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Federal Government Urges Humane Deportation Process As U.S. Plans To Repatriate 85 Nigerians

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Deportation

Federal Government Urges Humane Deportation Process As U.S. Plans To Repatriate 85 Nigerians

Federal government urges humane deportation Process as U.S. plans to repatriate 85 Nigerians. The Federal Government (FG) has called on the United States to ensure a dignified and orderly deportation process for Nigerian immigrants facing repatriation.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the appeal in Abuja on Sunday after a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr.

In a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, Odumegwu-Ojukwu raised concerns over the possible suspension of the U.S. Drop Box Visa System and the impact of deportations on affected individuals and their families.

“With the new U.S. administration, we want commitments. If deportation must happen, it should be dignified,” she stated.

She revealed that 201 Nigerians are currently in U.S. immigration detention, with 85 already approved for deportation.

“Will they be given time to settle their affairs, or will they simply be bundled onto planes?” she asked, stressing the emotional and financial strain deportation imposes on families back home.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the U.S. government to handle deportations humanely and to reconsider suspending the Drop Box Visa Policy, which facilitates visa renewal without in-person interviews.

She also requested an official U.S. statement to clarify the status of the policy, noting that over 14,000 Nigerian students are currently studying in the U.S., with their families concerned about possible visa restrictions.

On USAID operations in Nigeria, she acknowledged growing uncertainty but urged continued support for humanitarian and development projects.

In response, Ambassador Mills clarified that the Drop Box Visa System has not been suspended but is under review as part of the U.S. administration’s policy adjustments.

Deportation

Deportation

Regarding deportation, he confirmed that the repatriated individuals, including convicted criminals and immigration law violators, would be returned to Lagos, with no plans to consider alternative locations like Port Harcourt or Abuja.

Mills reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to strengthening trade relations with Nigeria and continuing humanitarian efforts through USAID, despite challenges faced by some non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Economy

NNPC Ltd. HSE Chief Sets Tone For Industry-Wide Safety Standards

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NNPC's Mass Sack

NNPC Ltd. HSE Chief Sets Tone For Industry-Wide Safety Standards

NNPC Ltd.’s Chief Health, Safety and Environment Officer, Tonye Alagba, has urged Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) personnel across the company to strengthen collaboration and build a unified HSE team.

Alagba, who made the call at the recent First Quarter 2026 HSE Council Meeting held in Abuja from 15th to 17th April, 2026, called for collective responsibility, strict compliance, and proactive prevention of HSE violations across all business units.

NNPC's Mass Sack

NNPC

NNPC Ltd. values strict HSE adherence across all its businesses and operations. The HSE Council Meeting signals the company’s broader intent to raise the bar for safety culture across Nigeria’s energy sector.

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Economy

NNPC, SNEPCo, NCDMB Donate Geosciences Centre To UNILAG

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SNEPCo

NNPC, SNEPCo, NCDMB Donate Geosciences Centre To UNILAG

NNPC Limited, in partnership with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), commissioned and donated the newly built UNILAG Geosciences Centre of Excellence to the University on Friday.

Purposely built to strengthen geosciences education and research in Nigeria, the Centre was inaugurated by the Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services Ltd. (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igandan, alongside the Managing Director of SNEPCo, Ronald Adams; Director of Capacity Building (NCDMB), Abayomi Bamidele; Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule; and the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Folasade Ogunsola.

The Centre boasts of a 250-seat auditorium, geoscience and instrumentation laboratories, a rock preparation workshop, hydrogeology, mineralogy, environmental geology, sedimentary and palaeoenvironmental sciences laboratories, a seismic interpretation room, a modern library, a digital museum, and collaborative spaces for students and researchers. It is also supported by a 600 kVA transformer, a 40 kVA solar power facility, and a field investigation coaster bus.

SNEPCo

SNEPCo, NNPC

By connecting academia, industry, and government under one roof, the Centre provides Nigerian students and researchers with hands-on access to modern energy tools, reduces the oil and gas industry’s reliance on international markets for testing and training, and builds the in-country expertise Nigeria’s energy sector needs.

NNPC Limited remains committed to driving capacity building, supporting national development, and working with partners to secure a stronger energy future for Nigeria.

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Economy

NNPC: Ministers Chart Course Gor West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP)

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(WAGP)

NNPC: Ministers Chart Course Gor West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP)

The Committee of Ministers for the West African Gas Pipeline Project met in Abuja on Friday, reaffirming its central role in West Africa’s regional energy agenda.

The meeting brought together ministers and high-level representatives from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana, alongside officials from ECOWAS, the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) and West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, who opened the meeting, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the long-term sustainability and expansion of the pipeline, adding that since its inception, the WAGP has transported over 613 million MMBtu of natural gas, with Nigeria accounting for more than 68 per cent of total volumes supplied to Benin, Togo, and Ghana.

(WAGP)

NNPC

 

On his part, NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, emphasised the company’s active stewardship of Nigeria’s gas export commitments and its broader role in shaping regional energy cooperation across West Africa.

With gas throughput reaching approximately 80 million MMBtu in 2025, a 22 per cent rise on prior years, and discussions advancing on expanding pipeline capacity utilisation by 45 per cent in 2026, NNPC Limited remains at the centre of efforts to grow a credible, commercially viable regional gas market.

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