Sponsored by Rep. Babajimi Benson, the bill aims to preserve the lives of innocent unborn babies of such convicted women.

During the debate, Benson explained that the proposed legislation seeks to alter Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution by inserting a new subsection. This new subsection stipulates that if a pregnant woman is convicted of a capital offence, the court shall sentence her to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.

The bill was passed and referred to the Committee on Constitution Amendment for further legislative actions.

Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a prominent Fulani socio-cultural association, has announced that its members will not participate in the planned nationwide protests against hunger and hardship scheduled for August 1, 2024.

During a press conference in Karu, Nasarawa State, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello-Bodejo, the national president, and Engr. Saleh Alhassan, the national secretary, made this clear. Bello-Bodejo stated, “Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore unequivocally and strongly asserts that we do not support the planned protests and our members will not be participating.” He emphasized the association’s preference for peaceful dialogue and constructive engagement with the authorities over mass protests. 

The group also praised the recent establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a related development, Alhaji Abdulkarim Dayyabu, a social critic and leader of the Movement for the Restoration of Justice, expressed scepticism about the authenticity of the faceless groups advocating for mass nationwide protests. Speaking to newsmen in Kano, Dayyabu urged the public to remain patient and supportive of the current leadership, suggesting that the government has been advised on the prevailing issues and is addressing them.

Don’t Destabilize Nigeria, CSOs Warn Protesters

In response to the planned nationwide protests organized by the #EndBadGovernance group, 259 civil society organizations (CSOs) under the Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) have voiced their opposition.

COTER cautioned the protest organizers at a press conference led by National Coordinator Adeshina Animashaun. Animashaun noted that the protests could lead to chaos and violence reminiscent of the October 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations. He urged the organizers to reconsider, emphasizing that the protests could destabilize the nation and harm innocent citizens.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has stated that it is not their job to protect a company, adding that they are regulators.

The regulatory body stated this while replying to the claims by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote that they were demarketing a company that they should be protecting.

Recall that NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed claimed that Dangote’s diesel was inferior, as it has more sulphur content than the imported one.

He also said the refinery, which has been selling diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria for months, had yet to be licensed.

Reacting, Dangote lamented that it was disheartening that the regulators were not safeguarding the petroleum market in Nigeria.

However, speaking during an interview with Punch on Sunday, NMDPRA spokesman, George Ene-Ita fumed over the allegation that the regulator was demarketing a company it should protect, wondering if Dangote wants the agency to bend the rules in his favour.

“Why should we protect any company? We are regulators, operations are going don’t protect anybody; we regulate operators. If he says protect, it means we are shielding. It means that we should bend the rules. We don’t do that, we regulate every company.

“And we don’t demarket, what does he mean? You only demarket your competitors to gain an advantage. We are not competing with an operator. The word, ‘demarketing’, is only used when two competing brands are fighting. We are not an operator; we are a regulator. How can we demarket? Please, I take exception to that, on behalf of my organisation. We are not demarketing anybody. We are regulating every local refinery, including NNPC,” he clarified.

Speaking further, Ene-Ita said the body is expecting fresh reports to confirm the real sulphur content of the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery as the company debunked claims of inferior fuel production.

He said the agency had done its job and would not engage in a media fight with anybody over the claims made by the NMDPRA Chief Executive.

According to Ene-Ita, the authority has about 15 engineers and scientists embedded in the Dangote refinery, whose fresh report about the refinery’s sulphur content will be out on Monday (today).

The NMDPRA spokesman posited that a lot might have changed within a space of five days.

“We are not fighting anybody. Dangote refinery is the same as an indigenous local refinery. We are regulators, we don’t fight in the media. We have done our job, and that is it.

“You know we are dealing with engineering and time, and when we deal with engineering and time, it means that whatever claims put forward can be put to test and verified or debunked. If you recall, the ACE made that pronouncement on the sideline of an interaction on Wednesday or so. Between that time and now, it’s been like five days, a lot can change. So, 650ppm or 500 can come down to whatever.

“What I am saying is that I can’t give you any verifiable result for now, being a Sunday evening, until perhaps tomorrow when we will be in a position to review our technical report that must have been submitted by our engineers who are embedded in that plant. What normally comes to us are weekly reports. These particular tasks are done across the week from Monday to Sunday; even now, operations are going on and our engineers are there. So, I can’t speak to the claims made by that refinery now,” Ene-Ita explained.

Former president Bill Clinton and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton praised Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his White House reelection bid Sunday, and threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to take up the baton.

Lauding Biden‘s “extraordinary career of service,” the Clintons said in a joint statement that they were “honored” to join him in endorsing Harris as the Democratic nominee “and will do whatever we can to support her.”

“Nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator on day one,” they continued.

THE court-reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Mr. Philip Shaibu, yesterday, said his fight against his impeachment was to protect the office of the deputy governor in Nigeria, which he said has been ridiculed by some governors since 1999.

Shaibu spoke to journalists after a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Benin City, where he said his reinstatement by the court was an act of God.

He also wants the Federal Government and the Inspector General of Police to investigate the killing of a policeman while he was on the way from the airport.

He said the policeman was an orderly to the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Sen. Monday Okpebholo.

According to him, “The governor (of Edo State) said he will destroy me and that is why I decided that the office of the deputy governor of Edo State, I will fight to make sure that sanity and respect is brought back to that office. 

“All what I am doing is not to earn anything but to make sure that the sanity of the office of the deputy governor is restored in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

“What other deputies cannot fight, I will fight on their behalf, so that governors will start respecting that office.”

On his victory in the court, he said: “I challenged God and I told Him that I want Him to prove His power in my life, that people that are anti-God and anti-democracy are at it again and they want to use me as scapegoat, I told God to show to the world that I am truly your son.

“They said they will impeach me and I will go to court and that by the time judgment will come, the tenure would have been over.  I now challenged God to it, to prove to them that they have touched His anointed and that the judgment will come more faster more than expected, I said I will need the judgment to come before the election.

“By the grace of God, democracy has come to stay and we that fought for democracy will protect it, anti-democratic forces must be flushed out and by the grace of God we will succeed.”

Shaibu said ahead of the coming election in the state, youths should not allow themselves to be used but should vote in the election to remove “anti-democratic people” rather than allowing themselves to be used for violence.

“This election is the time to change anti-democratic forces and you must do it through the ballot, don’t engage in violence. I have been preaching this for the past year when the intimidation and harassment against me started.”

On the attack that led to the death of a policeman, Shiabu said: “I refused to call anybody to the streets because they were saying we know him, he will soon call people to the streets. 

“They know what they have done and they are trying to cover up, but this one, they cannot cover it up, not when a police officer was a victim, they cannot cover this, all of them must be picked. 

“They orchestrated it, the men of the vigilante did that. The vigilante in Edo State killed a policeman, the IG must look into it. They are struggling to see who they can rope in, they cannot rope anybody in. I am urging the president and IG to set up an enquiry to investigate the killing, not only the killing but proscribe vigilante in Edo.”

Finance institutions to pay 50% of windfall

Experts caution on timing

The proposed one-off tax on 2023 foreign exchange (forex) gain by banks may fetch the Federal Government not less than N2trillion, it was learnt at the weekend.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hinted at his administration’s plan to tax the banks’ gain in the proposed amendment to the 2023 Finance Act before the National Assembly.

Also before the National Assembly is an Executive Bill on the 2024 Supplementary Budget seeking to raise N6.2 trillion to fund infrastructure.

The tax on banks’ forex windfall in 2023 is meant to raise part of the funding for the supplementary budget.

The levy on forex revaluation gains, otherwise known as a windfall, will be used to finance “Renewed Hope” infrastructure projects, education and healthcare, among others.

A review of audited reports and accounts of banks and independent analysts’ reports yesterday estimated forex revaluation gains at about N4 trillion in 2023, half of which the government is seeking to appropriate for national budget funding.

For instance, three of Nigeria’s five biggest banks – Guaranty Trust Holdings Company (GTCO), Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA), made forex revaluation gains of about N700 billion last year 2023, with GTCO accounting for about two-thirds of the total gains by the big three.

GTCO recorded a forex revaluation gain of about N442 billion in 2023, followed by Zenith Bank and UBA with N229 billion and N27 billion respectively.

If passed into law, the government will receive about N350 billion in one-off payments from the three banks.

Five other banks, including the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group, Fidelity Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Access Holdings, and Sterling Financial Holdings, recorded estimated forex revaluation gains of about N176 billion during the year.

The 2023 Finance Act amendment stipulates that “there shall be levied and paid to the benefit of the Federal Government of Nigeria a tax of 50 per cent on the realised profits from all foreign exchange transactions of banks within the 2023 financial year.

“The Federal Inland Revenue Service – (a) shall assess the realised profits, collect, account and enforce payment of tax payable under section 30 in accordance with the powers of the Service under the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007.”

The amendment proposes a penalty of an additional 10 per cent for banks that have not remitted the assessed forex gains or gotten approval for instalment payment from the CBN by December 31, 2024.

Read Also: Shaibu: My legal battles will restore sanity to deputy governor’s office ridiculed since 1999
Also, principal officers of defaulting banks would face imprisonment of up to three years.

Most experts have faulted the timing and the nature of the windfall tax, noting that it could indirectly undermine the ongoing banking recapitalisation.

They said it was unfair to deny shareholders of direct benefits from forex gains on one hand, and for the government to seek to retroactively appropriate such on the other hand.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had directed banks not to utilise their forex revaluation gains to pay dividends or for other operational expenses, but rather to save the funds as a hedge against any future volatility.

“Banks are required to exercise utmost prudence and set aside the foreign currency revaluation gains as a counter-cyclical buffer to cushion any future adverse movements in the forex rate in this regard.

“Banks shall not utilise such forex revaluation gains to pay dividends or meet operating expenses,” the apex bank had stated.

Experts at Afrinvest West Africa said while the government is constitutionally empowered to impose taxes, including on windfall gains, to strengthen fiscal accounts, the timing of the policy’s announcement is problematic.

Faulting the timing, they argued that it would create a sense of uncertainty and unpredictability among investors and industry practitioners.

Afrinvest said: “For instance, Italy in August 2023 announced a one-off 40.0 per cent windfall tax on increase in banks’ net interest margin for the fiscal year 2023.

“Although the plan was eventually modified, the announcement was made during the 2023 operating year – in contrast to the abruptness of the proposed tax on Nigerian banks, which is to be applied outside of the 2023 fiscal year.

“Unsurprisingly, the banking index shed a total of 3.0 per cent in the final trading sessions of the week, following the announcement.

“In summary, lingering concerns about uncertainty around the sector could present some headwinds amidst the ongoing recapitalisation process.

“Furthermore, there is a need for clarification on the wind-fall tax adjustments to be made for banks that already remitted income tax for 2023.

“Given the five-month window for compliance, the federal government should provide a clearer template that would take into consideration some of the nuances around implementing the tax.

“There is the issue of fairness from the perspective of capital owners, given that the CBN already barred access to foreign currency earnings via dividend payments.

“The Federal Government is seeking access to 50.0 per cent of the same profit.

“In the light of the ongoing recapitalisation, the broad steps by the regulator and the Federal Government to tighten the noose around forex income for banks might disincentivise new capital inflow into the sector, thereby prolonging the current episode of lack-lustre foreign capital inflows into the country.”

Managing Director, Arthur Steven Asset Management, Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, said the introduction of the windfall tax in the middle of ongoing banking recapitalisation may send wrong signals to investors and thus negatively impact the ability of banks to raise the much-needed capital.

Amolegbe said: “We also have to be very mindful of the impact on the liquidity ratio of these banks, many of which are finding things tough due to the tight monetary stance of the CBN. There is a need for caution here.

“In business, as in life, timing is everything. It will appear we are moving one step forward two steps backward.”

His counterpart at HighCap Securities, Mr. David Adonri, said the 50 per cent windfall tax amounts to an expropriation of shareholders’ wealth.

“It defeats the purpose of making banks strong enough to support the envisaged $1 trillion economy, an objective that is compelling banks to recapitalise,” Adonri said.

President Bola Tinubu has presented the state of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) report at the mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union in Accra, Ghana.

The mid-year coordination meeting, initiated in 2017, serves as the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June/July summits.

This year’s meeting, themed “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century,” brought together the Bureau of the AU Assembly, RECs chairpersons, the AU Commission, and regional mechanisms (RMs) on Saturday. 

In a statement on Sunday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, quoted Tinubu, who is the chairman of ECOWAS, as saying the community “has activated a standby force to counter-terrorism and will continue to explore funding options”.

He added that ECOWAS has actively supported member states in enhancing electoral and governance processes, recently deploying election observation missions to Senegal and Togo, both of which were deemed “peaceful, transparent, and fair”.

He highlighted the facilitation of the national unity agreement signing in Sierra Leone, while noting that ECOWAS will continue to work with stakeholders to implement the agreement’s provisions.

The president said consultations are ongoing to revise the ECOWAS 2001 Supplementary Protocol on democracy and good governance.

On economic integration, Tinubu stated that ECOWAS has consolidated the free trade area, customs union, and common market through various activities.

“We supported six Member States in ratifying the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and thirteen Member States have ratified the AFCFTA agreement,” Tinubu said.

“The ECOWAS interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) is also operational in twelve Member States.”

On the humanitarian and social development front, Tinubu noted that ECOWAS has allocated $9 million to assist refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.

“The frontline Member States in the fight against terrorism have also been supported with USD4 million under the ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Humanitarian Response,” the president said. 

“On education, the West African Network of National Academies of Sciences, and the African Forum for Research and Innovation have been established.

“Our regional academic mobility scheme has continued to equip the youth with practical skills and is harmonizing education systems.

“While in the area of health, ECOWAS continues to provide support to women with obstetric fistula, empowered women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, and focused on gender equality in education and the green economy.”

Tinubu highlighted progress in energy, mines, and agriculture, with ECOWAS advancing electrification efforts in The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali through the ECOWAS-Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOREAP).

“It is also implementing the Regional Off Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP). Thirty-two Solar Off Grid SMEs have been approved, including nine SMEs led by women. A total of 3 million US dollars will be disbursed to finance the SMEs. More than 400 SMEs in 13 countries were trained in 2023 and 2024,” Tinubu said.

“To achieve sustainable electricity access within the ECOWAS and Sahel countries, we will provide a total grant of 38 million US dollars to SMEs in Member States. ECOWAS will extend this to Mauritania, Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroon through Commercial and Financial Institutions. An additional loan of 140 million US dollars will also be made available to the solar SMEs.

“Within the period under review, ECOWAS has supported Experts from Member States in international meetings and negotiations on environmental issues, including environmental governance. We provided support to our members in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the establishment of a regional carbon market.

“With respect to food security, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved the instruments to operationalize the Regional Fund for Agriculture and Food (RFAF). A Regional Food Security was developed to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.

“Furthermore, our support for pastoralism in the Sahel has targeted the improvement of animal health, with a record vaccination of over 490 million livestock. We have established common rules for controlling veterinary medicine products at borders. In addition, ECOWAS launched a project for Member States to access the Green Climate Fund. This will promote climate-smart agriculture through the use of technologies.”

Tinubu noted that the sixth legislature of the ECOWAS parliament elected Maimunatu Ibrahim, its first female President from Togo.

He added that the ECOWAS community court of justice reviewed fifteen new cases, held thirty-three court sessions, and delivered eleven judgments.

However, the ECOWAS chairman warned of multiple threats facing the bloc, including member states withdrawing, geopolitical rivalries, terrorism, food insecurity, climate change, and the spread of misinformation.

He assured that ECOWAS will continue dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to maintain unity and will convene a special extra-ordinary summit on the future of the community.

On the sidelines of the AU meeting, Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with Ismail Omar Guelleh, Djibouti president.

Kamala Harris, US vice-president, says she is honoured to be endorsed as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, saying his decision not to seek reelection is in the best interest of the Democratic Party and the country.

Biden subsequently endorsed Harris, adding that he has offered his full support to the vice president as a nominee of the party in the November 5 presidential election.

In a statement, Harris said she would “earn and win” the nomination, adding that she would work hard to unite the party and country to defeat Trump.

“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office,” the statement reads.

“It is a profound honor to serve as his Vice President, and I am deeply grateful to the President, Dr. Biden, and the entire Biden family.

“I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states.

“As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his Dad. The kind of father and the kind of man he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as President: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people.

“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party and unite our nation to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.

“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”

The federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate cases of electoral violence, bribery, vote-buying, and conspiracy during the 2023 general election.

The judgment was delivered on Thursday following suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/583/2023.

The suit was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

SERAP had sought for the prosecution of suspected perpetrators of electoral offences and their sponsors.

In a statement on Sunday, SERAP said the court ordered INEC to ensure the appointment of independent counsels to “investigate cases of electoral violence and other electoral offences against state governors and their deputies during the 2023 general elections”.

The court also ordered INEC to identify suspected perpetrators and their sponsors and ensure their effective prosecution.

Egwuatu asked INEC “to swiftly prosecute all arrested offenders in the 2023 general elections in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and other law enforcement agencies”.

“I have compassionately evaluated the depositions in the affidavit of SERAP and I have no reason not to believe the depositions more so when there are documentary evidence in support of the depositions,” Egwuatu was quoted as saying.

“In the circumstances therefore, I find merit in the application. The sole issue of whether this Court ought to grant the relief of judicial review and orders of mandamus is resolved in favour of SERAP. Accordingly, I grant the prayers sought.

“Being citizens of this great country, SERAP and its members have the legal interest whose enjoyment or enforcement directly or substantially depends on the performance of public duty by INEC.

“In requesting the performance of the public duty imposed on the electoral body, SERAP has demonstrated a great zeal of patriotism.

“The substance of SERAP’s grouse is the violence associated with elections in Nigeria which tends to prevent citizens from exercising their franchise during elections, thus preventing credible election and in the long run credible leaders.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that electoral violence and the associated crimes committed during elections in Nigeria is a great bane to the development of this country both democratically and economically.”

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, is expecting fresh reports to confirm the real sulphur content of the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery as the company debunked claims of inferior fuel production.

The NMDPRA spokesman, George Ene-Ita, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, said the agency had done its job and would not engage in a media fight with anybody over the claims made by the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, that Dangote’s diesel has more sulphur content than imported one.

According to Ene-Ita, the authority has about 15 engineers and scientists embedded in the Dangote refinery, whose fresh report about the refinery’s sulphur content will be out on Monday (today).

The PUNCH reported Ahmed as alleging that the diesel from the Dangote refinery contains high sulphur content.

Reacting to Dangote’s allegations that the NMDPRA was giving licences to some traders to import dirty fuel into Nigeria last week, Ahmed argued that it was the Dangote fuel that had a larger content of sulphur.

He also said the refinery, which has been selling diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria for months, had yet to be licensed, stating that it was still at the pre-commissioning stage.

“The claim by some media houses that there were steps to scuttle the Dangote refinery is not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet; we haven’t licensed them yet. They are still in the pre-commissioning. I think they have about 45 per cent completion,” Ahmed declared.

The NMDPRA boss warned that Nigeria could not rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply.

According to him, the refinery had requested the regulator to stop giving import licences to other marketers so as to be the only fuel supplier in Nigeria.

“We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop importation of all petroleum products, especially AGO and direct all marketers to the refinery, that is not good for the nation in terms of energy security.  And that is not good for the market, because of monopoly,” he stressed.

Speaking about quality, he said, “So, in terms of quality, currently the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as the West African requirement of 50 ppm is concerned.

“Dangote refinery and some modular refineries, like Waltersmith refinery and Aradel refinery, they are producing between 650 to 1,200ppm. So, in terms of quality, their product is much more inferior to the imported quality,” he alleged.

Reacting during a tour of the refinery by members of the House of Representatives led by the Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, over the weekend, Dangote asserted that products refined at the world’s largest single train refinery are of superior quality compared to the imported fuel.

The speaker and other members had observed the testing of Automotive Gas Oil from two petrol stations alongside the same taken from the Dangote refinery.

The diesel samples were procured from two well-known filling stations near Eleko junction along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos, by the lawmakers.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Downstream, Ikeagwunon Ugochinyere, and Chairman of the House Committee on Midstream, Okojie Odianosen, oversaw the collection of samples from the Mild Hydro Cracking unit of the Dangote refinery for testing of all the samples.

The Dangote laboratory tests were said to have revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm while the other two samples showed sulphur levels exceeding 1,800 ppm and 2,000 ppm respectively.

Dangote faults NMDPRA

Speaking, Dangote emphasised that the findings had debunked claims made by Ahmed that imported diesel surpasses domestically refined products.

The Africa’s richest man openly challenged the regulator to compare the quality of refined products from his refinery with those imported, advocating for an impartial assessment to determine what best serves the interests of Nigerians.

“We produce the best diesel in Nigeria. It is disheartening that instead of safeguarding the market, the regulator is undermining it. Our doors are open for the regulator to conduct tests on our products anytime; transparency is paramount to us. It would be beneficial for the regulator to showcase its laboratory to the world so Nigerians can compare. Our interest is Nigeria first because if Nigeria doesn’t grow, we have limited capacity for growth.

Dangote argued that the imported products being encouraged by Ahmed have failed in tests, saying most of the importers have fake certificates because the owners of the laboratories have been told what to write.

On the allegation of monopoly, Dangote said, “If you are saying how can Dangote alone supply the market, are you saying the N4bn that the NNPC spent now on the activation of their refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt is down the drain? Are the refineries not going to work? They have announced a date. If they are there, we cannot be a monopoly because we are not the only one; actually, they are more powerful than us. So, there is no way we can be a monopoly, it is not done.”

Speaking about the sulphur content, he added, “I am surprised for somebody to come and mention that we have a bad quality; we and other modular refineries. I can’t talk of the quality of the modular refineries, but our own today is 87ppm and by Monday, we will be at 50ppm, by the beginning of August, we will be at 10ppm.

“All the test certificates people are busy flaunting around today are fake. Where are the laboratories? We have the laboratory.

“The demarketing of a company by a regulator that he is supposed to protect is very very unfortunate. We produce the best diesel in Nigeria and if the regulator wants, he can come any time to conduct a test. I would like the media to show our lab and I would like the regulator himself to show us which lab is he using.  As a regulator, he is supposed to have a lab. If the regulator doesn’t have a lab, then we have an issue because he cannot rely on somebody. He is supposed to check us.”

However, while commenting on the claim that the Dangote’s diesel has 87ppm sulphur content, the NMDPRA spokesman posited that a lot might have changed within a space of five days.

“We are not fighting anybody. Dangote refinery is the same as an indigenous local refinery. We are regulators, we don’t fight in the media. We have done our job, and that is it.

“You know we are dealing with engineering and time, and when we deal with engineering and time, it means that whatever claims put forward can be put to test and verified or debunked. If you recall, the ACE made that pronouncement on the sideline of an interaction on Wednesday or so. Between that time and now, it’s been like five days, a lot can change. So, 650ppm or 500 can come down to whatever.

“What I am saying is that I can’t give you any verifiable result for now, being a Sunday evening, until perhaps tomorrow when we will be in a position to review our technical report that must have been submitted by our engineers who are embedded in that plant. What normally comes to us are weekly reports. These particular tasks are done across the week from Monday to Sunday; even now, operations are going on and our engineers are there. So, I can’t speak to the claims made by that refinery now,” Ene-Ita explained.

On the insinuation that ACE may be relying on a report from other laboratories to describe his fuel as inferior, he replied, “Of course we have laboratories all over the country. Does Dangote work in NMDPRA? He doesn’t work in NMDPRA.”

The NMDPRA official fumed over the allegation that the regulator was demarketing a company it should protect, wondering if Dangote wants the agency to bend the rules in his favour.

“Why should we protect any company? We are regulators, operations are going don’t protect anybody; we regulate operators. If he says protect, it means we are shielding. It means that we should bend the rules. We don’t do that, we regulate every company.

“And we don’t demarket, what does he mean? You only demarket your competitors to gain an advantage. We are not competing with an operator. The word, ‘demarketing’, is only used when two competing brands are fighting. We are not an operator; we are a regulator. How can we demarket? Please, I take exception to that, on behalf of my organisation. We are not demarketing anybody. We are regulating every local refinery, including NNPC,” he clarified.

When told perhaps the business mogul means the regulator should be boosting local refining capacity, he retorted, “That’s what we are doing. As we speak, there are over 15 engineers and scientists of the NMDPRA working with them for the last how many months. That’s how we get our reports. We have engineers and scientists there, who go there. That’s how we get them. That is why I keep on saying we don’t want to personalise this matter. We are working to see that the local refining capacity is booted to a point where we are self-sufficient in producing our fuel here.”

Dangote imports crude

Meanwhile, the Dangote refinery is in talks with Libya to secure crude for the 650,000 barrels per day plant and will also seek Angolan oil, a senior executive, Devakumar Edwin, told Reuters, as the refinery seeks to overcome problems with domestic crude supplies.

Since Dangote began operations in January, it has been unable to get adequate crude supplies in Nigeria, which, although Africa’s biggest oil producer, is struggling with theft, pipeline vandalism and low investment.

Dangote has resorted to importing crude from as far as Brazil and the United States.

“We are talking to Libya about importing crude,” Edwin told Reuters late on Saturday. “We will talk to Angola as well and some other countries in Africa.”

He declined to give details about the talks but said international traders and oil companies were among the biggest buyers of Dangote’s gasoil, much of which was being exported.

“The biggest off-takers are the two big traders Trafigura and Vitol and BP and, to some extent, even TotalEnergies. But all of them are saying they are taking it to offshore,” Edwin said.

Traders and shipping data have shown that Dangote is increasing gasoil exports to West Africa, taking market share from European refiners.

Dangote has said the refinery will begin the sale of Premium Motor Spirit in August, with a plan to stop the importation of refined fuel into Nigeria.

Marketers worried

However, Nigerians and marketers have been expressing concern over the ongoing controversies, especially after the regulator said the country would continue to import refined petroleum products into Nigeria.

The PUNCH recalls that while accusing the IOCs of plans to frustrate the refinery, the Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Edwin also accused the NMDPRA of granting licences indiscriminately to marketers to import dirty refined products into the country.

According to Edwin, the Federal Government issued 25 licences for the construction of refineries in Nigeria, but only the Dangote Group delivered on its promise.

The vice president noted that more than 3.5 billion litres of diesel and aviation fuel had been exported to Europe by the refinery in the past few months. The exported fuel, it was said, represented about 90 per cent of its production.

“The Federal Government issued 25 licences to build refineries and we are the only one that delivered on our promise. In effect, we deserve every support from the government. It is good to note that from the start of production, more than 3.5 billion litres, which represents 90 per cent of our production, have been exported. We are calling on the Federal Government and regulators to give us the necessary support to create jobs and prosperity for the nation,” Edwin stated.

It was alleged that even though Dangote was producing and bringing diesel into the market, complying with the regulations of the Economic Community of West African States, “licences are being issued, in large quantities, to traders who are buying the extremely high sulphur diesel from Russia and dumping it in the Nigerian market.”

Edwin lamented, “The decision of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in granting licenses indiscriminately for the importation of dirty diesel and aviation fuel has made the Dangote refinery expand into foreign markets. The refinery has recently exported diesel and aviation fuel to Europe and other parts of the world. The same industry players fought us for crashing the price of diesel and aviation fuel, but our aim, as I have said earlier, is to grow our economy.”

He noted that because the refinery meets the international standard as well as complies with stringent guidelines and regulations to protect the local environment, it has been able to export its products to Europe and other parts of the world.

“It is regrettable that in Nigeria, import licences are granted despite knowing that we can produce nearly double the amount of products needed in Nigeria and even export the surplus. Since January 2021, ECOWAS regulations have prohibited the import of highly contaminated diesel into the region,” Edwin stated.

Meanwhile, some Nigerians online have called on President Bola Tinubu to relieve the NMDPRA chief executive of his job for saying the fuels produced by local refineries are inferior to imported ones.

Also, the House of Representatives said the allegations would be investigated.