek to exercise its power of pardon over a case of culpable homicide in respect of which an appeal was pending,” Justice Adumein stated in the lead judgment.
The dissenting justice argued for upholding the commutation, emphasizing humanitarian considerations for Sanda’s children and her time served—over seven years at Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The ruling has reignited national debates on the separation of powers, domestic violence, and the application of the death penalty. Sanda’s family expressed devastation, while Bello’s relatives hailed the decision as long-overdue justice. Rights groups decried the outcome, calling for legislative reforms on prerogative of mercy.
Sanda remains in custody pending any further legal maneuvers, though options appear exhausted. The Attorney General’s office confirmed investigations into the pardon process’s procedural flaws.
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