The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has urged Nigerians in Lebanon to “leave the country while commercial flights are still in operation.”

This advice follows Israel’s announcement that it had started an “invasion of southern Lebanon after two weeks of attacks.”

Lebanese officials have reported that the ongoing conflict has resulted in “the death of more than 1,000 people and forced up to a million to flee their homes.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the current military action as “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids” aimed at Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.

The decision to launch these ground operations came “four days after an air strike that killed Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader.”

Israel has had a long-standing conflict with Hezbollah, but the Gaza war with Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, has fueled “almost a year of deadly cross-border fighting between them.”

In a statement released on Wednesday, NIDCOM expressed its concern over the increasing attacks.

The agency reported that the Nigerian community in Lebanon had “relocated from the southern area and are now relatively safe.”

“We hereby advise them to keep safe until the ceasefire is in place,” the statement added.

NIDCOM also assured that no Nigerian citizens in Lebanon have been reported injured or involved in accidents due to the conflict.

“Nigerians are equally advised to liaise with our Embassy in Lebanon for necessary guidance regarding their safety,” NIDCOM stated, noting that “President Bola Tinubu is concerned about their welfare.”

The federal government has announced new concessions aimed at revitalizing the oil and gas industry, with a focus on boosting Nigeria’s upstream and downstream sectors.

Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, revealed two major fiscal incentives on Wednesday.

According to a statement by Mohammed Manga, director of information and public relations at the ministry of finance, the incentives are designed to revitalize Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Manga explained that these incentives include the “value-added tax (VAT) modification order 2024” and the “notice of tax incentives for deep offshore oil and gas production,” both issued under the Oil and Gas Companies (tax incentives, exemption, remission, etc.) Order 2024.

“The VAT Modification Order 2024 introduces exemptions on a range of key energy products and infrastructure, including Diesel, Feed Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Electric Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, and Clean Cooking Equipment,” Manga said.

He added that “these measures are designed to lower the cost of living, bolster energy security, and accelerate Nigeria’s transition to cleaner energy sources.”

Manga also mentioned that the “notice of tax incentives for deep offshore oil and gas production” introduces new tax reliefs for deep offshore projects.

“This initiative is aimed at positioning Nigeria’s deep offshore basin as a premier destination for global oil and gas investments,” Manga stated.

These reforms, according to Manga, are part of a broader series of policy initiatives driven by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “in line with Policy Directives 40-42.”

“They reflect the administration’s strong commitment to fostering sustainable growth in the energy sector and enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in oil and gas production,” Manga added.

With these initiatives, he said Nigeria is on course to reclaim its position as a global leader in the oil and gas market.

The fiscal incentives underscore the administration’s dedication to promoting sustainable growth, improving energy security, and ensuring economic prosperity for all Nigerians.

Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the introduction of electric vehicles in the geopolitical zone to reduce transportation costs.

Mohammed Alkali, CEO of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), disclosed this while speaking with state house correspondents on Wednesday.

He said the decision was reached as a result of plans to create modular solar power units across states in the region.

He said NEDC has conducted a “thorough” analysis of compressed natural gas (CNG) and e-vehicles and concluded that the latter are better suited for the region.

Abdulsalam Ahmed, executive director of operations for NEDC, said the e-vehicle fleet will comprise three categories.

These are e-buses designed for intra-state movements with a minimum capacity of 40 people per trip, e-taxis capable of carrying three people including the driver, and modified tricycles enhanced to carry eight people including the driver.

He said the commission prioritised local content and will ensure that the vehicle bodies can be fabricated locally in the north-east or other parts of the country.

“We are here today to brief Mr president on one very critical activity he has approved which we had to engage in the last two months,” he said.

“As you can recall, there is a directive from the president that cars as soon as possible should use CNG or electric vehicles. We, at the north-east development commission, did a thorough analysis of our region, and looked at the comparable advantage between CNG and e-vehicles.

“After our thorough analysis, we came to the conclusion that for the north-east region, yes, the CNG could work, but e-vehicle can work better for many reasons.

“One is that our plan at the end of day is to create modular solar power units across the state which can be used to power this percentage of e-vehicles.

“On that note, earlier on, we sought and got approval of the presidency for us to go ahead and come up with the framework of how we are going to deploy this e-mobility in the northeast and what kind of e-mobility, etc.

”Mr. President graciously gave approval, and today, we came to present to him the kind of e-vehicles we are going to introduce in the north-east.”