Nigerian filmmaker Esther Kemi is helping expand the country's animation industry through stop-motion filmmaking and creative technology training. She has also mentored young creatives and developing locally made tools for professional animation production.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Video - Nigerian animator pioneers stop-motion filmmaking
Nigerian filmmaker Esther Kemi is helping expand the country's animation industry through stop-motion filmmaking and creative technology training. She has also mentored young creatives and developing locally made tools for professional animation production.
Nigeria Becomes Indonesia’s Top Crude Supplier
Indonesia has been buying large numbers of African crude this year, according to official statistics, as Jakarta draws attention for its Russian contracts.
The government-run statistics agency BPS revealed on Monday that Nigeria made up nearly a quarter of Indonesia’s crude oil imports from January to June 2026.
“Nigeria accounted for 24.91% of the crude imports made in the first half. Followed by Angola [15.41%] and Saudi Arabia [13.62%],” BPS deputy Ateng Hartono told reporters in Jakarta.
The monthly crude imports reached $1.20 million in January on cargoes weighing 2.52 million tons. The February shipments weighed less at just 610,000 tons and had a price tag of $280,000. The figures rose to 1.56 million tons and cost just $850,000 in March. Indonesia imported 1.6 million tons of crude at $1.09 million the following month. The May volume totaled 710,000 tons, Ateng said, without disclosing the value. Imports reached $1.72 million in June, although Ateng did not say the volume.
Indonesia has been working to diversify its oil sources by tapping suppliers whose routes do not include the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping flows have ground to a halt in this narrow passage following the US-Iran war that erupted in late February. Amidst the Nigerian crude purchases, Indonesia has also turned to Moscow for fuel.
Just last week, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that the first batch of the Russian crude had already arrived in the country. Local news agencies wrote that the delivery comprised 770,000 barrels. According to initial reports, the order would total 150 million barrels.
“We want to safeguard our energy reserves so we will not face any shortage,” Bahlil said at a press briefing, commenting on the Russian crude.
The overall oil and gas imports had skyrocketed 105.15% year-on-year to $4.56 billion in June 2026, BPS reported. The first-half fuel imports also soared 38.71% compared with the same period last year. Singapore and Malaysia are the leading suppliers.
By Jayanty Nada Shofa, JAKARTA GLOBE
The government-run statistics agency BPS revealed on Monday that Nigeria made up nearly a quarter of Indonesia’s crude oil imports from January to June 2026.
“Nigeria accounted for 24.91% of the crude imports made in the first half. Followed by Angola [15.41%] and Saudi Arabia [13.62%],” BPS deputy Ateng Hartono told reporters in Jakarta.
The monthly crude imports reached $1.20 million in January on cargoes weighing 2.52 million tons. The February shipments weighed less at just 610,000 tons and had a price tag of $280,000. The figures rose to 1.56 million tons and cost just $850,000 in March. Indonesia imported 1.6 million tons of crude at $1.09 million the following month. The May volume totaled 710,000 tons, Ateng said, without disclosing the value. Imports reached $1.72 million in June, although Ateng did not say the volume.
Indonesia has been working to diversify its oil sources by tapping suppliers whose routes do not include the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping flows have ground to a halt in this narrow passage following the US-Iran war that erupted in late February. Amidst the Nigerian crude purchases, Indonesia has also turned to Moscow for fuel.
Just last week, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that the first batch of the Russian crude had already arrived in the country. Local news agencies wrote that the delivery comprised 770,000 barrels. According to initial reports, the order would total 150 million barrels.
“We want to safeguard our energy reserves so we will not face any shortage,” Bahlil said at a press briefing, commenting on the Russian crude.
The overall oil and gas imports had skyrocketed 105.15% year-on-year to $4.56 billion in June 2026, BPS reported. The first-half fuel imports also soared 38.71% compared with the same period last year. Singapore and Malaysia are the leading suppliers.
Video - Nigeria dismantles its largest meth lab as Mexican cartel push into country
On July 29th, Nigerian law enforcement dismantled a meth lab left behind in an abandoned shed -- remnants of an alleged multimillion-dollar transnational meth operation. The lab, the largest of its kind ever discovered in Nigeria, sat on an acre of land in a forest that straddles the border of Abidagba and Iroto villages.
Related stories: Growing meth market in Nigeria
Fear of Nigeria becoming a Narco State
Indian top refinery operator buys 2 million barrels of crude from Nigeria
India’s top refinery operator, Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL ) has bought two million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria via a tender for its 180,000 barrel-per-day refinery in the desert state of Rajasthan, trade sources said Tuesday.
HPCL purchased Nigeria’s Okwuibome and Utapate crude grades from trader Glencore for HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd, the sources said.
The oil is expected to arrive in late September. HPCL holds a 74% stake in the refinery, known as HRRL, with the Rajasthan state government owning the remaining 26%.
HPCL and Glencore did not comment on the trade. Companies involved in such tenders typically decline to discuss individual transactions, a standard practice in crude oil trading where pricing and volume details are considered commercially sensitive.
HPCL purchased Nigeria’s Okwuibome and Utapate crude grades from trader Glencore for HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd, the sources said.
The oil is expected to arrive in late September. HPCL holds a 74% stake in the refinery, known as HRRL, with the Rajasthan state government owning the remaining 26%.
HPCL and Glencore did not comment on the trade. Companies involved in such tenders typically decline to discuss individual transactions, a standard practice in crude oil trading where pricing and volume details are considered commercially sensitive.
A refinery still ramping up its crude sourcing
Moreover, the purchase adds to a mix of crude grades HRRL has processed since crude first began reaching the refinery late last year.
Market sources have said early shipments to the facility included crude from multiple origins beyond West Africa, including Azerbaijan’s Azeri grade, Libya’s Mesla grade and Angola’s Nemba grade, alongside Nigerian barrels, reflecting the refinery’s flexibility in sourcing crude as it ramps up operations.
The 9 million tonne per year refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, developed at a cost of roughly ₹73,000 crore ($8.7 billion), began crude distillation operations in January this year.
It is designed to process a combination of imported crude and domestically sourced Rajasthan crude, positioning HPCL as India’s second-largest state-owned refiner by capacity.
Nigeria’s Okwuibome grade has a history in Indian refining
Nigeria’s Okwuibome crude, a low-sulfur grade popular with refineries in North America and Western Europe, has featured in Indian crude purchases for more than a decade.
State-run Indian Oil Corp bought a trial cargo of the grade from Glencore in 2014, following an earlier delivery in 2013 that marked the first instance of an Indian state-run refiner sourcing crude directly from Nigerian fields.
Indian refiners have increasingly diversified their crude sourcing away from traditional Middle Eastern suppliers in recent years, adding West African grades to their import mix as part of broader efforts to secure supply amid shifting global oil trade patterns and periodic sanctions-driven disruptions to traditional import routes.
Moreover, the purchase adds to a mix of crude grades HRRL has processed since crude first began reaching the refinery late last year.
Market sources have said early shipments to the facility included crude from multiple origins beyond West Africa, including Azerbaijan’s Azeri grade, Libya’s Mesla grade and Angola’s Nemba grade, alongside Nigerian barrels, reflecting the refinery’s flexibility in sourcing crude as it ramps up operations.
The 9 million tonne per year refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, developed at a cost of roughly ₹73,000 crore ($8.7 billion), began crude distillation operations in January this year.
It is designed to process a combination of imported crude and domestically sourced Rajasthan crude, positioning HPCL as India’s second-largest state-owned refiner by capacity.
Nigeria’s Okwuibome grade has a history in Indian refining
Nigeria’s Okwuibome crude, a low-sulfur grade popular with refineries in North America and Western Europe, has featured in Indian crude purchases for more than a decade.
State-run Indian Oil Corp bought a trial cargo of the grade from Glencore in 2014, following an earlier delivery in 2013 that marked the first instance of an Indian state-run refiner sourcing crude directly from Nigerian fields.
Indian refiners have increasingly diversified their crude sourcing away from traditional Middle Eastern suppliers in recent years, adding West African grades to their import mix as part of broader efforts to secure supply amid shifting global oil trade patterns and periodic sanctions-driven disruptions to traditional import routes.
By Cyrus Ademola, Businessfront
Video - Nigerian judge kidnapped from his home by unknown gunmen has been freed
Faruku Hassan Bunza, a Nigerian judge abducted from his home in Bunza town by unidentified gunmen on July 26, has been freed, police said on August 3. Kidnappings are routinely used by criminal groups in Nigeria to secure lucrative ransom payments from either the government or victims' families. The exact details of Bunza's release were not immediately clear, and the attackers remain at large.
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