President Bola Tinubu has called on young Nigerians to refrain from participating in planned protests against the Federal Government’s economic reforms.

Recall that some Nigerians, particularly the youth, have planned a nationwide protest from August 1st to 10th to draw the government’s attention to the prevailing hardship in the country.

Speaking in Abuja at the National Council of Traditional Rulers meeting, Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, cautioned against allowing economic hardship to be exploited by individuals with ulterior motives to incite protests.

He emphasized the need for patience and commitment from Nigerians during this critical period of economic reform, urging citizens to remember past instances where crises threatened national peace and diversity.

Tinubu highlighted the lessons to be learned from India and Sudan’s experiences, noting that Nigeria, with its population of over 200 million, cannot afford such instability.

“Capitalising on the economic hardship in the country, some men and women with sinister motives have been reported to have been mobilising citizens, particularly youths, to stage a protest.

“Let’s learn from India and Sudan’s experiences. We are a country with more than 200 million people.

“Therefore, we can’t afford to have this kind of situation,’’ he said.

The President assured that the government has implemented policies to alleviate economic challenges, including procuring Compressed Natural Gas vehicles, introducing a student loan scheme, distributing palliatives, and providing agricultural inputs like tractors and fertilizers.

He also emphasized ongoing efforts to address security issues in the country.

Tinubu urged traditional leaders to promote peace within their communities and engage with young people and parents to foster harmony.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar III, supported this view, advocating dialogue as the best means to resolve conflicts and highlighting the necessity of peace.

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan, stressed the importance of patriotism and national cohesion for development, asserting that any threat to unity must be resisted.

He acknowledged President Tinubu’s efforts to address the nation’s challenges and reiterated that Nigeria belongs to all its citizens.

Dr. Mainasara Umar-Kogo, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, noted the effectiveness of traditional institutions as local administrative bodies since pre-colonial times.

He called for their roles to be restored in the constitution to preserve socio-cultural values, suggesting that past administrative reforms have diminished their influence.

Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, says Nigerians have to make sacrifices for the country to achieve the needed growth. 

Bagudu spoke on Monday when he appeared before the house of representatives committee on appropriations to defend President Bola Tinubu’s request to increase the 2024 budget by N6.2 trillion.

The minister said countries that have achieved significant growth have made sacrifices over the years.

Bagudu asked Nigerians not to compare the country with nations that have attained notable development if they are not willing to make similar sacrifices.

“We have to recognise that countries that achieved development took choices that maybe we should have taken. That is my point,” the minister said.

“We have a leader (Tinubu) who is not even saying, Let us blame this or blame that. We are not where we want to be.

“How do we mobilise all together? Our children need to appreciate this fact. It is not a pleasant conversation when any father calls the children and says, Look, I am not as rich as you think I am. Let’s face it.

“But that conversation will build a better family than a situation where children feel self-entitled—they just blame the father, not knowing that even though he is the authority figure, he has his own limitations. So, even in a country, it is no different.

“The simple truth is that we have to make sacrifices in order for our country to achieve the growth that it requires.

“Those countries whom we are teaching our children that they have achieved this and that; we should stop comparing ourselves to where they (the countries) are today. But what choices did they make in the past to bring them to where they are?”

Providing a breakdown of the N6.3 trillion, Bagudu said the N3.2 trillion proposed for infrastructure projects will cover several road and rail projects.

The minister said the funds will form counterpart funding for rail projects that have been stalled over the years, including the one linking Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, traversing the Rivers  Imo, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and terminating in Borno state.

He said N522 billion will also be utilised for agricultural projects such as water, irrigation, and dams.

Bagudu said the proposed N3.2 trillion “renewed hope infrastructural fund” is “intended to provide equity contributions or counterpart contributions of the federal government projects designated as priority projects as well as critical projects that needed more appropriation so that they would not suffer neglect”.

The minister added that the N3 trillion is intended to meet recurrent expenditures, including the new national minimum wage approved by Tinubu.

Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, has alleged some personnel of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, oil traders and terminals have opened a blending plant in Malta.

Dangote spoke at the house of representatives on Monday.

An oil blending plant has no refining capability but can be used to blend re-refined oil (a used motor oil that has been treated to remove dirt, fuel, and water) with additives to create finished lubricant products.

The billionaire said the areas of the blending plants are known.

“Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere off Malta,” the chairman said.

“We all know these areas. We know what they are doing.”

Addressing the drop in diesel prices, the billionaire said the diesel produced locally at 650 parts per million (ppm) and 700 ppm is of better quality than imported fuel.

Dangote said many vehicle issues can be traced back to the “substandard” imported fuel.

He urged the leadership of the house of representatives to set up an independent committee to verify the quality of petrol available at filling stations.

“I want you to set up a committee that will come with every representative headed by your chosen honourable member to come and lead in taking samples from filling stations because I must tell you today that all the test certificates that people are busy floating around, where are the labs? Even if they have the labs, I can tell you they are fake certificates,” he said.

“The real one that you now know that they are right is to take from the filling station and also come and take from our production line. Now, you will be able to tell Nigerians that this is it.”

On Monday, the house of representatives joint committee on petroleum resources (downstream and midstream) launched a probe into claims that local refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, produce inferior products.

The committee is also investigating the allegations that the international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are frustrating the survival of the Dangote refinery.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Dangote refinery have been embroiled in a dispute that began recently.

On July 18, Farouk Ahmed, the chief executive officer of NMDPRA had said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.

The oil regulator also accused Dangote of monopoly, claims which have been denied by the billionaire.

On Monday, Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state petroleum resources (oil), intervened in the ‘ongoing issues’ after having a meeting with Aliko Dangote, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Dangote Group and Farouk Ahmed, CEO of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mele Kyari, group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited were also at the meeting.

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, says the forthcoming governorship election in the state must be free and fair to avoid a crisis in the country. 

In a statement issued on Monday, Chris Nehikhare, Edo commissioner for communication and orientation, said Obaseki spoke on Sunday at a political meeting in the state.

The governorship election in Edo state is slated for September 21.

Nehikhare said the governor’s comment has been misinterpreted by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that Obaseki is calling for violence.

“The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to the negative spin that the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is fruitlessly attempting to put to the comments made by His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, at a stakeholders meeting on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Benin City, the Edo State capital,” the statement reads.

“For the records, we want to restate the comments of the governor on that occasion, which are that ‘If a free and fair election is not allowed to hold sway in Edo State on September 21, 2024, it will trigger a major crisis in Nigeria’.

“Recall that on Thursday, July 18, 2024, ahead of the rally to inaugurate the APC National Campaign Council in Benin City, which was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, the party assembled a large number of people believed to be thugs, most of them bearing firearms, around the precincts of the Benin Airport on Airport Road, Benin City, to cause mayhem in the state, resulting in the unfortunate death of a police officer, Inspector Akor Onuh, attached to MOPOL 45 Abuja, and the wanton destruction of properties and injuries to several citizens who were going about their lawful businesses.

“The mob then moved around the city, attacking other institutions, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Secretariat, inflicting violence and terror on the lawyers in their secretariat, with one of the lawyers, Mr. Israel Idahosa, being severely injured and his property destroyed.

“They also intimidated and harassed private citizens who were putting on any material that had the insignia of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, within the Benin metropolis.

“As they say, the morning shows the day, and the APC has clearly shown their plan for the September 21 governorship election in the state, which is to cause mayhem, make the state ungovernable, and take advantage of the chaos to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election.

“We, however, want to advise the APC to, for once, read the mood of the nation and understand that with the current hardship, unattainable cost of living, and pervasive hunger in the country, a slightly irresponsible behavior by the political class can ignite a crisis that will have a domino effect and cause a conflagration across the nation.

“This note of caution is even more appropriate with the ominous threat of a nationwide protest with the potential to degenerate into a widespread breakdown of law and order.

“While we urge all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses without fear, we call on the Nigerian Police to do its job and apprehend the hoodlums, most of whom have been positively identified and captured in videos, carrying firearms at the location of the crisis.”

The commissioner said the state government, through “robust security video surveillance, is ready to supply these videos taken in real-time to help the police in their investigation”.

Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state petroleum resources (oil), has held a meeting with Aliko Dangote, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Dangote Group and Farouk Ahmed, CEO of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ‘resolve ongoing issues’.

Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mele Kyari, group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited were also at the meeting.

The meeting was held on Monday according to a statement by Nneamaka Okafor, special adviser on media and communication to the minister.

Okafor said stakeholders expressed their gratitude to the minister for his prompt intervention in facilitating the important dialogue.

“The meeting focused on finding a sustainable and lasting solution to the current impasse affecting the Dangote Refinery, with all parties demonstrating a commitment to collaborative and proactive problem-solving,” she said.

According to the statement, the meeting marks a significant step towards resolving the challenges and underscores the minister’s dedication to fostering a conducive environment for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

In a separate statement, Lokpobiri emphasised the importance of cooperation and synergy among all stakeholders to ensure the success and optimal performance of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, which he said is essential for the country’s economic growth and energy security.

On June 4, Dangote said some international oil companies (IOCs) are struggling to supply crude to his refinery.

However, on July 15, Komolafe described the claim as “erroneous”, adding that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has provisions that guide willing buyer-willing seller transactions.

A few days later, the management of Dangote Industries Limited, the parent company of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, said the IOCs were frustrating its request to purchase crude feedstock for the refinery.

On July 18, the CEO of NMDPRA said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to imported ones.

As the feud lingered, Dangote, on July 22, said he was willing to sell his oil refinery to NNPC.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, has advised the federal government not to acquire Dangote’s refinery.

Olisa Agbakoba said this in reaction to a report that the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, plans to sell off its $20 billion refinery.

On Monday, in a statement, Agbakoba said the federal government should focus on reviving the government-owned refineries.

Agbakoba said Professor Itsey Sagay‘s argument that the federal government can take over Dangote’s refinery was not the best option.

The former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) said, “The proposal for the Federal Government to acquire Dangote’s refinery raises significant considerations. It is disturbing that the government would seek to take over a privately constructed facility after years of neglecting its own refineries.

“While Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) contends that such action is permissible under the Constitution and suggests fair compensation for the owner, I believe that we can find a constructive solution to the issue surrounding the Dangote Refinery.”

He said if the federal government revives the government-owned refineries, it will contribute to creating a more robust infrastructure that will serve the needs of Nigerians.

“Instead of considering the takeover of Aliko Dangote’s refinery, the government should prioritize the long-overdue repairs and upgrades of its own refineries. By doing so, the government can contribute to creating a more robust and self-sufficient infrastructure that serves the needs of the Nigerian people,” he said.

He advised the federal government to take alternative step if Aliko Dangote has held the government ransom through his refinery. He said the only way of rendering Dangote irrelevant would be to fix government refineries.

“But why take over what a private individual built? Why can’t the Federal government fix its refineries all these years? Why allow an efficient business man hold you to ransom when there is a very simple alternative.

“The simple alternative for us all is this – let Nigeria work. Let there be light. Let there be food. Let there be water. Let there be jobs. Let there be money, schools, health care, roads etc. This is how to render Dangote irrelevant and not as suggested by taking over another man’s sweat even if the sweat is to cheat us. Let the Federal government do its own refineries and bluff Dangote,” Agbakoba added on his X handle.

Senator Ali Ndume wants President Tinubu to address the planned nationwide protest over economic hardship using dialogue.

Ndume gave the advice on Monday ahead of the planned protest billed for August 1 across the country.

According to the lawmaker, talking with the organisers who are mostly youths would help in dousing the tension and avert the planned demonstrations.

“I think the President should talk to Nigerians, talk to the youths,” the lawmaker who represents Borno South said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today. 

‘A Listening Ear’ 

His comment aligns with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)’s charge for President Tinubu to dialogue with the leaders of the planned demonstration.

In a statement on Monday, the labour union said Tinubu should invite the leaders of the planned protest and listen to their grievances.

“As the date for the widely reported national protest looms, the Nigeria Labour Congress urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leadership of the protest movement for discussions on their grievances,” the NLC president Joe Ajaero said.

According to the NLC leader, with inflation reaching a new high of 34.19  per cent coupled with the hike in food and electricity tariffs among others, there is a need for Tinubu to address Nigerians.

“It is, therefore, condescending and dismissive to describe the daily brutish ordeal that Nigerians are going through as a sponsored political dissent. Even if it is so, it is still within the confines of citizens’ rights to protest on political grounds. Just that the current unease in the country does not need political motivation to spark and splurge,” Ajaero said.

“All that the hurting citizens demand from their government is a listening ear and an empathetic heart. Maybe, that is what the organisers of the protest are looking for given their continued notices on different social media platforms.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has raised alarm over the persistent economic sabotage that has undermined investor confidence in the petroleum sector, declaring that the Senate must identify and hold those accountable for the criminal acts.

Akpabio made the declaration on Monday during the inauguration of the Senate ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged sabotage in the sector.

At the inauguration, the Senate President stated that it is not merely an investigation but a rescue mission for the nation’s future. He said that it is a matter of national security and sovereignty and, if left unchecked, could cripple the economy for generations to come.

Senator Akpabio therefore charged members of the committee to collaborate with relevant agencies, industry experts, and stakeholders to uncover the root causes of the economic saboteurs, leaving no stone unturned.

What a difference a debate can make! It just made a big difference in the United States in the lead up to that country’s November 5, 2024 general elections. For months, the White House fended off insinuations that President Biden at 81, had become too old for the job, and that the Democrats should look in another direction. In the course of the primaries, Biden mispronounced names, committed so many gaffes, the miscues and slips were just too many, too obvious. On March 19, 2021, Biden stumbled three times as he tried to climb Air Force One to board a flight to Atlanta. In June 2023, Biden called British Prime Minister President Rishi Sunak and ended up joking; “I just promoted you”. In the same month, he said “Putin is clearly losing the war in Iraq”, whereas he meant Ukraine. In February 2024, he said Mitterrand was from Germany. He meant France. He was referring to Emmanuel Macron not Mitterrand who left office in 1995. This same year, President Biden mixed up Egypt and Mexico. He forgets names and events. He freezes in the middle of speeches. Between January and April 2024, alone, a total of 148 gaffes were recorded against him! And yet in spite of that, his medical doctors reported positively on his health claiming that he was strong enough. In the Democratic primaries over 4, 000 delegates voted for him to become the presumptive candidate of the Democratic Party. 

His campaign team was looking forward to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August where he was expected to be formally adopted by the Democrats as their Presidential candidate in the November 5 election. But everything came unstuck on June 27, at the first Biden debate with Donald Trump then the presumptive Republican candidate. Biden was confused, inaudible, he performed so poorly his party members were thoroughly embarrassed. His co-debater, Trump, is 78, only three years younger but he was much smarter even if he told many lies throughout the interview. Biden did not have enough presence of mind to check-mate him. Even his own supporters were so shocked that what they were dealing with was not ageism, but the fact that out of a choice between two old men, the Republican was the sprightly one, with the fire in his belly still burning. Democratic party members soon began to call for Biden to withdraw, and not bother to attend the second debate scheduled for September.  The President resisted all the entreaties to step aside, insisting only the Lord Almighty could tell him to get out of the race. “I’m not going anywhere”, he announced. But the debate had exposed the frailty that his handlers and doctors had always tried to hide. Americans and the whole world could tell that age had finally caught up with the oldest American President in history. 

In the midst of it all, on July 11, President Biden committed the additional gaffe of calling Vice President Harris, Vice President Trump. America, through that June 27 debate has shown the value of the electorate seeing their leading candidates in flesh and blood and having the opportunity to compare and contrast. In Nigeria here, Presidential candidates often refuse to attend Presidential debates and they get away with their snobbery. They even insist on who they would rather appear with. Nigerian political campaigns are not driven by ideas, robbing the electorate of the much-needed opportunity of getting to know what the candidate has in store with regard to key issues be it inflation, unemployment, manufacturing or national security.  In 2014/2015, General Muhammadu Buhari refused to participate in any Presidential debate.  Nobody knew exactly what he wanted to do or how other than the general three-pronged promise to fix insecurity, the economy and fight corruption. Within four years, he had failed on each of the promises. He ran for a second term in 2019 and won on the basis of the assumption that he had unfinished business to accomplish. By the time he left office in 2023, he had not finished any business. He left Nigeria worse than he met it. Nigerians were not even sure he knew what he promised the people. He once famously disowned some of the promises in his own manifesto! Perhaps if Buhari had taken to the podium to have a debate, Nigerians would have been able to assess him more dispassionately away from the blinkered propaganda and deception of hungry public relations experts, brand consultants and APC politicians. In 2023, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President, also dodged Presidential debates. We must reach a point in this country, when Presidential debates must become compulsory. If at the time, the minimum qualification is still a school certificate attempt or a miserable certificate of attendance at a seminar, the aspirants should be allowed to speak in any local language of their choice and have their thoughts translated. Leadership in Nigeria should be about competence and ability not geography and quota. 

The unexpected sometimes happens in politics as it did in the United States when on July 13, an assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, tried, in a crooked manner, to kill President Trump while he was campaigning at Butler County, in Pennsylvania. A rally attendee, fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed. Two persons were seriously injured. President Trump survived with the bullet grazing his ear, and he still had enough presence of mind to tell his supporters: “Fight. Fight. Fight” as blood trickled down his right cheek. Republicans have milked this to project Trump as a symbol of strength and defiance. “It was God that saved me”, he boasted. “I did it for democracy”, he said. His ratings shot up. His campaign immediately capitalized on the incident, including production of Trump materials: campaign mementoes, high sneakers for sale. President Biden had a televised broadcast condemning violence. He placed a call to Trump. Republicans blamed the Democrats for the rhetoric that made Biden a target. Democrats in general denounced the politics of violence and harped on unity.  But this X-factor only ended up propelling Trump to the top in the polls. Trump-mania, MAGA-mania were both afoot, cemented by the announcement of Senator J D. Vance, 39, (R-Ohio) as Trump’s Vice-Presidential candidate, further cemented with Trump’s formal acceptance of the Republican nomination on July 18, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I am not supposed to be here”, he told the crowd, many of them with bandaged ears. “Yes, you are!”, the crowd chorused in response.  The Trump trade machine was on a roll. It looked unstoppable.

The Biden machine was slowly grinding to a pause. Democratic Super PACs and donors began to stop their donations. Bundlers who mobilize funds for the campaign reported that donors were no longer picking their calls. Party members and supporters like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and film stars such as George Clooney and Robert de Niro also added their voices. Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries were also said to have met with President Biden to point out the damage that may be done to the party and other candidates in battleground and swing states if Biden insisted that he would remain in the race. President Barack Obama, Biden’s former boss, was also said to have intervened. More than 30 Democratic party representatives in parliament reportedly joined the clamour for Biden to step aside. Still, Biden dug in. But then again, something else happened when it was disclosed that the President had tested positive for COVID. On July 17, he retired to his home in Delaware to self-isolate. He left word that if his doctors report a worsening of his medical condition, he would have to withdraw. Age is a factor in American politics. Health is even more so. In Nigeria, politicians lie about their age. They hide their health status. In a country where records are poorly kept and superstition is at the heart of everything, disclosing one’s health status is a taboo. President Buhari spent about an entire year out of a four-year term between 2015 and 2019 on medical vacation. Targeting election into public office as an avenue for treating one’s personal health problems is part of the culture in Nigeria.

As of Saturday, July 20, President Biden was still insisting that he would remain in the race. But by 1.30 ET on Sunday, July 21, he had announced his withdrawal from the race, blindsiding in the process, his senior campaign aides. What happened? Did he jump? Or was he pushed? Was it for health reasons? About 41 Democrat-lawmakers had joined the pressure chorus asking Biden to stand aside. It was a seismic decision and a historic one as well. Biden, by that action, became the first sitting American President to withdraw from the Presidential race since 1968 when Lydon Baines Johnson did the same due to pressures inflicted by America’s role in the Vietnam War.  He joins also a long list of sitting Presidents who took similar step in American history including Harry S Truman (1952), John Tyler (1844), Millard Filmore (1852), Franklin Pierce (1856), Andrew Johnson (1868), Chester Arthur (1884) and George Washington (1796).   President Biden said while it has been the greatest honour of his life to serve as President, and while it has been his intention to seek re-election, he has chosen to stand down in “the best interest of my party and the country” and “to focus on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”. He has six more months in office as the 46^th President of the United States.  He would 30 minutes later, in a post on X endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the person to replace him as the Democratic Party nominee. Biden’s reference to his party and country shows leadership and patriotism. He has acted in a statesman-like manner placing his country and party above personal interest. He has done an even more honourable thing by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his preferred Democratic candidate. 

This gesture does not make Harris automatically the candidate but it places her on a glide path to the Democratic nomination, and it is noteworthy that Jamie Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee has said that the party “will move forward governed by established rules and procedures of the party.” There are questions: will everybody that supported Biden support Harris? Not necessarily. Biden had the support of more than 4, 000 delegates. They will have to now make up their minds afresh. Harris needs 1, 986 Democratic delegates to secure the party’s nomination at its convention starting August 19 in Chicago. By yesterday she had received the support of delegates from Tennessee, Florida, New Hampshire, Louisiana, North Dakota and South Dakota (531 delegates). She will have to work hard to secure the support of more delegates especially now that the names of possible alternatives to her are being mentioned: the Governors of Pennsylvania – Josh Shapiro, Kentucky – Andy Beshear; North Carolina _ Roy Cooper; Illinois – J.B. Pritzker; Michigan – Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg; and Arizona Senator - Mark Kelly. But would any of these persons challenge her endorsement by Biden? Will she inherit Biden’s funding?  This is already happening. Her campaign has brought fresh energy to the Democratic campaign. Within seven hours yesterday, she had raked in about $52 million from grassroots donations. But is America ready for a black woman as President? Kamala Harris is a daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica - black and South Asian. This remains to be seen, but if she wins the nomination there is no doubt that she and her team will put up a big fight. She is young – 59, and now that she has been anointed by her boss, we are likely to see a different Harris emerging from the shadows. Trump has been characteristically arrogant. He thinks Harris is “crazy”. He is actually the crazy one in the eyes of many, especially President Biden who believes, and he does not hide his disdain, that “Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy.”  

The contempt is, however, mutual. Whereas world leaders have praised President Biden as a “great man” (Canada’s Justin Trudeau), “a man who believes in the interests of the United States” (Australia’s Anthony Albanese), who has “dedicated his life to public service” (New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon), “has shown unwavering support for Ukraine” (Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky); “a true ally of the Jewish people” (Israel’s Isaac Herzog), “a proud American with an Irish soul (Ireland’s Simon Harris) and so on and so forth in that tone, Trump dismisses Biden as the “worst President in American history” who should never have been there in the first place.. he should have been in the basement.”  

Trump’s assessment is outrightly partisan and biased, it is not what the world knows of Biden. He may have pulled out of the race 107 days to November 5, but he is recommended for the history pages by his record of distinguished public service in a career spanning over 50 years in Washington DC. Politician, lawyer and author, he started his political career in New Castle County Council in 1970, and arrived in Washington DC in January 1973, as a Senator representing Delaware. He would remain in that Senate till 2009. He would later serve for two terms as Vice President under President Barack Obama (2009 – 2017). He returned as President under the Democratic ticket in January 2021. He is the oldest man to have served as President of the United States. Washington Post writes that “triumph (and), tragedy define his 50-year political career, one of America’s longest serving politicians” but certainly when his public service record is properly assessed, he would end up on the more positive side of history and on a much higher ground than Trump has imagined. The 2024 American Presidential race is at this point, very much an uncharted territory especially for Kamala Harris. A more critical realization is the growing global anxiety about the seemingly inevitable, possibility of the return of Donald J. Trump as US President, accompanied by an even more extreme right-winger, and member of the Trump MAGA party, J.D. Vance.

The Group Chief Commercial Officer at Dangote Industries Limited, Rabiu Umar has said the Nigerian government neglected Dangote Refinery to export crude oil to Indonesia and import finished products from the same country.

Umar disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television on Monday monitored by DAILY POST.

He stated this is coming despite the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery’s inability to get adequate crude oil supply in Nigeria.

“Whilst we are going to import cargoes abroad. Most of the cargo from Nigeria is sold to Indonesia. So the question is, does it make sense to take cargo from Nigeria to sell to Indonesia and then you are also importing the same finished product to Nigeria? It does not make sense to me”, he said.

He added, “We expect to see an improved supply of crude oil to domestic refineries”.

He, however, reiterated that Dangote Refinery will commence the domestic supply of fuel in August 2024.

The development comes amid the recent impasse between the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority over substandard products.

Recall that last week, Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA stated that Dangote products were inferior.

Meanwhile, Rabiu clarified that Dangote Refinery products are not substandard but rather among the best in the World.

Earlier, Aliko Dangote, the owner of Dangote Refinery had also dismissed Ahmed’s statement that its products were inferior.