By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has confirmed that the piracy incident that took place in the Gulf of Guinea on Friday, May 30, 2025, occurred outside the country’s waters.

The Gulf of Guinea, which has seen a major reduction of piracy and even down to zero, reportedly had a case of a suspected piracy attack on a Curacao ship recently.

NIMASA clarified that the event occurred at coordinates 2°37’35”N, 6°46’47”E, approximately 75 nautical miles northwest of Santo Antonio Port, São Tomé and Príncipe approximately 420 nautical miles away from Southeast, Nigeria.

The agency in a statement said, “On May 30, 2025, at approximately 1614 UTC, the C4i Operational Centre of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) received a distress alert via the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), reporting a suspected pirate attack on a commercial vessel.

“Preliminary investigations have confirmed the affected vessel to be the MV ORAGE FROST, a general cargo ship bearing IMO Number 9797656, and flying the flag of Curaçao. The incident occurred at coordinates 2°37’35”N, 6°46’47”E, approximately 75 nautical miles northwest of Santo Antonio Port, São Tomé and Príncipe, approximately 420 nautical miles away from southeast Nigeria.

“At the time of the incident, MV ORAGE FROST had recently completed loading operations in Douala, Cameroon, and was en route to Matadi, Congo, having regularly operated between ports in Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, and Benin.

“NIMASA is actively coordinating with the Nigerian Navy and other regional maritime security agencies to ensure the safety of the vessel’s crew and to support ongoing investigations into the incident.

“We remain committed to regional maritime security cooperation to enhance safety and deter criminal activity in Nigerian waters and indeed the Gulf of Guinea, leveraging on the Deep Blue Project.”

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Another feather has been added to the cap of the Dein of Agbor Kingdom, Mr Benjamin Ikenchuku, for his dedication to the well-being and progress of his people.

This honour was bestowed on the traditional ruler by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina, the United States of America (USA).

The award is coming two years after the State of South Carolina bestowed on him the Legislative award in the year 2023.

‘In recognition of our friendship and your unwavering commitment to your people, I am deeply honoured to present you with the Sheriff’s Award for Excellent Leadership. This prestigious award is not easily earned, and I can say without hesitation that Your Majesty is most deserving of this recognition.

‘It would be my highest honor to host you for a formal presentation ceremony at my office. I believe such an occasion would be fitting for a leader of your stature. Should you graciously accept, our mutual friend, Mr Tonna Okei, is prepared to coordinate the details at your convenience’.

‘’Thank you, Your Majesty, for being a beacon of light in a world that often yearns for true leadership. The positive impact you have made extends far beyond your kingdom, and leaders like you are vital to the success and unity of communities across the globe,’’ parts of the award letter dated May 30, 2025, from Leon Lott Sheriff read.

Reacting to the latest award, Mr Okei, who is also the President of South Carolina Organization of African Unity (OAU), said he marvels at the Dein’s selfless service and dedication to royal duties, adding that he is daily thrilled by the fact that such uncommon human attributes have won him torrents of awards in Nigeria and abroad.

“I still recall with vividness his visit to Atlanta last year. The experience remains evergreen. Without any shadow of the doubt, our people will never forget when he did the zoom with us. That was the first time officially, Dein was involved in any zoom meeting and he spoke very well. He cited a lot of books. Our people were very proud of him.

“His Majesty took time to speak to our Carolina leaders during the racial tension months in the USA. HRM Dein called for peace and preached this to the leaders of the state and the Chief of Columbia Police and the Sheriff. This made the State of South Carolina to bestow on him, the Legislative award in the year 2023,” he said.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian government is looking to pay 50 per cent of the N4 trillion legacy debts owed for electricity generated and supplied to the national grid in the third quarter of 2025.

A representative of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms Olu Verheijen, revealed this at a Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) stakeholders meeting organised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Recall that in April, the federal government via the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said President Bola Tinubu was committed to paying the N2 trillion to avoid disruption to Nigeria’s electricity operations.

According to her, the debts to be settled before the end of the next quarter are part of efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s power sector, explaining that alternative debt instruments were being explored, given the federal government’s fiscal constraints.

She also emphasised the significance of paying off the debts for the power sector, confirming that both the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, and the Debt Management Office (DMO) head, Ms Patience Oniha, have expressed their support, adding that internal approvals are currently underway.

“We’re empathetic to what GenCos are facing,” Ms Verheijen said through her representative, Mr Eriye Onagoruwa, adding that while timelines could not yet be fully confirmed, significant groundwork had been laid.

“I hope by the next NESI meeting, I’ll be able to share a clear update,” she said.

The move followed a warning from the Gencos to federal government over the continued accumulation of debts.

The GenCos said the debt, which includes N2 trillion for 2024 and N1.9 trillion in legacy debts, was threatening the continued operation of their power generation plants.

They threatened that their operations which been handicapped by the mounting debt could lead to a shutdown of electricity, a development that could lead to considerable challenges.