Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), former military president, has claimed that he contributed immensely to the freedom of expression and liberalisation of media in Nigeria.

In ‘A Journey In Service’, his newly-released autobiography, the former military president said the policies initiated during his regime aided media ownership in the country.

He said the country’s strong democratic system can be attributed, in part, to the media’s role in upholding freedom of expression.

“Our media remains a source of strength and pride to all of us. We may have had differences in the information management practice among our media. But no one can deny that Nigeria’s robust media remains a source of strength,” he wrote.

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“Our credentials as a democratic nation are partly due to the freedom of expression manifested by our media. In my little way, I am sure I have contributed to entrenching this most essential freedom of expression.

“Not only did we, as an administration, liberalise media ownership, but we also removed the mystery around media ownership.”

IBB emphasised the importance of media involvement, noting that since his retirement, he has been accessible and open to media interactions.

“I am proud that our policy initiative in this regard facilitated an explosion of talent and investment in media enterprises,” he added.

“Today, counting the number of radio stations, television stations, and online and real-time print media in our country is hard. In repetition of the famous Chinese saying, ‘Let a million flowers bloom’.

“In my retirement, I have opened my doors to the media. I have granted countless interviews, expressed countless views and, where necessary, been part of the tremendous Nigerian debate that keeps raging daily.

“Our nation is more beautiful because of the diversity of opinions and perspectives on any given issue.”

Babangida was head of state from 1985 to 1993. It was during his regime that Dele Giwa, the founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch Magazine, was killed by a parcel bomb at his Ikeja residence.

But Babangida said he was not the mastermind of Giwa’s assassination.

Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Anap Foundation, says the Nigerian elite may “normalise” deceit if they have their way. 

Speaking on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels TV, Peterside said the Nigerian elite need to speak the truth always and not treat serious matters with levity.

Peterside was reacting to the recently released autobiography titled, ‘A Journey In Service’ by Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).

The book chronicled the events before and after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. 

 

In the memoir, Babangida, among several revelations, said he was in Katsina when the annulment of the election, won by MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was announced by the press secretary of his second-in-command without his knowledge or permission.

He said he later discovered that the forces against the June 12 election were led by Sani Abacha, his chief of defence staff who later became military head of state.

Peterside said Nigeria needs the emergence of elders who will speak the truth and show the younger generation the right path.

“I’m not here to indict anybody but I think if we are not careful, the Nigerian elite would normalise deceit or fraud and things like that. They would normalise all sorts of things. That is why some people have pointed out that enough is enough. Let’s draw the line somewhere. There are some issues you cannot joke with,” Peterside said.

“The other thing I want to explain is that, very recently, we lost two very respected elder statesmen. People who showed examples in terms of standing for the truth repeatedly.

“When you hear something from Chief Ayo Adebanjo, you can take it to the bank. When you hear something from chief Edwin Clark, you can take it to the bank. Two of them passed on very recently. I served at the national conference with both of them. We were together in Abuja in 2014. We were delegates.

“So, we have to be careful because elder statemen like that who helped to set the right values for some of our young stars in terms of standing for something. Always telling the truth and so on.

“We have to make sure that a different group of elders also appear to fill that vacuum — stand for the truth. Tell the same story the same way. Tell the whole truth that would set them free. Because at the end of the day, it is a struggle for the soul of the nation.

“When IBB annulled that election on June 12. That was the first time we had mobile phones. I voted on my street in Victoria Island. We saw the results coming from all over the country except Taraba state. I was in my 30s. I knew what happened. I was among the people that came out after the annulment to say we can’t do this.

“Interestingly, one of the articles I wrote then. I have never heard anybody use that expression. I sat in my house and wrote it because there was no internet. I called it the ghost of June 12. What I was writing then was that June 12 would be like a ghost and it would hunt some people forever.”

Peterside added that the book launch “was the ghost of June 12 hunting some people and it is still hunting them, unfortunately”.

The All Progressives Congress on Sunday attacked the immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, as indications emerged that the former Federal Capital Territory minister was rallying northern leaders and bigwigs against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ahead of the 2027 poll.

The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, accused El-Rufai of stoking ethnic agenda over his failure to get a cabinet appointment.

The once-cordial relationship between the President and El-Rufai soured after he failed to secure a ministerial appointment.

Though Tinubu nominated him for a ministerial position, the ex-governor was rejected by the National Assembly on security grounds.

But in recent weeks, he has been meeting with various northern political leaders and opposition figures, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.

To demonstrate his new-found relationship with the former vice president whom he accused of corruption in his book, “The Accidental Servant,” El-Rufai joined Atiku’s entourage during a condolence visit to the family of the elder statesman and leader of Niger Delta, Chief Edwin Clark, last Friday.

Speaking during the visit, El-Rufai said Atiku deserved commendations for spearheading economic reforms during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

“Nobody gives Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the credit for economic policy-making under Obasanjo’s administration. Many of the things we did were under his leadership.

“Maybe because we don’t write about it, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget. We only remember negative things. Maybe, it’s part of human nature,” El-Rufai said.

After the condolence visit, the ex-governor and Atiku observed the Juma’at prayer together.

On Saturday, El-Rufai met with the Kaduna State executive committee of the PDP. The former governor was accompanied by his former Chief of Staff, Bashir Saidu.

The closed-door meeting, which took place in Kaduna, sparked speculations about possible political realignments and bipartisan cooperation ahead of the 2027 election.

Twenty-forty hours later, the ex-governor held a meeting with the former National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, on Sunday.

El-Rufai visited Adamu at the latter’s residence in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

This was made public by an X user and staunch follower of El-Rufai, @UI_Wakili.

He wrote, “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, accompanied by Mallam Bashir Saidu and Dujima Adamawa, paid a visit to former APC Chairman Abdullahi Adamu today at his residence in Keffi.”

Adamu is believed to have fallen out with Tinubu following his resignation as APC national chairman in July 2023.

Lately, El-Rufai launched media attacks on the APC and accused it of lacking internal democracy, noting that the party’s organs had not convened in the last two years.

Two weeks ago, the APC chieftain shared an opinion by a social commentator, Uche Diala, which claimed the relationship between Tinubu and the North had deteriorated less than two years into his administration, warning that he may be given the ‘Goodluck Jonathan treatment’ in the 2027 elections.

El-Rufai published the statement written on his verified X handle. It was titled, ‘2027: South West, Tinubu’s supporters playing with fire – Part 1.’

It read partly, “Less than two years into the tenure, we are witnesses to how the relationship between the North and President Bola Tinubu or rather his administration is quickly deteriorating, driven by the words and conduct of, unfortunately, many from the president’s geopolitical zone and tribe. Truth be told.

“I have read and heard the arrogant posturing and braggadocio by some people whom I refer to as political rabble-r

May I remind some persons that, more than the performance or lack thereof of the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration, it was his attitude, and that of people around him, towards the North that ultimately brought him down and, by extension, the PDP that had boasted that it would rule Nigeria for 60 years.”

Speaking on El-Rufai’s subterranean political moves, the APC National Secretary, Basiru, said they no longer pay attention to his activities after the party discovered he was “an overrated ethnic champion” who is always ready to pitch northern politicians against their southern counterparts.

The party scribe slammed El-Rufai over his continued posture as the mouthpiece of the North and recent fraternity with top opposition figures.

He said, “I have told you before and am still telling you again that we are concerned about our affairs in the APC. For parties in Nigeria, it is free exit and free entry. So anybody is free to exit if he wants to exit. But we will not dignify such moves with any comment for now.

“We understand that sectional politics is what makes some people tick. Unfortunately, he (El-Rufai) is not thinking about the development of the country but is stoking up the ethnic nationality agenda. This South versus North posture shows that all along, he has been overrated as a person.”

Hinting at El-Rufai’s grievance, Basiru noted, “The only thing we want to say is that governance is a serious matter and nobody has the birthright to be an appointee of government. There are more than 180 million Nigerians and quite a number of them are qualified.

“So, if you don’t have an opportunity to serve in a government, it does not mean that you should be going around and trying to become an emergency activist. As I said before, politics is a free exit and free entry. The APC is solid and we are forging ahead.”

The party chief claimed Nigerians had started seeing the results of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.

“In the past couple of weeks, you can confirm that the naira is firming up against the dollar. Even fuel as well as the prices of foodstuff in the market have gone down,” he stated.

On its part, the PDP said it would work with El-Rufai and others to rescue Nigeria from the APC.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, argued that El-Rufai, as a former member of the ruling party, now knows the party that has respect for the rule of law.

In response to a question about El-Rufai possibly joining the PDP, Ologunagba said the party membership is determined at the ward and local government levels.

He stated, “The membership of our party comes from the ward and local government, and the party is open with free entry and exitousers, but I get more worried each day as it keeps looking more and more like a movie we had seen before. 

“We have already established the PDP as the only political party with the true interests of the people and any Nigerians who are willing to align with our constitution, placing people first and respecting our policies and the rule of law, will be welcome to work with us.”

He added, “Indeed, the interests of Nigerians should be the overriding priority. Nigerians know better now, and with all due respect to El-Rufai, he knows better. He was in the PDP and is now in the APC.

“I am sure he can make the distinction between where there is democracy, accommodation, the rule of law, and respect for Nigeria’s cultural and religious balance.”

Ologunagba praised the main opposition party as a party of principles and a platform that provides opportunities for Nigerians.

He stated, “The PDP is a party with a constitution that fosters peace. We don’t need to know someone to be a part of the party. If you’re accepted as a member, you belong, and there is no favouritism.

“This is why it is called the Peoples Democratic Party. Unlike others, you won’t find that kind of favouritism in our party. We stand by our principles and our constitution, and no one individual is bigger than the PDP.

“This party has been in existence since 1998 and continues to grow stronger. The foundation of this party is peace, democracy, the rule of law, people’s rights, and improving the lives of Nigerians. These principles and policies were reflected in the 15 years described as Nigeria’s golden years of democratic governance.

“Therefore, El-Rufai and many other Nigerians know that the PDP is the only party truly for the people and that protects the interests of the people.

“As a platform that provides opportunities for Nigerians, the PDP will be willing and ready to work with any Nigerian.”

The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has revealed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery currently has over 500 million litres of petrol in its reservoir.

He also said the refinery now produces enough fuel for local consumption and export. Dangote spoke during a tour of the $20bn Lekki-based facility with the Zambia Minister for Energy, Makozo Chikote on Saturday.

The Zambian official visited the Dangote refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, seeking collaboration with the founder to help solve the country’s energy security issue.

In his address during the tour, Dangote said the refinery currently has N600bn worth of stocks in its tank farm. He said the plant will reach its 650,000 barrels per day full production capacity next month, adding that Nigeria cannot consume up to 50 per cent of its refined products.

“We can satisfy more than the local needs of Nigeria. As we speak, we have more than half a billion litres (of petrol). We have more than N600bn worth of stocks here today in the refinery. We have more than enough. The refinery is producing enough refined products, like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, to meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s requirements,” he stated.

Dangote disclosed that arrangements were being made to get enough crude to aid the refinery’s ramp-up plans.

“Now we are ramping up production. We must be at our full capacity by next month. But we have to do quite a lot of arrangements in terms of crude supply,” he stated.

Speaking about fuel quality, Africa’s richest man disclosed that refineries across the world are shutting down because of the Dangote refinery. He said no refinery in Africa and across Europe can produce the kind of quality fuel his refinery produces.

He said the sulphur content of his fuel could be as low as zero parts per million while the octane number can be 95.

“In terms of quality, there is actually no refinery in Africa, even in Europe that can produce our type of quality. We want to be flexible, you know the laws keep changing.”

Today, they will say 150 parts per million; tomorrow it’s 50 ppm, but we can produce up to zero ppm. This means we can do winter diesel, we can do Euro-5. No refinery around here can do that. When you read the news, you see that a lot of refineries now, especially in Europe, shutting down because of our own refinery. Our refinery is a percentage of the world’s production.

“Obviously, if we pump a lot, some of them will not be able to sell, that’s why in some countries, they will offer them money to just keep dumping. But then, we have to weather that storm up to the time that we will be able to be on our feet,” he added.

Dangote maintained that the local fuel consumption in Nigeria is 40 per cent of the refinery’s total production, stating that the remaining 60 per cent is for export to other countries, especially Africa.

He revealed that arrangements were being made with Afreximbank to resolve the challenges of letters of credit and financing.

“The maximum local consumption is around 40 per cent, but 60 per cent will be exported. We are making a lot of arrangements with some banks to make sure most of the products are sold within Africa; so that it can be a real African refinery, not done just for us to come and process raw materials and ship the products outside Africa. The problem has always been letters of credit; we are working with Afreximbank to resolve that financing issue,“ he said.

On the types of fuel being produced and the one the refinery has a competitive advantage on, he posited, “We have competitive advantages over PMS, diesel, aviation fuel, and others. The consumption of aviation fuel in Africa is very low because we don’t have too many aircraft flying around. PMS is what people use a lot. Here in Nigeria, most discussions are on PMS. You know we just deregulated, and everybody is trying to find his feet. Now that the subsidy is gone, things are ramping up.”

The Vice President of the Dangote Group, Davakumar Edwin, stated that the refinery has a strategic location advantage because it is close to the sea. He also reiterated that the refinery can meet all local requirements.

Analysing the refinery’s production data during a presentation, he stressed that the facility can produce 104 million litres of different petroleum products per day.

“57 million litres of petrol every day, 20 million litres of jet fuel, 37 million litres of diesel is our daily production. The local consumption is just 46 million litres. The rest, 58 million litres, will be exported on a daily basis,” Edwin explained.

In the presentation, it was disclosed that the refinery supplies 33 million litres of PMS for daily local consumption; diesel is 10 million litres per day and aviation fuel is 3 million litres. Data from the tank farm shows that the refinery has reservoirs to store fuel for days.

It has 12 tanks to store up to 600 million litres of petrol which can serve the country for 18 days. It has 17 tanks for 408 million litres of aviation fuel for 136 days, and 14 tanks to store 340 million litres of diesel for 34 days. Similarly, 20 tanks are in place for 2.4 billion litres of crude oil for 20 days.

In all, there are 177 tanks of 4.742 billion litres capacity. At the control room, it was learnt that the refinery is currently at 550,000 barrels per day, which is about 85 per cent of its full capacity.

Last week, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory said local refineries could not produce up to 50 per cent of Nigeria’s daily PMS consumption of about 50 million litres per day, stressing that this necessitated the importation of more PMS to cover the shortfall.

Zambia seeks support

During the visit, the Zambia Minister for Energy, Chikote informed Dangote that the Zambian government is mandated to safeguard the supply of fuel.

According to him, the nation needs energy security and the Dangote refinery will be important to make that happen.

The energy minister said the country is looking at Dangote as a company to come on board for competitive fuel pricing and to ensure sufficient, reliable, and affordable petroleum products for Zambia.

He explained that the country is creating an enabling environment for private participation in the energy sector.

He revealed that the country depends majorly on a facility in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for its fuel needs, saying other neighbouring countries also depend on this same source.

“The first thing I want to say is that, as the Zambian government, we are mandated to safeguard the supply of our fuels, the security has to be given to the nation. At the same time, due to reforms, the government disengaged itself from participating in the procurement of this product, and we created an environment for private players to participate. Our policy formulation is to make sure that private players can participate in the energy sector. That is our goal.

“Currently, 100 per cent of importation of our petroleum products is being done by the private sector. We are going through some challenges as a country. This is also arising from some of the points that you raised, climate change, and others. Zambia is not a landlocked country. We are land-linked.

“We depend on our good neighbours that surround us. This is why you see us depending on Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Burundi is looking at the same facility. Malawi is looking at the same facility. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also looking towards the same facility. This results in too high congestion, delays, and all those challenges,” Chikote stated.

He pointed out that Zambia was hit by a drought, affecting power generation because the country was 85 per cent dependent on hydropower generation.

“This seriously affected our economic growth. Our economic growth was shaken or is still being shaken, even though we are putting in a lot of mitigation measures to address the challenge. As a country, we are targeting to increase productivity in the minings. We are targeting to increase productivity in agriculture, but through what? It is through having sufficient reliable energy sector to address these challenges. So, now, the reason why we find ourselves here is to start exploring opportunities that will start addressing the difficulties,” he told Dangote and his team.

He stated further, “We are trying to promote competition among our private players. We are looking at Dangote coming on board, which would lead to efficient, reliable, quality, and competitive products, and we want these done like yesterday. Coming to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, we have learned so many advantages of bringing many players for competition, which has improved the lives of the citizens.”