Chizora Aids Foundation Blog News
Why NNPC may not lift Dangote petrol on Sunday
Posted on 11-09-2024
Four days before the September 15, 2024, date announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to start lifting Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, from the Dangote Refinery, investigations by The PUNCH show that no commercial agreement has been reached to that effect by both parties.
Multiple sources from NNPC and Dangote confirmed on Tuesday that the two oil firms had yet to reach a deal on the quantity and pricing of PMS to be lifted by the national oil company.
On September 5, 2024, the Executive Vice President of Downstream, NNPC, Adedapo Segun, said during a live television programme that the company would lift Dangote petrol on September 15.
He also outlined factors that would determine the price of the commodity, as he stated that foreign exchange rates and market forces would influence the cost of petrol, stressing that the market had been deregulated.
But on Tuesday, government sources close to the development revealed that no paperwork had been signed by both parties for the lifting of petrol from the $20bn Dangote refinery by NNPC from September 15.
They stated that the terms and conditions required for the deal had not been agreed on, stressing that the national oil company may not lift any petrol from Dangote on the announced date.
When told that September 15, 2024, is around the corner and asked whether plans had been concluded for NNPC to lift Dangote petrol from that day, a senior official at Dangote refinery, who spoke to one of our correspondents in confidence due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, said nothing had been agreed on pricing, and petrol lifting, among other things.
“Right now, no documentation from NNPC and NMDPRA (Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority) on product lifting. Nobody has spoken to us that they want to pick up PMS on September 15.
“For you to come and pick products in five days there must be discussions on pricing and other things, which is the commercial engagement. Of course, there must be an offer and other things, the lawyers will structure the terms and conditions,” the source stated.
On how PMS lifting from the Dangote refinery could be, the official replied, “It will be through the same way that products are imported and put in terminals before being lifted by marketers for distribution across the country.”
Another official at the Federal Minister of Petroleum Resources, corroborated the position of the Dangote source, stating that “nothing concrete has been agreed on right now in terms of petrol lifting, but I believe the process is still ongoing.”
A seasoned business adviser to several companies in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas sectors in Nigeria, Mr Dan Kunle, urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
“The President must act now to address the concerns caused by the issues surrounding the supply of petrol and how this has been fueling the socioeconomic crisis across the country,” he advised.
The spokesperson for the NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, had yet to respond to enquiries on the matter up till when this report was filed on Tuesday night.
Refiners react
Also on Tuesday, the Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria said the Dangote refinery petrol might be cheaper if it gets the necessary concessions from the Federal Government.
CORAN’s comment is coming amid fears that the Dangote petrol may be more expensive when released into the market.
The PUNCH reports that the refinery has yet to roll out its petrol a week after it was unveiled by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
Marketers had expressed fears that the product from the Dangote refinery may be as high as N1,000/litre considering the current landing cost of petrol.
However, speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, CORAN Publicity Secretary, Eche Idoko, disclosed that there is no way Dangote’s PMS will be more expensive if the government fulfils its promises.
While saying he was not in a position to determine the price, he stated, “There’s no way his fuel will be too expensive if all the other concessions the government has arranged come to bear. So, if those come to bear, definitely his prices will be cheaper.
“The only thing that will make his products more expensive is if he gets the crude on a higher term. That was all we were crying out for the first time. We must have a special pricing arrangement for local refining like it’s done in other places,” he suggested.
The CORAN spokesman advocated that the committee set up by the Federal Government on naira crude sale to local refineries should come up with a report, while the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority will guide on prices.
He also requested, “For those of us who are local refiners, we must be able to create a special pricing arrangement for both feedstock and the refined product that will satisfy the Nigerian people.”
The position of the association, he said, is to make sure members break even in business while producing the quality specification that best serves Nigerians and delivering it at a reasonable price that will satisfy Nigerians.
He told our correspondent that the group was planning to meet with Dangote on pricing.
“By the time we interact with Dangote on his pricing arrangement, we will be able to address him where we deem it necessary and then we will also come out and publicly address the press on that. At this instance, we are yet to do that,” he said.
On the back and forth between the Dangote refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Idoko said refiners were not surprised.
“We are not surprised at what is happening. Usually, when there is going to be a market shift, the incumbents are bound to react,” he noted.
He stressed that discussions are still ongoing and there is nothing concrete yet.
“Because there is nothing concrete and everything is still based on speculations and bickering from both Dangote and NNPC, we don’t want to take a position until the negotiations are completed, especially with the committee set up by the Federal Government to see to the supply of crude in naira is completed and we are properly briefed, then we can give a position.
“But, by way of summary, our position ultimately will be what would be in the interest of, first, the Nigerian people, and then secondly, we would also throw our weight behind people who are seeking to invest in our economy. Those are the two paramount things.
“We always keep telling the government and telling anybody who cares to listen, that the decisions that have to be reached on local refining shouldn’t be done from the lens of one man alone. Dangote means just one out of many of us.
“So, we want the decision of the government to be palatable to even new entrants. So, in this instance, we want to tell the government to actually look at the broader picture of things and not say, ‘We are doing this because of Dangote’. We are doing it because of new entrants that are coming tomorrow,” he stressed.
According to him, refining locally has its advantage over importing products.
“As Nigerians, we also expect that in the overall pricing, Dangote is going to be circumspect and would look at the interest and purchasing power of Nigerians. Even though we know he’s in the business for gain, we do expect, as the person that he is, that he’s going to look at the interest of Nigerians in arriving at a price.
“We also want to advise NNPC to be very transparent about it and it’s not the time for politics because people are really suffering,” Idoko mentioned.
On the condition of the NNPC that it would only pick Dangote PMS if it is cheaper, Idoko maintained that the intervention of the Federal Government is still being awaited.
“I know if Dangote gets a special arrangement, they will also sell under that special arrangement for that quantity they are going to be refining. So, a lot is still going on right now. And then as an umbrella association, we don’t want to make any statement until we have seen the actual facts.
“But I think whatever you are seeing in the press is the normal thing that happens between the two parties trying to buy. So everything is done to give you a negotiating advantage. And in this case, playing to the people’s sentiments is key.
“But when it comes to pricing, I know that some compromise will be reached sometime, but our position is that whatever the compromise is, it should be in the overriding interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“Dangote has not briefed us nor has the committee set up by the Federal Government reverted to us on what had been agreed. We have told them what our intentions are and we have told them what our expectations are and I think Nigerians should just wait patiently for this to be agreed,” he said.
400 deported Nigerians arrive at Abuja airport from UAE
Posted on 12-09-2024
Four hundred Nigerians have been deported from the United Arab Emirates and arrived in Nigeria, according to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority.
The deportees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser, in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant stakeholders.
“Four hundred Nigerians, including 90 females and 310 males, have been deported from the United Arab Emirates back to Nigeria.
“They were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other stakeholders,” the news media said in a Wednesday post on X.
The Federal Government repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates in July 2024, PUNCH Online reported.
The diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UAE has been ongoing, with the UAE imposing a visa ban on Nigerians nearly two years ago, stemming from various diplomatic disputes.
One major issue involved Dubai’s Emirates Airline halting flights to Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria was unable to remit an estimated $850 million in revenue to the UAE.
In June, after several rounds of negotiations with UAE authorities, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted. Around the same time, it was announced that Nigeria had paid 98 per cent of the $850 million owed, signalling progress in resolving the dispute.
This deportation occurs against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations, which may be rooted in various undisclosed issues. Despite this, reports earlier this year indicated that both countries reached an agreement to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians.
The United Arab Emirates Government in July 2024 announced it had finally lifted visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians with immediate effect.
Police arrest suspected drug dealer in Benue
Posted on 12-09-2024
Police in Benue State have arrested a man identified as Ameh Owaocho, alleged to be involved in illicit drug dealing.
A spokesperson for the State Command, Catherine Anene, stated that a team of police officers, while on patrol along the Igumale-Utonkon road, intercepted a driver transporting drugs.
According to a statement issued by Anene, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Thursday, five 100kg bags of dry leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered from the vehicle.
The statement read in part, “On 4/9/2024 at about 1600hrs, while a team of police officers was on patrol along Igumale-Utonkon road, a red Golf 3 vehicle driven by one Michael Abah ‘M’ of Ugbokolo was intercepted.
“During the search of the vehicle, five 100kg bags of dry leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered.
“In an interview with the driver, he confessed that Mr Ameh Owaocho of Ogbadibo Local Government contracted him to deliver the dry leaves and that he had been transporting Indian hemp for Mr Ameh since 2023.”
Anene added that the suspect, Ameh Owaocho, had been arrested, and his case transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution.
Fuel price hike: MSMEs set to adopt survival strategies
Posted on 12-09-2024
Following the recent hike in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, small business owners, under the aegis of the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) have decided to adopt survival strategies that will ensure that they do not go into extinction.
This is coming on the back of warnings by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and ASBON that the fuel price increase could lead to scaling down of operations and possible shutdown of more manufacturing companies and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, ASBON President, Dr. Femi Egbesola, stated: “For us in the MSME sector, the way out now is focusing not on what the government will do for us, for we don’t have control over that but rather focusing on what we have control on, that is, what we can do for ourselves.
So, we as an association has been building the capacity of our business community to be more innovative and creative with our products, business and business models, diversify to basic needs products, particularly food and its value chain, work on standardisation as it makes us more competitive, particularly with the imported products, explore exports to open up more markets and earn foreign currency, improve on our packaging with special focus on small and light packages, adopt technology to reduce transportation, general costs, logistics, use of
manpower/staff and to use technology to improve productivity, visibility, marketing, etc.
“We in the MSME community are determined to keep navigating these uncertainties with the clear goal and focus to survive, grow and scale.”
Meanwhile, MAN and ASBON told Vanguard that the increase in fuel price could lead to further rise in inflation, increased costs of production and logistics, low demand, rising inventory, and consequent loss of jobs.
Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said: “In terms of what the impact might be and judging from what we have witnessed in the past, the cost of transportation may increase, and so would the prices of goods and services. These are pointers to the high possibility of a rise in inflation figures, impacting household budgets.
“One is naturally worried about the impact on the already lackluster performance of the manufacturing sector. In particular, there is no doubt that it will add to production input and logistics costs. These will lead to higher prices and in the face of dwindling disposable income of the average Nigerian, a further deep in consumer demand will see manufacturers’ unplanned inventory rising and reduction in capacity utilisation.
“Manufacturing performance would be negatively impacted. Businesses may need to adjust their pricing strategies, which could lead to reduced profit margins if consumer demand weakens. SMEs, which often operate on thin margins, could be particularly hard-hit. The increased costs could force some to scale down operations or even shut down if they are unable to pass on the additional costs to consumers.”
On his part, Egbesola, stated: “For MSMEs, this increase is another big blow. Quite a number in millions of small businesses are dead already. Many more are ailing and struggling to survive. This development will definitely cause more deaths of MSMEs and reduce the profitability of the existing ones.
“It’s impossible to pass the bulk of the price increase to consumers whose disposable income is already depleted to a breaking point.”
Nigeria’s economic reforms working, but poverty increasing – IMF
Posted on 09-06-2026
The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that reforms implemented by the Nigerian government had strengthened the country’s economy, but warned that more than 60 percent of Nigerians now live in poverty.
Since taking office just over three years ago, President Bola Tinubu has removed a costly fuel subsidy that had kept petrol prices artificially low for decades, liberalised the exchange rate for its currency and overhauled the country’s tax system.
While economists said the policy changes were long overdue, poverty has continued to increase, affecting 63 percent of the population at the end of 2025.
More than 27 million people faced food insecurity during the year, the IMF added.
“Strong reforms over the past three years have yielded improved macroeconomic outcomes and built resilience,” the IMF said in a statement after its annual review of the Nigerian economy.
“Still, conditions for many Nigerians remain difficult,” it said.
Poverty has been ticking up in Africa’s most populous country for years, with the World Bank reporting last that about 61 percent of the country’s population lived in poverty, up from 40 percent in 2019. Three-quarters of the increase occurred before 2023, when Tinubu was sworn in, the World Bank noted at the time.
Widespread insecurity from armed groups — especially in the north, where a large bulk of the country’s food is grown — is “another risk to people and economic activity”, the IMF said.
According to the latest official figures, inflation accelerated to an annual rate of 15.7 percent in April, a five-month high. Analysts attributed the increase partly to higher fuel prices linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Economic growth is projected to reach 4.1 percent this year, after four percent in 2025.
The IMF warned that while higher costs of food, fertiliser and fuel could boost Nigeria’s revenues — the country is Africa’s largest oil producer — they could also intensify inflationary pressures on poor households, “potentially aggravating poverty and food insecurity”.
Nigeria heads to the polls in January, when Tinubu is seeking re-election for a second term.
They were considered the most beautiful twins in the world
Posted on 09-06-2026
Here comes the story! Here we’re going to tell you a little about the lives of these two little girls who, due to their unique beauty, ended up dominating the world of social media, becoming a sensation and even being named the most beautiful twins in the world. The story begins when Jaqi and her husband Kevin Clements had their baby girl, welcoming healthy and stunningly beautiful twins in 2010. When Ava Marie and Leah Rose Clements arrived, the family knew that their lives were about to change forever and drastically. Here we take a look at photos of the Clements twins that caught everyone’s attention. Let’s go!
Born in July 2010, twins Ava Marie and Leah Rose Clements were born four and a half weeks prematurely. When the girls grew up a little more, their mother Jaqi, knowing their personalities, understood why. She says: “They arrived four and a half weeks early, but knowing their personalities now, it makes total sense for them to show up early, unannounced, and ready to face anything.”
As soon as they were born, the girls began to attract a lot of attention.
Even after the birth, family, friends, nurses and even strangers were surprised and amazed by the girls’ appearance. They were born ready to model for magazines, don’t you think?
Receiving compliments became a constant in their lives, as their natural beauty was breathtaking. The girls’ beauty often seemed to be interpreted as a sign of luck, and Jaqi began to pay close attention to this. All the time she was approached by strangers who kept saying: “Wow, they’re so beautiful, you should think about getting them into modeling”.
As it turned out, Jaqi already had a two-year-old son, so this was a lot of pressure for her. “It was hard enough getting out of the door almost every day, so my attempt at that time was short-lived and I decided it wasn’t time yet,” she says. She tried for three months, but ended up having to postpone her twins’ modeling career.
Even though they were only 6 months old, they signed a contract with an agency in Los Angeles. She had no regrets about hitting the pause button on the girls’ modeling careers. However, as time went by and the girls grew up, things began to change. Can you imagine what was about to happen?
In the end, Jaqi reflected a lot and came to the conclusion that it was beneficial for the girls to have a normal childhood, growing up around children their own age. Seeing her daughters over-stimulated by the modeling life, Jaqi began to feel guilty and obviously wanted to respect her daughters’ wishes. The last thing she wanted was to pressure them into doing something they didn’t want to do.
The funny thing was that even though their mother was confident in her decision to stop the girls’ modeling career, it seemed that the twins weren’t ready to let go of their career! The girls were not yet old enough to really make their own decisions or understand the consequences of what they were saying. Jaqi and her husband needed to think things through calmly and plan ahead. Had the time come to let the twins do what they wanted?
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