General
Belgium Assures Nigeria, Others Quality Petrol, Diesel
By Adedapo Adesanya
One of Nigeria’s key sources of imports for petrol and diesel, Belgium, is tightening regulations to boost quality fuels to Nigeria and other West African countries.
Belgium, a major exporter of petrol and other fuels to Nigeria, is following the Netherlands in tightening environmental rules, officials told Reuters.
The Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub is the world’s leading petrol exporting region and hosts some of Europe’s largest oil refineries including plants operated by TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil.
Despite being Africa’s largest crude oil producer, moribund infrastructure and underinvestment makes Nigeria dependent on importing its fuels.
In February 2022, a large consignment of imported petrol had to be withdrawn from the market in Nigeria, after it was found to have excessive levels of methanol, which was causing engine damage in vehicles.
The development raised serious concerns over the regulation of fuel standards in Nigeria. Specifically, the fuel was imported from Antwerp in Belgium, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
In 2021, Nigeria imported $11.3 billion in refined petroleum, becoming the 18th largest importer of refined petroleum in the world. In the same year, refined petroleum was the 1st most imported product in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s imports of refined petrol during the year were: Netherlands ($3.62 billion), Belgium ($1.78 billion), Norway ($1.2 billion), India ($992 million), and the United Kingdom ($760 million).
However, after the Netherlands introduced legislation in April to tighten the specification for its road fuel exports, Belgium’s environment and energy ministries are now planning to introduce their own draft rules to tighten the quality of exported fuels.
This would further reduce northern Europe’s role in supplying Africa with dirtier petrol and diesel, which have been proven to cause significant health problems.
However, this may also lead to rising costs for poorer nations.
The office of Minister of Climate, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal, Ms Zakia Khattabi is working with Energy Minister, Ms Tinne Van der Straeten to prepare a royal decree to introduce the law, a spokesperson for Mr Khattabi told Reuters.
“It is evident that we must join forces and combine our expertise to halt the export of toxic fuels to third-party nations,” Ms Van der Straeten said in a statement.
The draft is expected to be ready within two weeks and, barring major political hurdles could become law by February next year, the environment ministry said.
Nigeria has in recent years cut sulphur content allowances for imported fuels.
However, its current specification for petrol remains at 150 sulphur parts per million (ppm), three times above Belgium’s proposed limits. The maximum allowed sulphur content for gasoline sold in the European Union is 10 ppm.
“There can be no double standards when it comes to products that pose environmental and health risks,” Van der Straeten said.
The Belgian government began researching the legislation in part due to concerns that “part of the export of these fuels from the Netherlands would come to Belgium”, Ms Khattabi’s spokesperson, Mr Mathias Bienstman said.
The Netherlands’ share of Northwest Europe’s exports to West Africa fell from around 47 per cent in the first quarter to just 15 per cent in October, according to tracking data from analytics firm Vortexa, while Belgium’s share rose from 34 per cent in the first quarter to 65 per cent last month.
The earliest the decree could be passed in February, the ministries hope, but the timeline will depend on the extent to which collaboration with the wider Belgian federal government, advisory council, and European Union is required.
It was reported that while an implementation date has not yet been decided, it usually comes six months after the publication of a royal decree, Mr Bienstman said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Tony Elumelu, expressed his displeasure over the way he was addressed by one of the company’s graduate trainees at an interactive session in a viral video.
The financial institution organised a Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation ceremony on Thursday, and the former banker was in attendance.
During a question-and-answer session, one of the graduating trainees stood and called Mr Elumelu by his first name, Tony.
“Good morning, Tony,” she said.
Mr Elumelu initially thought the lady meant to say Toyin, but she repeated “Good morning, Tony,” a development the UBA chairman was not happy about.
He quickly responded by saying, “No, you won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE. You won’t call me Tony, or Chairman. I don’t subscribe to that kind of… Oyinbo life, okay?”
Though without offering any apology for the error, the female graduate trainee subsequently corrected herself, saying, “Good morning, Mr Elumelu,” before proceeding with her question.
The video clip from the event has already generated mixed reactions, with many happy that the business mogul quickly rebuffed the lady.
They described her as rude, fearing she could lose her job for being disrespectful to the chairman of the organisation.
However, some others said calling colleagues by their first names in a corporate ecosystem is not new, as such happens in the banking sector.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised to return the payment of subsidies for premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, if he is elected President in 2027.
Mr Atiku is seeking to become Nigeria’s President next year. He is contesting for the position under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The presidential election is slated for January 16, 2027.
Answering questions in a trending interview on social media, the former second citizen of the country said the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu in 2023 has not done Nigerians any good.
According to him, the economy has been in shambles, noting that the subsidy removal is responsible for high living costs in Nigeria.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that the nation saved about N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025 from the policy, noting that over N10 trillion was made available to the 36 state governments and the 774 local government areas from the savings.
But the ADC presidential candidate was not impressed with this explanation, stressing that there is nothing to show for the purported gains of the policy.
“I initially did not oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy. But now that it has been removed, where is the money? Where has the subsidy money gone? Has it been used to improve healthcare, education or security?” he queried.
“If I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money,” he declared.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Army has arrested 18 suspected illegal miners at a mining site in Izom, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, recovering equipment and N2.47 million in cash from the operation.
The suspects were arrested by troops of the 102 Guard Battalion during a routine operation in the area, where the soldiers reportedly discovered unauthorised mining activities.
Following the arrests, the army handed over the suspects and recovered items to the headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals in Sauka, Abuja, in line with established inter-agency procedures.
The operation is part of intensified efforts by security and regulatory agencies to curb illegal mining, which has been linked to revenue losses, environmental degradation and the unlawful exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
Reacting to the development, the Commander of the NSCDC Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, commended the Nigerian Army for what he described as a strong demonstration of professionalism and commitment to protecting the country’s mineral wealth.
“The Nigerian Army has once again distinguished itself through professionalism, discipline and patriotism. The swift arrest of the suspects and their prompt handover to the Mining Marshals reflect a commendable commitment to the rule of law and the protection of Nigeria’s solid mineral resources,” he said.
Preliminary investigations by the Mining Marshals indicated that the suspects allegedly operated without licences, permits or any affiliation with a registered mining company. Investigators also said they could not produce evidence of valid mineral titles or authorisation from the relevant regulatory authorities.
Items recovered from the mining site included motorcycles, pumping machines, crusher engines, communication devices and cash totalling N2,468,750.
Mr Attah said the Mining Marshals would continue to pursue individuals involved in illegal mining and strengthen intelligence-led operations against activities that undermine the formal mining industry and deprive government of legitimate revenue.
He added that the Corps, under its Commandant-General, Mr Ahmed Audi, remained committed to enforcing the provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act and protecting Nigeria’s mineral resources from unlawful exploitation.
The Mining Marshals said the investigation had been concluded and that the 18 suspects were being processed for prosecution under the relevant provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
