Latest News
…125 still in detention —Deji Adeyanju
The Department of State Service, DSS, this weekend, released two #EndBadGovernance protesters, who have been in detention in Kaduna.
At press time, there are no fewer than 125 protesters still in detention, including 38 remanded by Justice Emeka Nwite, in Abuja.
Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the 38 detained protesters would appear before Justice Nwite for further hearing on their bail.
The 125 detained protesters have been in custody for over 62 days.
Meanwhile, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, counsel to the protesters, in an exclusive chat with Vanguard, yesterday, expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
According to Adeyanju, authorities claimed to have filed charges, “but our team has yet to receive any documents.”
He stated that the development highlights the inconsistencies in the handling of protest-related cases nationwide, though most of the 873 protesters arrested in Kano have been released, due to collaborative efforts by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
Adeyanju added that efforts are ongoing in Sokoto, as two protesters have been released in the North-West region, recently.
Nationwide, over 1,000 protesters were arrested.
Considering the releases in Kano (873) and Sokoto, as well as Kaduna (two), about 125 protesters are likely still in custody, including the 38 in Abuja and 10 facing treason charges.
Adeyanju said: “We are currently working on the cases of about 38 or 39 #EndBadGovernance protesters, who have been remanded by Justice Nwite in Abuja for 62 days.
“Their remand is set to end today (Monday). The authorities claim to have filed charges against many others, but we have not been served any documents up to this point. That’s the main challenge we have.
“In Kano, most of the 873 protesters have been released because we have been collaborating with the NBA on this matter. In Sokoto, we have made some progress as well.
“However, I am not entirely sure about the situation in other states, but I can look into it and provide you with an update in the next few days.”
The #EndBadGovernance protests were staged by Nigerians over the worsening economic hardship and growing hunger across the land.
The protests, however, turned violent in some states, resulting in casualties and arrests across the country.
The Peoples Democratic Party in Kano State has elected Yusuf Kibiya as the new chairman of the party in the state.
Kibiya is a former Commissioner for Agriculture under former state governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, between 1999 and 2003.
The party’s Election Committee chairman, Halilu Mazagani, disclosed this while announcing the election results on Sunday.
He noted that Kibiya secured a landslide victory, garnering 3,964 votes to defeat his opponent, Nura Nuhu, who scored 244 votes.
Mazagani, who commended the party’s officials in the state “for a job well done,” said the smooth conduct of the congress was an indication that the PDP would soon resolve the lingering differences between some members of the party to make it “a better and stronger opposition that can defeat the ruling party.
“Our party being the largest in Africa, no doubt, faces some internal challenges, but as always, we have learnt to manage our differences.
“I can assure you today that we are working hard to ensure unity and we are mobilising like never before, to ensure our success in the forthcoming 2027 general elections which I can confidently say the people will vote for us.
“So, it is now left for us to present credible candidates to Nigerians like we did before and we wish to improve on that.”
Also speaking at the event, an ex-Kano governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, assured all that the party would produce a winning team in the 2027 general elections, adding that the PDP is poised to challenge any party in any election in the country, including the local government election scheduled to hold on October 26, 2024.
[Punch]
Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, says insufficient aircraft in Nigeria is the primary reason for frequent flight cancellations and high ticket prices for local and international flights.
In an interview with the BBC Pidgin on Saturday, Keyamo expressed concern over the challenges, including flight delays without prior notice to passengers, assuring that they would soon be resolved.
He said the government has initiated a process to empower Nigerian airline operators to partner with foreign companies that manufacture airplanes.
“I met with the people on the ground and asked them, and they told me that the money they pay to hire (rent) airplanes is too high,” Keyamo said.
“They call it wet lease, and the kind of airplanes they get are not the ones they can pay for in installments, why? It’s because the people who bring airplanes to Nigeria for business are afraid of Nigeria.
“They said Nigeria is full of dishonest people, and anytime they bring their planes to Nigeria, if the people cannot pay, they cannot recover their planes.
“I met with them around the world, and they told us to change our law called the Cape Town Convention, when you sign it, it means you are serious.
“The law we signed states that if anyone brings an airplane into Nigeria, if there’s a problem, the government will allow them to take their airplane back, we cannot hold it.”
Keyamo said after Nigeria signed the law and agreement, the country’s aviation rating improved significantly — rising from 49 percent to 70.5 percent.
He expressed optimism that as more planes become available, ticket prices will decrease.
On September 12, the federal government signed the Cape Town Convention (CTC) practice direction to enable domestic airline operators to access aircraft on dry lease.
The Cape Town accord aims to enhance asset-based financing and leasing of aviation equipment, including aircraft, thereby expanding funding opportunities and reducing costs for airlines.
With the agreement, Nigerian airline operators are expected to gain access to aircraft on dry lease, which could lead to lower flight rates for passengers.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum has called for an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss various concerns regarding the party’s crisis.
Recalls that since Umar Damagum became the acting National Chairman following Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s court removal, he has faced increasing criticism from party leaders over the ongoing crisis in the PDP, resulting in calls for his resignation.
Damagum’s indecisiveness has contributed to the tense political situation in Rivers State between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
On Friday, in a surprising turn of events, Damagum’s faction of the NWC, through the party’s National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, announced the suspension of National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) for alleged insubordination and anti-party.
Shortly after, a statement signed by Ologunagba indicated that the NWC had suspended Damagum and National Secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu for alleged disloyalty to the PDP, appointing National Treasurer Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the acting National Chairman.
As the crisis rocking the party persists, the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has charged the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, to revert to the status quo.
In an interview with PUNCH, a senior party member revealed that PDP stakeholders were considering the establishment of a caretaker committee to guide the party toward a National Convention to elect a new National Working Committee.
The source, who was in the meeting between the Bauchi Governor and Damagum’s faction of the NWC, said that the chairman of the PDP Governors forum urged for calm and called for an emergency meeting to tackle concerns in the party.
He said, “Governor Bala Mohammed is worried about the situation. During his meeting with Damagum’s team on Friday, he welcomed them and called for calm. The governor urged them to restore the status quo to keep the NWC unified and allow the NEC to address the issues at its next meeting.
“To tackle these concerns, I understand that the governors have called an emergency meeting for Monday. Some stakeholders are discussing the possibility of appointing a new caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs and organize an elective national convention in 2025 to usher in new NWC.
“These stakeholders believe that reconciliation efforts will not lead to the current NWC members collaborating for the party’s benefit. However, they are also cautious due to the ongoing litigation surrounding the Damagum and NWC situation. Therefore, the governors will convene to consider all these issues.”
Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the federal government is working to reverse Nigeria’s growing unemployment rate.
Shettima said this on Saturday at the launch of the Nasarawa state human capital development strategy document and gender transformative human capital development policy framework in Lafia.
He said the government is committed to empowering Nigerians with globally competitive skills which would enable them excel anywhere in the world.
Shettima said the human capital development (HCD) programme is designed to help Nigeria achieve a productive workforce.
“Enough of the distressing data on our education system—whether it is the mean years of schooling, the high pupil-to-teacher ratios, or the staggering number of youths not in employment, education, or training,” he said.
“The unemployment rates, the growing informal sector, and low labour force participation must be reversed. This is the dystopia our Human Capital Development Programme is designed to avert, under the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“For so long, at the National Economic Council, we have debated the ideal nation we wish to build and the pathways to achieve it.
“Our partnerships with the private sector are critical in achieving this. By facilitating access to resources, expertise, and innovation, we aim to make human capital development the cornerstone of a more prosperous and competitive Nigeria.”
He added that the unveiling of a blueprint for Nasarawa’s human capital challenges reaffirms the administration’s commitment to tackle the unique realities of each state.
“Nasarawa state’s commitment to the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme, a lifeline for our nation, is built on the collective realisation that enough is enough,” he said.
“Enough of the cycles that have held us back. Enough of the legacies of unplanned high fertility rates and alarming maternal and under-five mortality rates. Enough of our vulnerable populations facing low life expectancy.
“Rather, it is an invitation for every country, and indeed sub-national entities, to rise to the challenge. Every child must have access to quality education, equitable healthcare, even as the nation’s workforce must be equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st-century economy.”
Dangote Group is preparing to begin crude oil production to support its $20 billion refinery. For this purpose, the company is seeking a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel with a capacity of 650,000 barrels.
Production is expected to begin at its two Nigerian oil assets, Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 71 and 72, in the fourth quarter of 2024, following initial challenges in securing crude oil supply from International Oil Companies (IoCs).
According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, the FPSO will be essential for producing and storing crude oil, enhancing the operations of the Dangote refinery.
Dangote holds an 85% stake in West African E&P Venture, which has a 45% working interest in OMLs 71 and 72, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) holds the remaining 55%.
First E&P, a Nigerian upstream company, is also involved as the operator of the blocks. The oil licenses are situated in shallow waters in the Niger Delta, near the Bonny terminal.
The Kalaekule and Koronama oilfields, located within the blocks, were discovered in 1966. Shell started production two decades later. Output peaked at 21,000 barrels per day in 1999 but declined by 2003.
The fields are estimated to hold recoverable resources of nearly 300 million barrels of oil and 2.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Production is anticipated to begin in 2026, with a potential output of 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2036.
The planned startup of production from OMLs 71 and 72 is expected to help Dangote resolve crude oil supply issues and provide a steady feedstock for its refinery operations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has departed the United Kingdom for Paris, France, where he is expected to attend an “important engagement” after spending over a week in the UK.
The Senior Special Assistant on Political and other matters to the president, Ibrahim Kabir Masari disclosed this on Friday through his X account.
“Today, I had the honor of visiting President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR at his private residence in the United Kingdom, where we engaged in productive discussions.
“We then departed for Paris, France, for another important engagement”, Masari said.
Meanwhile, details of the engagement were not made public.
DAILY POST recalls that President Tinubu departed Nigeria on Wednesday, October 2, for a two-week working vacation in the UK, as part of his annual leave.
The President’s vacation comes despite the pervasive economic hardship Nigerians are facing.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had increased the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to N1,030 per litre, further worsening the hardship on Nigerians.
The former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has condemned the recent increase in fuel price, calling on the Federal Government to reverse the sudden petrol price hike.
The former Anambra State Governor stated this in a post on his X handle on Saturday morning.
Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced a 14.8% hike in the price of petrol raising it to ₦1,030 per litre from ₦897.
This marks the second petrol price increase within the past month, following a previous rise in September when the price surged from ₦615 to ₦897 per litre.
Reacting, Peter Obi described the latest increase as unfortunate and insensitive.
He called on President Bola Tinubu, who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum, to provide full explanation, offer alternative options, and most importantly, reverse the sudden price hike.
Peter Obi wrote: “As Nigerians continue to groan under extremely difficult economic conditions, largely caused by the Federal Government’s wrong policy choices, the NNPCL has once again raised the price of fuel (PMS) without providing any explanation.
“This is both unfortunate and insensitive, considering the wide-ranging negative consequences for our economic survival and well-being.
“This is neither how an economy’s resources should be managed nor how a nation should be governed. In this new measure, there is neither sound economics nor necessary compassion.
“We are told that the NNPCL is now a limited liability company, regulated by agencies such as the NUPRC and NMDPRA, yet there seems to be growing confusion about the roles and responsibilities of the NNPCL and these regulating bodies.
“Interestingly, both the NNPCL and the regulatory agencies are supposed to be under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria serving as the substantive Minister. Who, in this arrangement, is regulating who?
“With the unprecedented but avoidable hardship that Nigerians are enduring, the responsibility for providing a full explanation, offering alternative options, and most importantly, reversing the sudden price hike falls squarely on the Honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources/President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We hope and pray that he acts in the best interest of the majority of Nigerians, who are living under unnecessarily precarious conditions, and that he does so before his return from his working vacation.
“To casually inflict such a draconian measure on the populace from the comfort of an annual vacation amounts to taking the people’s welfare lightly and for granted.
“A New and more compassionate Nigeria is indeed Possible!”
![[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Rejoices With Bola Shagaya At 65](/media/k2/items/cache/6da447e52b6d55e956a6c252ecd1e5cc_S.jpg)
President Bola Tinubu congratulates businesswoman Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya as she celebrates her 65th birthday.
The President joins family, friends and business associates in celebrating the founder and CEO of Bolmus Group International, whose business and philanthropic endeavours have touched the lives of many Nigerians.
The President commends Hajia Shagaya’s contribution to the nation's economic growth, particularly through her diverse business investments in industries such as oil, real estate, banking, and communications.
President Tinubu extends his heartfelt wishes for the continued health and happiness of the trailblazing entrepreneur.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
![[STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT] President Tinubu Condoles With Mele Kyari Over Daughter'S Death](/media/k2/items/cache/873a0f47e23586e71fcb654d06af5a36_S.jpg)
President Bola Tinubu condoles with the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Kolo Mele Kyari over the death of his daughter.
Kyari’s daughter, Fatima died Friday at the age of 25 after protracted illness.
The President sympathizes with Kyari and the rest of the family on the irreparable and painful loss.
President Tinubu prays for the repose of the soul of Fatima and urges the Kyari family to stay strong at these trying times.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
More...
The Federal Government has officially granted petroleum marketers the authority to lift petrol directly from the Dangote refinery, circumventing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
This significant development marks a pivotal shift in the nation’s petroleum distribution landscape, effectively ending NNPC’s monopoly as the sole off-taker of Dangote’s refined fuel.
In a statement released on Friday, the Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Naira-crude sale implementation committee, Wale Edun, provided insights into the decision, highlighting its implications for the industry.
The announcement comes in the wake of increasing speculation regarding NNPC’s changing role in the procurement of petroleum products.
During a review meeting held on October 10, the Implementation Committee, chaired by Edun, assessed the progress of the initiative aimed at facilitating crude oil and refined product sales in naira.
As a result of this new policy, petroleum marketers are expected to engage directly with the Dangote refinery for their fuel needs, a move that could lead to more competitive pricing and improved supply chain dynamics.
He said, “The committee is pleased to report a successful transition of operations in line with the directive issued by the Federal Executive Council. This directive has established a robust framework for local production and distribution of crude oil and refined products for local consumption in naira.
“With this mechanism now in full operation, along with the commencement of local production, we are well-positioned to transition to a fully deregulated market for all petroleum products.
“Moving forward, petroleum product marketers are now able to purchase PMS directly from local refineries without the intermediary role of NNPC. Marketers are encouraged to initiate direct purchases from refineries on mutually negotiated commercial terms, which will promote competition and improve market efficiency.”
Edun noted that the government remained confident that, in the long term, these measures will create better market conditions for the benefit of all Nigerians.
Press Release on the Decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP on the Reported Anti-Party Activity by the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu
Admin
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu particularly with regard to the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No:CA/PH/307/2024 against the Party’s position in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats upon decamping from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The NWC condemned this anti-party activity of the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary which is in gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and their Oath of Office.
Consequently, the NWC, pursuant to Sections 57, 58 and 59 of the PDP Constitution, has suspended Amb. Illiya Damagum and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party respectively and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.
In the meantime, the two officials are suspended from all meetings, activities and programs of the NWC pending the conclusion of investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee.
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has said Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)’s action to fix imported and locally refined fuel prices is illegal and void.
Falana, in a statement on Thursday, referred to remarks made on September 5, 2024, by the Executive Vice President of Downstream NNPC Ltd, Adedapo Segun, who explained that under Section 205 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), NNPC Limited is established to operate in a deregulated market where free market forces determine petroleum prices.
Segun had said, “The market has been deregulated, meaning that petrol prices are now determined by market forces rather than by the government or NNPC Ltd. Additionally, the exchange rate plays a significant role in influencing these prices.”
However, Falana objected to the comment, stating that NNPCL has no legal authority to set the petrol price in Nigeria.
The human rights lawyer pointed out that despite Segun’s claim, NNPCL set the fuel price refined by Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited last month without allowing market forces to dictate the pricing.
Falana noted that on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, NNPCL again bypassed the mechanism of market forces in determining the cost by announcing new pump prices for fuel refined by the Dangote Refinery.
According to Falana, NNPCL actions violate Section 205 of the Petroleum Industry Act, which mandates that market dynamics determine the prices of petroleum products.