WOW! See How This Kaduna Student Built Oil Refinery

The department of chemical engineering of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has made history . The students of the department built a refinery with a capacity to process one barrel of crude oil per day .

The refinery would be used mainly for the training of students The department of chemical engineering of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has built a refinery with a capacity to process one barrel of crude oil per day.

The department of chemical engineering of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has made history -The students of the department built a refinery with a capacity to process one barrel of crude oil per day .

The refinery would be used mainly for the training of students The department of chemical engineering of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has built a refinery with a capacity to process one barrel of crude oil per day.

However, the refinery would be used mainly for the training of the students, team leader of the project, Professor Ibrahim Ali Muhammad Dabo told Daily Trust. Dabo however stated that the department had the manpower to build a refinery that would be bigger than that of Kaduna if it had government support.

His words:

“The initial idea was to construct a 1,000 barrel-capacity refinery, but lack of funding limited us to this one, where we would now be refining one barrel per day.

“Only the controls were sourced from Hong Kong. No expatriate was hired from abroad. All those that were engaged in this project are Nigerians. “Therefore, this mini refinery is a product of Nigerian brains. If government can come in, we have the ability to do wonderful things, not only refinery.

“This is our training and it is what our department is meant for,” he said.  According to Dabo, the project which cost N20million had more than 80 per cent of the materials used for the construction sourced locally.

He further stated that the idea of the mini refinery was conceived about 15 years back, but work commenced fully in the year 2011.

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Nigeria records increased oil output ahead OPEC production cut talks

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                                  OPEC Headquarters

OPEC said Friday that it pumped oil at record levels last month even though the cartel aims to agree a production cut in less than three weeks in an effort to boost prices.

The Oorganisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed in September in Algiers to trim production but the accord still has to be finalised on November 30 in Vienna.

In its November monthly report, OPEC said that its 14 members pumped 33.64 million barrels a day (mb/d) in October, 236,000 barrels more than in September.

Saudi Arabia’s output fell 51,700 bpd to 10.5 mb/d but Iraq and Iran, the next biggest producers, registered increases, as did Libya and Nigeria, the report said.

Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch foe, in particular is keen to keep the taps open following the lifting of international sanctions under last year’s landmark nuclear deal.

The OPEC report chimed broadly with figures released Thursday by the International Energy Agency, which put cartel output at 33.8 mb/d.

The IEA said this was “well in excess” of the 32.5 mb/d to 33.0 mb/d range agreed by OPEC in September.

“This means that OPEC must agree to significant cuts in Vienna to turn its Algiers commitment into reality,” the IEA added.

The September agreement lifted oil prices but they remain hovering at around $45 per barrel.

On Friday late morning Brent North Sea was trading at $45.44 in London, down $0.40 from Thursday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down $0.57 at $44.09 on the Nymex.

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Port Harcourt disco announces N2.2bn loss

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company said on Friday it lost N2.2bn in revenue to unpaid bills and electricity wastage by consumers.

The Managing Director of 4Power, owners of PHED, Mr. Matthew Edevbie, said that 90 per cent of meters in homes were by-passed which was partly responsible for the revenue loss.

He said, “In Port Harcourt for example, every 100 units of electricity that comes to our electricity network, we collect only 25 per cent equivalent of money.

“Even when we install meters in homes, about 90 per cent of the meters are usually by-passed.

“For every N1 billion worth of electricity PHED brings to this region, every month we get N450m and lose N550m.

“PHED’s supply of electricity to four states is in excess of N4bn every month, meaning that we lose N2.2bn worth of investment funds on monthly basis.”

Edevbie said that customers on its R2 platform paid N24.91 per unit which was a shortfall to the average tariff of N28.90 per unit allotted to Port Harcourt.

He said the development meant that DisCos subsidised electricity by N4 which also affected revenue.

He said that PHED was not in advantage position compared to Lagos DisCo which had 55 per cent domestic and 45 per cent industrial users.

He said, “This means that Lagos DisCo average-carriage amounts to lower subsidy.

“But in our four states of coverage, we have 85 per cent domestic users while 15 per cent are commercial users, meaning that we should go higher to compensate for the low tariff.”

Edevbie said that some customers should be blamed for high electricity bills charged to their homes as such customers allowed neighbours to tap electricity from their meters and wires.

He urged the residents to report cases of electricity theft and vandalism of facilities to PHED outlets.

PHED covers Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers.

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My wife going abroad with her lover, husband tells court

 

A businessman, Nurudeen Lawal, on Friday pleaded with the Oja-Oba Sharia Court in Ibadan to dissolve his marriage because his wife allegedly abandoned him to make a foreign trip with her lover.

Lawal told the court that his wife of 19 years, Waliat Lawal, abandoned him to follow her concubine, who promised her trip to the UK.

He said, “My lord, one day, Waliat told me that her ex-lover had obtained an international passport that would enable her to travel to the United Kingdom with him.

“I was dazed by this announcement but I felt that she was in a `trans’.

“About three days after, I interrogated her again on the inconceivable news she gave me and Waliat repeated the same thing.

“She was unaware that I recorded her statement.

“I explained the development to her relatives but rather than change for better, Waliat grew more wings negatively.

“On another occasion, she was unaware that I had returned home one evening, I overheard her discussing with her mother on how the new introduction she wanted to do with her secret lover would go.

“Worst still my lord, she stated, during some of the settlement meetings that she would never return to my house with jilbab (long and loose-fit garment covering woman’s her body and face).

“This is what I can never take as an Alfa. Any woman who will marry me must cover her face with veil.

“Waliat has been going to Abuja for all sorts of extra-marital activities with her concubine from the ‘O-YES’ work she told me she is doing in Osun.

“I have numerous evidences of her acts of infidelity outside her matrimonial home.”

Waliat did not deny telling Nurudeen that her ex-lover was making plans to take her to the UK.

In her defence she said, “My lord, I only acted in good faith by letting him know what was happening to me.

“If I had meant bad, I could have completed everything without his knowledge.

“Nurudeen was the one who destroyed his home by going out to tell the whole world unfounded stories about me.

“Among other things, he told people that I make him to undergo difficulty before having sexual intercourse with me and refusing to allow in-laws to enter our house.

“My lord, Nurudeen is such an ingrate because I was always there for him when he had nothing.

“But he treats me with disdain now that he is okay.

“I have made several reconciliatory efforts to reunite and settle our differences but he has remained adamant.

“He has not actually told me how I have hurt him before throwing me out of his home and marrying another wife.”

The President of the court, Sheikh Ahama Tiamiyu, ruled that the truth had been revealed, considering the evidences produced by Nurudeen and the statement made by Waliat.

However, Tiamiyu admonished Nurudeen to forgive, forget and exercise more patience as Waliat had realised her mistakes.

He adjourned the matter till Nov. 17 for further hearing.

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