General News
Savannah Energy Announces Completion of ExxonMobil Transaction in Chad, Cameroon

Savannah Energy PLC, the British independent energy company focused around the delivery of Projects that Matter in Africa, is pleased to announce the completion of its acquisition of ExxonMobil’s entire upstream and midstream asset portfolio in Chad and Cameroon, including operatorship of the upstream assets (through the acquisition of the former operator, Esso Exploration and Production Chad, Inc.) (the “ExxonMobil Transaction”).
Savannah is also pleased to announce the publication of a Supplemental Admission Document (the “Document”) in relation to the ExxonMobil Transaction.
This announcement follows Savannah’s 13 December 2021 announcement of the signing of a Share Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with ExxonMobil, which has an economic effective date of 1 January 2021, and the publication of its 31 December 2021 Admission Document containing details on, inter alia, the ExxonMobil Transaction.
The ExxonMobil Transaction constituted a reverse takeover transaction pursuant to AIM Rule 14 and, accordingly, was subject to, inter alia, shareholder approval which was granted on 24 January 2022. The ExxonMobil Transaction has now been completed.
Re-admission of the share capital of the group as enlarged by the ExxonMobil Transaction is scheduled to take place at 8.00 a.m. on 13 December 2022.
Transaction Highlights
Following the completion of the ExxonMobil Transaction, Savannah now owns a 40% interest in the Doba Oil Project and an effective c. 40% indirect interest in the Chad-Cameroon export transportation system:
The Doba Oil Project comprises interests in seven producing fields – Kome, Miandoum, Bolobo, Moundouli, Maikeri, Nya and Timbre – with a combined gross 2P Reserve base of 142.3 MMbbls as at 1 October 2022 and expected 2022 gross production of 28.0 Kbopd; and
The Chad-Cameroon export transportation system comprises a 1,081 km pipeline and the Kome Kribi 1 floating storage and offloading facility, offshore Cameroon (along with all associated facilities).
The Chad/Cameroon pipeline is 30” in diameter with a nameplate capacity of 250 Kbopd and an estimated pipeline throughput in 2022 of 124 Kbopd, from more than 15 fields;
The Company’s proposed acquisition of PETRONAS (E&P) Overseas Ventures SDN. BHD.’s interests in the same assets in Chad and Cameroon is not a condition of the ExxonMobil Transaction.
Andrew Knott, CEO of Savannah Energy, said: “We are delighted to announce the completion of our US$407 million acquisition of ExxonMobil’s upstream and midstream businesses in Chad and Cameroon.
I would like to warmly welcome our new employees to the Savannah family and look forward to building our in-country businesses with them as we embrace the multiple growth opportunities available to us.
In Chad, our focus will immediately turn towards making the investments we believe the Doba Oil Project needs to significantly increase production volumes from current levels and the advancement of our up to US$500m/500 MW of renewable power projects.
We expect our investments in these projects to provide significant increased tax revenues and electricity access for the people of Chad. In Cameroon, we hope to see the COTCo and TOTCo businesses grow further over the course of the coming years through additional third-party customer throughput volumes. We are also actively considering investments in other opportunities to pursue Projects that Matter in country.
Outside of Chad and Cameroon, we expect that, in the coming months, we will further augment our corporate growth profile through the announcement of additional hydrocarbon asset acquisitions and the initiation of new utility-scale renewable energy projects (in addition to our existing up to 750MW project pipeline).
Lastly, I would like to the opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful completion of this transaction and, in particular, our host country stakeholders, my incredibly dedicated and passionate colleagues and the ExxonMobil deal and in-country teams. Thank you all.”
Re-Admission and Total Voting Rights
The Company’s issued share capital currently comprises 1,306,098,819 ordinary shares. Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange plc for re-admission of the Company’s 1,306,098,819 ordinary shares to trading on AIM, which is expected to take place at 8.00 a.m. on 13 December 2022.
As the Company does not hold any shares in treasury, this figure of 1,306,098,819 Ordinary Shares may continue to be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
Board Appointments
Further to the Company’s announcement of 7 June 2022, the Company is pleased to announce that the proposed appointments of Sarah Clark and Dr Djamila Ferdjani as Non-Executive Directors of the Board will become effective on completion of the ExxonMobil Transaction. The appointment of Sylvie Rucar has been delayed due to personal reasons and is now anticipated to become effective during early 2023.
Sarah Clark
Sarah was an elite level athlete for 18 years and is a former British, European and Commonwealth champion in the sport of judo, who competed at three Olympic Games for Great Britain. She is currently CEO of Edinburgh, Judo one of the UK’s largest, most successful and fastest growing judo clubs catering for beginners to Olympic medallists. Sarah currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of JudoScotland (the governing body for judo in Scotland).
Sarah has worked extensively in mentor, role model and leadership positions with organisations such as the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, the Youth Sport Trust and the Winning Scotland Foundation. In these roles, her focus has been to deliver personal and group development programmes to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities. She has also worked extensively with individuals and companies delivering programmes around the positive learnings businesses can take from the elite level sport world.
Dr Djamila Ferdjani
Dr Ferdjani is a medical doctor, entrepreneur and social activist. She founded the Pro-Santé Polyclinic in Niger, of which she was President and CEO. Djamila formerly served as a technical consultant to the Islamic Development Bank and as a Professor of Health Prevention and Promotion at the African Development University.
She is a founding Board member of Afrikajom (the leading Pan African human rights focused think tank) and is the founder and President of MedCom NGO (a Niger focused medical and educational NGO). She is a former a member of the executive committee of the Orange Niger Foundation.
She regularly speaks at African focused Human Rights events, including those organised by the World Bank, Oxfam, Plan International, the G5 Sahel, The Open Society Initiative for West Africa, the National Democratic Institute and TEDx. Dr Ferdjani has been named by the United Nations Population Fund as one of the 100 women leaders in Niger and by Facebook as one of 19 African LeadHERs breaking boundaries in the fields of media, entertainment, education and business.
General News
Wema Bank Workers, Others Arraigned over Alleged N8.9Bn Cybercrime

The trial of three employees of Wema Bank Plc and four others accused of orchestrating N8.9 billion cyber heist has been stalled due to the Eid-el-Kabir public holiday.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the bank staff—Samuel Asiegbu, Fabian Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kejim—alongside four alleged accomplices: Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos on May 25, 2025.
The seven defendants face an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime, and obtaining money under false pretences. They were accused of hacking into Wema Bank’s computer systems in January 2025 and unlawfully transferring N8,568,090,500 to various accounts.
According S.O. Larry Peters, counsel, EFCC, the defendants acted in concert with two other suspects—Nurudeen Ibrahim and Alhaji Sulaiman—who are currently at large. The syndicate allegedly manipulated the bank’s data using sophisticated digital tools to cause financial loss and confer illegal economic gains on themselves.
Peters further revealed that two of the defendants—Hannah Okunlola and Sunday Osademe—provided personal bank accounts for the illicit proceeds. Investigators traced N199 million to Okunlola’s UBA account registered under Search Light Media Concept, and N2.25 million to Osademe’s Union Bank account.
The offences, according to the charge sheet, violate Sections 6(2), 8, 14(1), 14(5), and 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as well as Sections 17(a)(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
All seven defendants pleaded not guilty. Following their plea, the court remanded five of the accused in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, while Kingsley Kejim continued on existing bail terms.
The court granted a special request by defence counsel to remand Hannah Okunlola in EFCC custody due to medical concerns.
Justice Aneke had adjourned the matter to June 6, 2025, for commencement of trial. However, due to the nationwide Sallah holiday declared by the federal government, the proceedings could not go ahead as scheduled.
A charge reads: “That you, Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, and others now at large, in January 2025, conspired to alter Wema Bank data to cause the loss of N8.568 billion in order to benefit economically, thereby committing an offence under Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.”
The case has drawn significant attention as one of the most audacious cybercrime cases involving bank insiders in Nigeria’s recent history.
General News
Music Stars, Comedians Light Up “Evening with Glo” in Ijebu Ode

The 2025 Ojude Oba celebrations kicked off on Friday evening with “Evening with Glo,” a special event organized by Globacom and headlined by Juju music legend Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi and Fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1)
This year marks a significant milestone: Globacom’s 20th anniversary as sponsors of the Ojude Oba festival, an event it has helped transform into a globally recognized cultural spectacle.
The “Evening with Glo” was a vibrant mix of live music, delicious food, and captivating comedy from Gbenga Adeyinka, Bash, and Kiekie. The Conference Hall venue was packed as guests enjoyed more than two hours of Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi’s timeless hits, with the audience singing along and dancing.
Globacom organized the event as a gesture of appreciation to the Ijebu community for their unwavering support over the past two decades of the Ojude Oba festival. “We decided to bring together great sons and daughters of Ijebuland to celebrate our shared heritage, and indulge in the melodious rhythms that resonate deeply throughout Yorubaland,” the company stated.
The company explained their choice of musical icons, noting that the “ageless icon and Juju music maestro, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, has contributed decades of good, sonorous and philosophical songs to our society. His songs are still as fresh and full of inspirational messages as they were yesterday.”
Regarding KWAM 1, the company highlighted that “For decades, King of Fuji, K1 De Ultimate, the Fuji master, has been a great part of the music firmament in Nigeria, with his unique brand of Fuji that has elicited huge interest.”
The event saw a strong turnout of prominent Ijebu figures, including the Olori of Oba Awujale, Chief Mrs. Olukemi Adetona; the Coordinator of Ojude Oba Festival Planning Committee, Professor Fassy Yusuff; and a committee member and Iyalode of Ijebuland, Chief Mrs. Bisi Osibogun.
General News
NITDA Makes Case for Inclusive Tech for Special Needs

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has emphasized the importance of developing policies that intentionally include approximately 35 million persons with special needs in digital literacy and technology empowerment initiatives.

Ms. Grace Jerry, executive director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and Malam Kashifu Inuwa, director-general, NITDA.
This was stated by Malam Kashifu Inuwa, director-general, NITDA, in Abuja during a meeting with a delegation from the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a disability advocacy organization led by Ms. Grace Jerry, its executive director.
Inuwa noted that integrating persons with special needs into these programmes supports President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of economic reform and inclusive growth.
“This has brought to my attention the need to be more intentional in the way we design our programmes because there is no way we can achieve 95 per cent digital inclusion if we exclude 35 million Nigerians.”
“The agency has always been conducting targeted training for people with special needs in various parts of the country in the past.
“We will ensure that we expand our initiatives to all parts of country and our office facility have that in consideration but our programmes going forward will reflect this inclusion,” he said.
The Director General recommended including representatives from the disability community in national ICT committees tasked with setting standards, designing training curricula, and shaping policy frameworks.
He emphasized that their participation would ensure adequate representation and facilitate implementation beyond bureaucratic constraints.
He further advocated for the integration of disability-focused initiatives into national programmes such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) tech schemes, women’s training cohorts, and other major technology-driven activities. According to him, these platforms offer vital opportunities for networking, skills development, and enterprise support.
“For us, it’s beyond just training. The real goal is empowerment, how we can train people to use IT to expand their businesses and improve their lives,” Inuwa said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strategic collaboration and invited disability-focused organisations to partner with NITDA in shaping an inclusive digital economy.
Earlier, Jerry expressed appreciation to the agency for the engagement and highlighted the digital gap within the disability community.
She said the government’s goal of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030 would only be realistic if it was truly inclusive.
“Digital literacy is fast becoming a foundational skill for employment, and without deliberate inclusion, millions will be left behind,” Jerry said.
The meeting highlighted NITDA’s growing commitment to inclusive policy development, aligned with the nation’s economic reform agenda.
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