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…Patients lament, skip medications, seek alternative treatment
…Experts worry, propose urgent solutions
In Nigeria, falling sick can be challenging in normal times but seeking treatment is currently a double blow as the financial implication has become increasingly unbearable for many Nigerians.
The cost of basic drugs, such as antibiotics, analgesics, anti-diabetics, and key medications for chronic conditions, has doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled in some instances, leaving many patients struggling to access the healthcare they desperately need.
The alarming rise in drug prices, its impact on healthcare access, and the urgent need for solutions have become overriding to ensure that falling sick does not become a financial death sentence.
Hardest hit by the exponential surge in prices of drugs are the poor, notably those on the minimum wage and below, those without steady sources of income, and particularly those without reliable health insurance, like Idowu Akinyemi, a single mother.
When Idowu, who is living with diabetes, went to purchase her insulin, she was shocked to discover the price had gone up for the second time within a fortnight.
“The last time I purchased my insulin, it was around N3,000, but now when I went to check at the pharmacy, it is over N5,000, almost double,” lamented Idowu who noted that with each passing month, the cost of her insulin climbs higher, forcing her to choose between medication and feeding her children.
Dokun Bolarinwa, diagnosed with high blood pressure, said he had been on regular treatment, but noted that the soaring price of his medication was gradually forcing him to default in adherence to the guidelines of his treatment.
“I’m a retired civil servant with no stable income. Over the past few years, I have been managing my condition with family support and goodwill, but these days, things are tough. I’m already skipping certain medications because I cannot afford them, and if care is not taken, I may be forced to abandon treatment altogether.
Ade Ogun who bought a medicated cream for his skin rash was amazed when he discovered the drug had doubled in price a week later.
“I bought a tube of Nixoderm for N500, but when I went back to the the same shop to purchase another one some days later, the price had gone up 100 per cent. It was an unexpected increase,” Ade noted.
Funmi Olaoye, a housewife and mother of an ashtmatic child was also concerned about the high cost of drugs. “My son needs medication for his asthma, but I can barely afford half the dose. It’s a constant struggle,” she lamented.
Among factors contributing to the increase in drug prices are rising production costs, delays in global supply chains and local supply challenges, as well as the declining value of the naira.
400-500% price increase
Findings from a recent survey by SB Morgen showed that over the last four years, the prices of different categories of paracetamol-based analgesics, common cold medicines, such as Actifed, and antibiotics, and antimalarials, rose dramatically.
The report found that between 2022 and 2023, Ampiclox and Amoxil recorded 340 per cent and over 400 per cent increases respectively, while antimalarials such as Lonart DS recorded cost and selling price increases of 110 per cent and 92.3 per cent respectively between 2019 and 2023.
From Vanguard’s investigations, the prices of all routine drugs in Nigeria have gone up astronomically. The most affected categories include genuine antibiotics, analgesics, anti-malarials and a number of prescription and specialized drugs.
A random check of prices in some pharmacies and in the open market in Lagos revealed that prices of all the popular genuine brands of antibiotics, including Ciprofloxaxin, Azithromycin, Amoxil, Ampiclox and Augmentin, have gone up by 50 – 150 per cent since the beginning of the new year.
Experts say accessing affordable insulin is crucial for managing diabetes effectively. However, it was gathered that the rising cost of insulin presents a significant challenge for people living with diabetes.
Insulin prices in Nigeria have been steadily increasing in recent times with ranges, depending on the brand, pharmacy, and location.
Findings show that for insulin, from rapid-acting, intermediate-acting or long-acting, the average depending on the type, ranges between N4,000 and N18,000 per cartridge/vial.
A silent rage of people grappling with undiagnosed or inadequately managed chronic diseases, such as cancer, is also underway as chemotherapy drugs have seen a 300 per cent price increase in recent times, pushing them beyond the reach of most patients.
Access to essential medications as anti-depressants is also restricted as they can cost up to N10,500 per month, leaving many resorting to traditional remedies or simply going untreated.
Data from the Global Cancer Observatory show that over 100,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually in Nigeria, yet only five per cent of those affected can afford treatment.
Statistics from the World Health Organisation, WHO, backed by the Nigeria Association of Psychiatrists, reveal that an estimated 20 per cent of Nigerians suffer from mental health issues, but access to treatment is severely limited.
The consequences of the price hike are serious, with many Nigerians skipping doses, rationing medication, or even abandoning treatment altogether due to the prohibitive costs.
Women, children hardest hit
Those bearing the brunt more are the vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with underlying or pre-existing health conditions and those that require regular medication.
Experts say the consequences of this development could be devastating and could lead to undesirable complications, delayed diagnoses, and even preventable deaths.
The lack of insurance coverage is also there. Most health insurance plans in Nigeria do not cover chronic ailments comprehensively. So in most cases, the patient has to pay out of pocket.
Already, worries about affordability of treatment and drugs from delays in treatment or skipping of doses leading to complications, worsening health outcomes, and even becoming common.
Health watchers blame the development on a combination of factors, including depreciation of the naira, global supply chain disruptions, and increased drug production costs.
Beyond the high drug prices, they warn that left unchecked, the crisis could cripple the already overburdened healthcare system and worsen existing health inequalities.
In a conversation, President of the National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria, Professor Akin Osibogun, said scarcity of genuine drugs will likely have significant effects.
“These include poor control of disease conditions due to non-availability of essential medications, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, among others, and this will result in the conditions becoming complicated.
“There will be escalation of costs of making drugs, even more unaffordable by the poor and the underprivileged further widening. There will be increased opportunity for faking of drugs, which may have increased adverse effects on the health of Nigerians and patients may turn to untested alternative treatment modalities.” he remarked.
Increased morbidity, mortality, looming
Also reacting, the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said high cost of drugs was undesirable for the welfare of the average Nigerian.
“Nigerian citizens are already impoverished and cannot even afford to buy food to eat, if they are sick and need to buy drugs; in the near future we will have increased morbidity and mortality. So people will not be able to comply with their drug prescriptions. People will get sicker, and some of them may even die,’’ he said.
Also, people with mental health conditions are not also spared, according to a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr Stephen Oluwaniyi.
He said: “As far as management of those who already have mental health conditions is concerned, many of the conditions are what we call chronic disorders, in the sense that they need to continue with maintenance treatment, taking medications in one form or the other., apart from the cost of transporting themselves to the hospital, they have to pay for medication.
“Now, an individual who has been struggling to spend N2,000 per month to obtain medication now requires to pay like N4,000, You know, a time comes that he or she may not be able to get the medication.
‘’Some of these disorders, once your medications are not consistent, symptoms tend to recur, which means the individual may become further incapacitated, may not be able to experience optimal state of mental health.”
He explained that he or she might not be able to continue to work or be productive in one way or the other.
“So, the high cost of drugs is negatively affecting the treatment of people with mental disorders. There’s no doubt about that. And again, I want to appeal to the authorities to make sure something is done quickly about this trend of medication costs skyrocketing. And that also points to the need why health insurance in Nigeria has to be robust.
“Some of these individuals with mental health conditions are not even working. So, for such individuals, there should be a way of providing for them, probably making some of these medications more affordable. If possible, free,’’ he added.
On his own part, the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Lagos, Dr Adedamola Dada, said a lot was needed to be done to address the situation.
“There are drugs available in the country. It’s the cost that has increased, in line with most things that are importation-dependent. And as with everything, Nigerians in the drug business are also taking advantage, seeing that there are limited options and little competition.
“The solution is fundamental, we need to start producing our own drugs locally using high-quality APIs to guarantee drug security, and we also need to eliminate or substantially reduce out-of- pocket payments for health care. These are the things the Federal Ministry of Health is doing now – fundamentally tackling the problem, and soon enough, it would yield results,’’ he said.
Speaking further, Dada noted that when patients were unable to afford their drugs,their condition does not get treated.
He said: “A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Personally, however, I am not one for all this noise about the cost of drugs, it’s not the only thing whose prices have gone up. I think we should rather exert our efforts and energy at finding a long-term and enduring solution to it, and that’s what Ministers Pate and Alausa are doing now.
“We all need to support them, rather than use the problem as an albatross. It’s a surmountable problem and I am totally convinced that the approach they are taking on this will fundamentally change the game but like all programmes, it will take time.
It’s heart-breaking
But Dr. Aisha Abubakar, a paediatrician lamented: “I see children suffering from preventable illnesses because their parents can’t afford medication. It’s heartbreaking.”
Also worried was Dr. Olufemi Ademola, a pharmacist and pharmacy owner. He said: “We’re caught between our oath to help and the reality that many patients can’t afford basic drugs.”
He revealed that some customers are now buying smaller quantities of drugs as a way of conserving funds and even resorting to buying unregulated street drugs.
Kenechukwu Okoli, another pharmacist is worried about the impact on chronic illnesses, saying “diabetics, hypertensives, even cancer patients say they are forced to choose between medication and other basic needs.”
Seun Adegoke, a healthcare economist, emphasized the need for long-term solutions.
“Investing in local drug production and promoting generic alternatives can bring down costs in the long run,’’ Adegoke said.
On her part, Faith Solomon, a mental health advocate said: “Mental illness is often misunderstood and stigmatised in Nigeria. Even when people seek help, access to affordable medication remains a major barrier. This leaves many trapped in a cycle of suffering.”
Expressing concern for the well-being of Nigerians, health watchers are calling for urgent action to address the issue of high drug prices, even as they urge the government to prioritise healthcare accessibility, intervene in implementing price controls, support local drug production, and strengthen public healthcare infrastructure.
Among solutions proposed include improving access to affordable health insurance, encouraging the use of safe and effective generic drugs to reduce costs, educating communities about the issue and advocating policy changes.
[Vanguard]
The newly introduced passport automation applicants’ processes may have created more problems for Nigerians willing to obtain fresh passports or even renew their expired international passports, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
Most affected are Nigerians in the Diaspora who returned for the Yuletide but cannot use the opportunity to renew their international passports.
Some of them who spoke to our correspondents at the weekend, cried out to President Bola Tinubu to wade into what they described as an an “ill-advised and ill-timed” passport automation process recently introduced by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
It was further gathered that in some selected passport offices in different geopolitical zones, thousands of Nigerians were stranded as the new system foisted on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) by the minister, has made the process worse and indeed very unfriendly to the applicants.It was gathered that in the three passport offices in Lagos, namely Ikoyi, Ikeja, and FESTAC, applicants were running from pillar to post, trying to make their payments online and upload their photos and documents by themselves as the new system made it impossible for applicants to be assisted by the immigration officers.
For instance, in the Abuja head office and Gwagwalada offices, some officers said they welcomed the innovation to make the passport process less tedious and more seamless but complained that some aspects of the technological development were counterproductive.
At the immigration office in Gwagwalada, one of the applicants lamented that “someone should help us tell the minister that we don’t know the meaning of ICAO, let alone knowing its standard for passport applications. What exactly is the meaning of an ICAO standard passport?” he asked. An immigration officer also said that “asking applicants to upload their photos based on ICAO standard without explaining what exactly it means to upload photos on ICAO standard, is a major challenge to those seeking new international passports or those seeking to renew their expired international passports.”
The officer regretted that such a good idea from the minister was only introduced to the officers for one week before it came on stream, adding that the officers are also helpless and can’t even guide the applicants who are equally frustrated as most of them lack access to scanners and devices to upload their birth certificates, state of origin certificates, NIN and ICAO-standard passport photos.
It was learnt that in the Enugu and Owerri passport offices, the officials only recorded two or three applicants per day as against 50 to 60 applicants daily before the new automated system because applicants were not able to achieve the desired results in uploading all the required information, especially photos. Some Diaspora applicants wondered if the government really considered them before introducing the new system, given the fact that most of them who returned during the Yuletide, usually had less than two weeks to return abroad.
They queried the reason for the rush to introduce a novel idea when half of the passport centres had less than four hours of steady power supply per day. They also wondered if this new system would not take NIS back to 20 years ago when non-Nigerians had access to the old passports. Due to the difficulties encountered by Nigerians in the new automated passport system, a woman who returned from the United States for Christmas was sighted at the headquarters of the passport office in Abuja, wailing because her flight was in two days and she could not renew her passport.
Also, the process of acquiring a new passport makes it mandatory for all adults to obtain the 10-year booklet which costs about N85,000.
Before the introduction of the new system, citizens had the option of either the five-year passport, which cost N35,000, or the 10-year option for 85,000.
According to a senior officer in the Abuja office, “automation is good, but it needs some weeks or even months of training and sensitisation, with the right support system in place, like steady power supply and uninterrupted internet access.”
The NIS officer, who faulted the new automated international passport system, said: “With the current automated system introduced by the minister, there will be no screening of applicants to know who is a foreigner, who is adopting a child, who is trafficking someone’s child, who is a terrorist.”
Some of the applicants interviewed at the passport office in Gwagwalada office said both the service providers and the leadership of the NIS are too scared to tell the minister the truth.
A source from one of the service providers told our correspondent that “new ideas need time to be test-run before you can roll it out for public purposes.”
According to him, “When the e-passport was launched in 2007, we told the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, that he must give us one year to be sure that everything was okay before we can launch the e-passport. And as a wise leader, the President accepted the professional advice.”
When contacted, the Acting Service PRO, Kenneth Kure, an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, said he was not allowed to comment on policy issues without express permission.
The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe has said the Senate will summon the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike and the security agencies over insecurity in Abuja.
She stated this while appearing on television on Saturday.
The senator who’s of the Labour Party said, “When the Senate resumes, I plan that the (Senate) FCT committees, specifically me, needs to sit with the two ministers and the security agencies for them to give us their plans concerning security.”
The security chiefs and the FCT minister had met earlier with President Bola Tinubu and a special taskforce was immediately formed to tackle the spake of insecurity in the nation’s capital.
This resulted in the quick rescue of some abducted victims in Bwari and other areas, in which the senator congratulated the security chiefs for their role.
Wike had also been quizzed on his working relationship with the senator and said it’s not his place to include her in his plan.
The minister specifically addressed the security plan for the FCT while visiting Gwagwalada Area Council during the week saying, “The president has asked me to come here today. The other day I was in Bwari and next week I will go to Kwali.
“Security is one thing the president promised Nigerians because his job is to protect lives and property. If we can’t protect lives and property, then we have no reason being in government.”
But the senator insisted that, “It is not that I am hoping. I know he will be summoned. But whether he responds or not is a different matter entirely. But as the chief security officer of the FCT, he should have a plan.
“He should be able to tell us, the committee, and specifically me, that this is the plan for protecting the people of the FCT.
“Between him, the police commissioner, and the head of the DSS, they must have a plan,” senator Kingibe said.
The senator commended the security agencies for waking up to their responsibilities which she said began “when we started to scream. But the truth is, a little bit earlier, I tried to draw their attention.
“And I was told that it was exaggerated and I said it couldn’t be because what I’m telling them, I did not get from social media, I got it from my constituents.
“But I’m glad that everybody, we are now all seem to be on the same page.
“They’re trying to take it all seriously, but a lot more needs to be done. Catching the kidnappers is just the symptom. We need to get to the root cause of what is causing all of this insecurity,” the lawmaker added.
The 36 state governments received a total sum of N72 billion from the federal government in August 2023 to provide palliatives for the people following the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
However, five months after the funds were released, the state governors are yet to account for the money or show any evidence of how it was utilised.
The palliatives were meant to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on the people, especially the vulnerable ones. However, reports suggest that the funds have been largely mismanaged, misappropriated, or diverted by the state governments.
The people are still faced with hardship as they struggle to make ends meet amid high cost of foods and services and rising inflation.
The situation is worse now than it was five months ago when the federal government released the first tranche of the palliatives, worth N72b billion.
The country’s inflation rate is now at 28.9 %, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The lack of transparency as well as improper utilisation of the funds by the state governors has led to widespread criticism from members of the public, who are calling for accountability.
The situation has sparked outrage and demands for action from the federal government to hold the state governors accountable and ensure that the funds are used for the intended purpose.
As the country continues to battle economic hardship, it is imperative that the state governments prioritize the welfare of the people and ensure that the palliatives provided by the federal government and other funds are not misused or diverted. The people deserve to know the truth about the whereabouts of the funds and the actions taken by their elected leaders to alleviate their suffering.
LEADERSHIP had in December 2023 written to the 36 state governments to inquire about the N2 billion they each received from the federal government in August, last year, to help alleviate the economic hardship that most Nigerians were facing due to the removal of fuel subsidy.
As a newspaper, we made the inquiry in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, asking them to provide us with a detailed account of how the money was spent because we were eager to ascertain how the money was spent towards helping those most in need.
But six weeks after, most of the state governments have failed to respond to LEADERSHIP’s inquiry, not even acknowledging the receipt of the letter.
Only four state governments have so far responded.
In Osun State, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi explained that the N2 billion received by the state was disbursed for food palliatives, transport services and refurbishment of health centres.
Alimi stated that for transparency and in line with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s commitment to meeting the needs of the people, a committee consisting of stakeholders across labour, religious, civil society organisations, student body, market men and women, among others, handled the distribution of food items cross the local governments of the state.
According to him, the distribution at local level and, by extension, the teeming beneficiaries were also handled by stakeholders under local government council monitoring.
In Benue State, the commissioner for information culture and tourism, Mathew Abo, disclosed that out of the N5 billion proposed as palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on Benue citizens, the state government has been able to access only N2 billion.
The commissioner who disclosed this in his office during an interview with our correspondent explained that the Benue State Government had distributed the N2bn received as follows: registration of WAEC and NECO examinations for graduating students in all government approved secondary schools across the state for the 2023/2024 academic year which is ongoing; provision of intensive computer and ICT training for 10,000 youth of the state to enable them acquire jobs within and outside the state, with training ongoing; provision of grants to 5,000 women in the state based on revised social register of the women cooperatives, etc.
Meanwhile, Kwara State government has so far received N2bn, being the first tranche of the N4bn of the federal government palliative, the chief press secretary to the state governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, revealed.
He said: “With that, the government purchased and distributed at least 250,000 10kg bags of rice across the state. This was done through a nonpartisan committee headed by a commissioner of police and peopled by community and religious leaders.”Similarly, the government received N1bn worth of maize from the CBN. This is not free. This maize was then distributed to the general public, especially (poultry) farmers, at 50% subsidised rate.
On its part, the Delta State government said rice was distributed to the people from the local government level down to the community level. It said the aged, people living with disabilities and the vulnerable households were all captured.
According to the secretary to the state government, Dr Kingsley Emu, the 696 bags of rice were distributed along the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) wards, comprising 20 wards in each of the 25 local government areas of the state.
He said farmers were advised not to pay money to anybody for the palliatives, saying that all genuine farmers received their share of maize and fertilisers without hitches.
However, Sir Festus Ahon, chief press secretary to the governor of Delta state said the palliative from the federal government to states was a repayable loan and not a grant as being speculated in some quarters.
According to him, there was a distribution model by the state palliative committee which, in its wisdom, set up a subcommittee made up of local government coordinators, traditional rulers or their representatives, and representatives of faith groups, among others.
On whether the state would get a loan to further continue the palliative, he said the state didn’t go for the loan in the first instance.
“The federal government gave all the states, and Delta is not contemplating asking for a loan from the federal government. Just for the record, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has not borrowed since he came on board on May 29,” Ahon disclosed.
Three suspects have been taken into custody by men from the Edo State Police Command for allegedly stealing two cars during a state church campaign.
The state commissioner of police, Funsho Adeboye, paraded the suspects with other suspected criminals over the weekend. He claimed the suspects were apprehended after tracking down the stolen phone and the cars that one of the suspects had given as a gift to a female acquaintance.
The suspects are Augustine Ikponmwoba (62), Roland Ibizugbe (63), and Blessing Joseph (36).
According to Adeboye, Joy Mordi and Peter Abiwo told the police that they had parked their N3.5 million Toyota Camry cars with the license plates MUS 791GA and USL 93AM at Garrick Memorial Ground in order to attend a crusade. However, when the crusade came to an end, they realized that their cars had been stolen from their parking spot.
Naija News reports that he said that over the course of the inquiry, one of the phones from Mordi’s car was found on a female suspect named Joseph.
During questioning, the suspect admitted to the police that she had received the phone from her male acquaintance Ikponmwoba 62.
“Ikponmwoba’s arrest led the police to Ibizugbe. The suspects have confessed to the crime and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded,” he said.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is to supply fuel to about 150,000 retail outlets operated by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria following a meeting between the management of the refinery and executives of IPMAN.
Last week Monday, The PUNCH exclusively reported that IPMAN had scheduled a meeting with the management of Dangote refinery as regards the supply of products to independent marketers.
When contacted on Friday evening to confirm if the meeting was held, the President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, stated that the association had finally met with the management of the refinery, adding that the latter agreed to supply products to the over 30,000 members of IPMAN.
This came as it was further gathered that the regulator of the downstream oil sector was currently examining the refined products from the refinery before the facility would be given approval to dispense fuel to the market.
Recall that seven major oil marketers in Nigeria had registered with the refinery for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products produced by the $20bn plant.
The report stated that dealers under the aegis of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed on Sunday that with the registration, they would commence the distribution of fuel produced from the facility once the commercial terms were sorted.
The seven major marketers include 11 Plc, Conoil Plc, Ardova Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, OVH Energy Marketing Limited, Total Nigeria Plc and NNPC Retail.
Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria had also stated that PETROAN was engaging the management of the multi-billion dollar refinery for the supply of products from the facility.
On January 12, 2024, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced that it had commenced the production of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and JetA1 also known as aviation fuel.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting between IPMAN and the Dangote refinery during a conversation with our correspondent on Friday, the association’s president said the management of the plant would be supplying products to the 150,000 stations of IPMAN nationwide.
“The meeting went well, so right now we are just expecting their reply in terms of products that they are going to give us. They have agreed to dispense products to IPMAN members,” Maigandi stated.
Asked to state the number of oil marketers that are members of IPMAN, he replied, “We have 30,000 members as of our last census, which was done two years ago. And they agreed to supply products to us. Also, our retail outlets are 150,000 stations across the country.”
Probed further to tell whether every member and station of IPMAN would be able to get supply from Dangote, Maigandi said, “What he (Dangote) is producing is for Nigeria’s consumption. He can supply Nigeria and can export some of the products.
“It is not a small refinery. It is a very big refinery. I was there to see things for myself and it is a massive refinery.”
When told that Dangote promised to get the products to the market in January, and whether this was realistic based, the IPMAN President stated that there was hope.
“There is hope since they have started production. Immediately when they finish production, the next thing is to sell. I can confirm this because I was there myself. And I know immediately he gets approval to sell, he can start selling at any time.
“So it is not a small project. It is a very good thing for Nigeria. They are to start with aviation fuel and diesel. You know that independent petroleum marketers also buy diesel.
“Therefore by God’s grace, our 30,000 members are ready to buy and distribute across the 150,000 retail outlets nationwide. So anywhere you go you will see fuel. The issue of scarcity of fuel will be no more once he (Dangote) starts,” Maigandi stated.
On whether IPMAN discussed pricing with the management of the refinery, he said, “No we didn’t discuss the price, but all that we know is that the price is going to be a little bit lower than what we have been selling.”
The Dangote refinery, located in Lagos, has so far received six million barrels of crude oil at its two SPMs located 25km from the shore. The first crude delivery was done on December 12, 2023, and the 6th cargo was delivered on January 8, 2024.
The refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications, according to the firm.
“The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources emission/effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology,” the company had stated in a statement.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Project, a subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, is a 650,000 barrels per day crude oil refinery, located in Dangote Industries Free Zone, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is an industrial plant that transforms crude oil into various usable petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and kerosene.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery with a capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day covers an area of approximately 2,635 hectares in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
Regulators examine products
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources said the regulator of the downstream oil sector had been visiting the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to carry out the processes required to issue regulatory approvals before the release of diesel and aviation fuel into the market.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had stated on Friday that the products would be released to the market after regulatory approvals.
“We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals. This is a big day for Nigeria.
“We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project,” Dangote had stated.
When asked whether the regulatory approvals had been issued to the facility to release products into the market, an official of the petroleum ministry replied in the negative.
The official, who pleaded not to be named due to lack of authorisation, was, however, quick to state that the process was ongoing, as officials from the NMDPRA had been visiting the plant.
“There is no licence yet. But it is in the process because the licence is not just issued like that. There are things that should be done and these things must be completed, and they (regulatory officials) are there right now as we speak.
“The issuance of a licence goes through a process. So we have to go through that process. But it is said that the products are to be in the market before the end of this month and so before it comes to market, it is expected that they would have issued it,” the source stated.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Dangote refinery in May 2023. The facility missed its crude oil refining target a number of times due to the non-supply of crude to the plant by oil producers.
It, however, started receiving crude oil batches of one million barrels each in December 2023 and got the 6th batch of one million barrels of crude this month. Officials at the plant had explained that the refinery required six million barrels of crude to commence production.
A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remains expelled from the party.
The faction added that Buba Galadima, as well as the entire membership of the old National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu, has also been expelled.
The position of the faction was contained in a statement on Saturday, by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Dr. Temitope Aluko.
He further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop dealing with the affected persons, update its records and recognize the expulsion of the affected persons.
“Once again, may we use this public space to remind the INEC, through its chairman, that we have requested the urgent need to update their records of the National Executive Committee of the NNPP.
“It is instructive to indicate herein that the constitution of the NNPP is supreme and binding on all members, without prejudice to the overarching Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
“With the nation’s Constitution being the unquestionable ground norm, every other establishment in Nigeria derives its powers of establishment and operations from the said Constitution,” Aluko said.
He added that INEC does not have the power to meddle in the internal affairs of a party as such powers are not constitutionally granted to the electoral body.
“However, INEC does not have powers to meddle in the internal administration and management of political parties.
“Otherwise, it will be equivalent to an avoidable breach of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to associate freely.
“What we try to put across herein is simple and unambiguous.
“The extant powers of the board members of the NNPP about resolution of the party’s internal matters are very clear.
“The board has powers to call to order, any member who acts contrary to its norms,” he said.
The BOT chairman submitted that the unceremonious exit of the NNPP’s former National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Prof. Angwe Samuel, and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, among others, were pointers that all was not well with the internal administration of the party.
He accused the former NNPP NWC members of corruption, high-handedness, lack of transparency, and accountability.
“All these avoidable acts of gross misconduct led to the invitation of the concerned persons by the Board of Trustees for explanation but they refused to provide answers to the queries.
“Indeed, the board had to invoke its inherent powers by calling them all to order and decisively expelling them.
“The action of the board, having subsequently been ratified by the General Assembly of the Party, has been communicated to the Chairman of INEC, and the commission duly acknowledged the same and pledged to update its records.
“The surprising and very embarrassing thing today is that INEC is still dealing with the expelled members of the party.
“This is aside from the fact that this matter is pending before a Federal High Court, with INEC duly served and notified,” Aluko said.
Aspirants hoping to clinch the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 21 Edo State governorship polls have rejected the N30 million charged by the party for expression of interest and nomination forms.
This was made known by one of the aspirants, Dr Egbe Omorodion, who told newsmen in Benin on Sunday that all the governorship aspirants want a reduced fee and have scheduled a meeting for Monday, to take a stand on the matter.
According to him, if the Labour Party could reduce the fees for Imo State to N15m, then the same should be done for Edo State.
Naija News recalls the party had announced that interested aspirants in the party’s ticket for Edo State would pay N30 million for nomination and expression of interest forms. The party also fixed February 22 for the conduct of the primary election.
But according to Omorodion, the fee is outrageous and the party leadership should consider a reduction of the amount.
“I, as an aspirant, am saying that this amount is outrageously ridiculous.
“I see the move as a strategy to stifle the voices of those who joined LP with a genuine desire to serve the Edo people.
“If the party’s leadership reduced the fee to N15 million for the Imo election, why can’t it do the same for the Edo election?”
“My appeal is that I don’t think my voice and those of others who believe in my project should be muted by this huge amount.
“A good number of aspirants and supporters may become disgruntled and may just take a walk if the party leadership refuses to budge,” he said.
Omorodion, who is the LP Chairman, UK chapter, said edo State could be robbed of imminently qualified persons if the fee is not reduced.
He added, “Edo people may be denied the opportunity of my dream and desires to take the state to the next level.”
“Yes, other aspirants are also dissatisfied with the fee. We will be meeting on Monday.
“Hopefully, we will be able to come up with a position on the matter.”
In a bid to achieve year 2024 revenue target and improve its performance, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), has digitalised the minimum tax payment process.
The Chairman of OGIRS, Mr. Olugbenga Olaleye, while charging participants at a training session, organised for Tax Office Managers and Officers in the Minimum Tax Unit in Abeokuta, said digitisation of all tax transactions in the state would assist the agency to capture more taxpayers and appropriately assess them, in order to improve revenue generation.
Mr. Olaleye, according to Mrs. Abolanle Ogunlami, Head Information Unit, OGIRS, noted that minimum tax was one area of taxation with the greatest challenge, in terms of data gathering, saying embracing digitisation would ensure a seamless process.
While appreciating the staff for their performance in the previous year, the Chairman enjoined them to put in more effort, be more focused and ready to work as a team, to achieve and surpass the year 2024 revenue target.
Earlier, the Director of Field Operations, Mr. Hezekiah Sobayo, said the training was organised to put participants through the process of digitally harnessing the potential in minimum tax for improved revenue performance.
One of the participants at the training, Mrs. Sobayo Kotoye, described the initiative as a welcome idea that would not only improve revenue but enhance their performance as Tax Officers.
Also present at the training were Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Information and Technology, Mr. Ayodele Bush, Directors, Tax Office Managers and heads of the informal sector across the state.
Software giant, Microsoft, has reported a breach on its system by Russian government-backed hackers known as Midnight Blizzard, with a warning that all organizations now face risks from well-resourced nation-state threat actors.
The company disclosed this in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
Microsoft disclosed that the hackers gained access to some of its corporate email accounts, including members of its senior leadership team and employees in its cybersecurity, legal, and other functions. It said the attackers were able to exfiltrate some emails and attached documents from its system.
According to Microsoft, the hackers who gained access to its system from late November 2023 until they were discovered on January 12, 2024, were targeting information relating to them on Microsoft’s system.
The filling
Providing the details of the attack in the SEC filing, Microsoft said:
- “The Microsoft security team detected a nation-state attack on our corporate systems on January 12, 2024, and immediately activated our response process to investigate, disrupt malicious activity, mitigate the attack, and deny the threat actor further access.
- Microsoft has identified the threat actor as Midnight Blizzard, the Russian state-sponsored actor also known as Nobelium. As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible transparency as recently affirmed in our Secure Future Initiative (SFI), we are sharing this update.
- “Beginning in late November 2023, the threat actor used a password spray attack to compromise a legacy non-production test tenant account and gain a foothold, and then used the account’s permissions to access a very small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including members of our senior leadership team and employees in our cybersecurity, legal, and other functions, and exfiltrated some emails and attached documents.
Microsoft added that its investigation indicates the attackers were initially targeting email accounts for information related to Midnight Blizzard itself.
The company said it was in the process of notifying employees whose email was accessed.
Customers not affected
The company, however, noted that the attack was not the result of a vulnerability in its products or services as customers were not affected. According to Microsoft, to date, there is no evidence that the threat actor had any access to customer environments, production systems, source code, or AI systems. Microsoft said it would notify its customers if any action is required.
- “This attack does highlight the continued risk posed to all organizations from well-resourced nation-state threat actors like Midnight Blizzard.
- “As we said late last year when we announced Secure Future Initiative (SFI), given the reality of threat actors that are resourced and funded by nation states, we are shifting the balance we need to strike between security and business risk – the traditional sort of calculus is simply no longer sufficient.
- “For Microsoft, this incident has highlighted the urgent need to move even faster. We will act immediately to apply our current security standards to Microsoft-owned legacy systems and internal business processes, even when these changes might disrupt existing business processes,” the company stated.
Microsoft said this would likely cause some level of disruption while it adapts to this new reality, but it is a necessary step, and only the first of several we would be taking to embrace this philosophy.
[Nairametrics]
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The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has urged Nigerians to report anyone seen with live ammunition to curb arms proliferation in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement shared on Sunday on his official X account.
Sharing a picture of live ammunition, Adejobi said, “These are live ammunition, called “èpà” or “groundnuts” in the street.
“They are deadly, not to be seen with anyone except security agents. Statutory security agents, no other ones.
“If you see them with any friend or civilian, please expose him or her. We need to collectively curb the proliferation of arms and ammunition in Nigeria.”
Recall that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade on Thursday paraded 34 suspects of crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms one month into office.
In what Fayoade called a mark of his achievements since taking office, the police commissioner listed no fewer than 14 cases cracked and a recovery of a total of 16 firearms including a toy pistol, 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition, one expended cartridge and one pistol magazine.
The police also recovered six axes, four daggers, one digger, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS Machine, fake registration plates and various charms.
[Punch]
Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has urged Nigerian youths seeking relocation from the country to consider opportunities they have in Nigeria and stay back.
In an interview with Arise TV, the former Rivers State Governor claimed that there are juicy opportunities back in Nigeria that those seeking greener pastures in other countries may not have.
According to him, there are possibilities of someone to suddenly emerge as a leader in the country.
He said, “I’ve always discouraged the people who want to leave the country. I say, if you want a 9 to 5, yes you can always get that when you leave the country, but you can never get the opportunity we have in Nigeria.
“You can just wake up one day, you become a minister and you can just wake up one day and you become a governor. It just happens. So, if you are looking for opportunities, please stay back in Nigeria but if you are looking for a 9 to 5, then you can go.”
The former presidential aspirant also blamed the country’s economy for the ravaging crimes in Nigeria.
According to him, the Nigerian economy is too small and cannot accommodate everybody, leading to robbery and other crimes.
“If all of us start working in Shell now, there would be no time to go and rob or kill because you leave at 6am and by the time you come back at 6pm, you will be tired, so, my advice to them is to get your degree if you can and if you can’t, well, I am lucky”, he added.
[DailyPost]
One Nnamdi Agu has been arrested for purportedly fabricating his own abduction to deceive his relatives.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, refuted claims suggesting the occurrence of a kidnapping incident at the River Park Estate, Lugbe.
According to her, no individual was abducted within the estate, firmly asserting that Nnamdi orchestrated his own kidnapping as a means to defraud his brother, who happens to be a resident of the aforementioned estate.
The statement reads, “The FCT Police Command is aware of the news making rounds about an alleged kidnapping incident at River Park estate on Saturday and wishes to state that contrary to reports, nobody was kidnapped in River Park Estate.
“One Nnamdi Agu ‘m’ of Games Village only faked his own kidnap in an attempt to defraud his brother who lives within the said Estate.
“The suspect is currently in police custody undergoing interrogation.
“While an investigation is still ongoing, further development would be communicated to the public.”
A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has disclosed that the only financial benefit he receives from the government is N577,000 monthly pension as a former governor of Lagos State.
He also said that he is not receiving billions of naira from the federal government as speculated by some Nigerians, after serving eight years as the minister.
Fashola said this on Saturday while appearing as a guest on Arise TV programme, “Perspectives.”
When asked if there were financial benefits accrued to him as a former public servant, he said, “The benefit I get I think is N577,000 monthly pension from Lagos State. That’s all I get.
“So, in spite of all the stories that we got several billions of money (after leaving office), I’ve come out to deny that repeatedly. Well I don’t know how long it lasts, but all I know is that I get N577,000 per month consistently.”
When asked if there were other benefits from the federal government, he said “no.”
Responding to a question on if he could advise current public office holders, the former Lagos governor said he was not in the position to issue advice but admonished that they “should remain true and authentic” in their duties.
In September 2023, Fashola said he did not need to hold office for serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I do not need a title to serve: the president can only appoint at least one minister, for example, from each state in which he has done that,” Fashola had said.
[DailyPost]