Daily Watch – Dissident PDP governors form new group, NAF bombs terrorists in Borno & Kaduna
21st November 2022
A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Super Tucano fighter jet has killed 16 Boko Haram terrorists in Banki border area of Bama Council in Borno State. The neutralisation of insurgents on 16 and 17 November followed intelligence-led aerial and ground-coordinated military operations by troops in the border areas with Cameroon. A counter-insurgency expert, in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, told the Guardian on Sunday that “Boko Haram has suffered another devastating loss of its foot soldiers in the coordinated joint military operations in the border areas of Banki.” According to him, the terrorists had been hibernating in the Chongolo and Tangalanga border communities with Cameroon, 134 kilometres east of Maiduguri, the state capital. “The terrorists used the settlements as their staging locations to attack nearby military bases and soft targets in Banki border areas with Cameroon,” he said. In Kaduna, the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch killed several bandits during an airstrike in Giwa Local Government Area. According to a statement by the Internal Security and Home Affairs commissioner, Samuel Aruwan, the target of the strike was a major enclave south of Kidandan, confirmed to be the hideout of a bandit, Alhaji Ganai. The bandit camp was struck and destroyed, according to the statement, while bandits and several members of his gang were neutralised in the strike. In addition, the hideout of another notorious bandit, Ali Kawaje in Birnin Gwari LGA was also targeted and destroyed, as well as those of bandit kingpins Musa Pajelo and Kachalla Bello.
Five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and some aggrieved party stalwarts announced the formation of the Integrity Group within the party. The governors include Rivers’ Nyesom Wike, Benue’s Samuel Ortom, Oyo’s Seyi Makinde, Enugu’s Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Abia’s Okezie Ikpeazu. According to media reports, the governors and some aggrieved party leaders held a strategy meeting in Lagos. Addressing journalists on Sunday before going into the closed-door meeting, Mr Makinde said the Integrity Group remained the face behind the struggle within the PDP. Mr Makinde said: “We are here this morning to hold a meeting of the Integrity Group within our party, the PDP. We have been of the G5- that is, the five PDP governors. The G5 is all about the Integrity Group. “You can see us, five serving governors, as the face of this struggle, both the leaders and elders of the party that you see here are the people behind those faces.” Mr Makinde, however, spoke on the need for their meeting. “We are in the South-west to review the situation within our party, to review where we are and to also look at what is going to happen in the coming elections,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria reported that other PDP leaders at the meeting included former governors, Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Donald Duke (Cross River), Jonah Jang (Plateau) and former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Bode George. Also present were former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke; Deputy National Chairman (South) of the PDP, Taofeek Arapaja; Nasif Suleiman, Nnena Ukeje, Sandy Onor and Mao Ohabunwa.
Nigeria is set to produce additional 225,000 barrels of oil per day following the completion of the 2022 Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) of the Bonga floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo). The company, in a statement, confirmed that the TAM was completed on 9 November 2022, stating that commissioning and start-up activities are currently in progress. The statement also read that the maintenance was originally planned for 30 days but was completed in 22 days. “Commissioning and start-up activities are in progress and will culminate in a ramp-up of oil and gas production in the coming days,” the statement read. FPSO had earlier closed down on 18 October 2022, due to the statutory inspections, recertifications and other critical asset integrity restoration activities.
The United Nations COP27 climate summit has approved the creation of a special fund to cover the damages suffered by vulnerable nations affected by global warming. Delegates applauded after the fund was adopted early on Sunday, 20 November following days of marathon negotiations over the proposal. The two-week talks have switched from fears that the whole process could collapse to hopes of a major breakthrough on a fund for climate “loss and damage”. Senior Coordinator of the African Group on Loss and Damage, Alpha Kaloga, said it was an important step. “Today is a symbolic day, it is a symbolic day in terms of the impact that this decision will have on the future. “Developing countries have been fighting for 30 years to have a fund, to have recognition of the losses and damages associated with climate change. An informal coalition of “high ambition” countries called for strong language on cutting emissions, moving away from planet-heating fossil fuels and to reaffirm the 1.5C goal. The European Union even threatened on Saturday to walk out rather than having a “bad” decision. The talks still need to approve a range of decisions and a final COP27 statement including a call for a “rapid” reduction of emissions in order to meet the ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.