General
Nigeria Lacks Visionary Leaders—Dangote
**Begs FG to Stop Importation of Milk
By Dipo Olowookere
President of Dangote Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, has appealed to federal government to stop the importation of dairy product like milk just like with cement by coming up with what he called “draconian policy.”
The Africa’s richest man gave this suggestion in an interview with the Financial Times of London, where he was quoted as saying “Nigeria has always had a lack of visionary leadership.”
Mr Dangote, whose Dangote Cement controls over 65 percent share of the market in Nigeria, decried the fact that Nigeria still imports a lot of things that could be produced locally.
According to him, “What Nigeria needs is to produce locally what we can produce locally. Nigeria still imports vegetable oil, which makes no sense.
“Nigeria still imports 4.9 million tonnes of wheat, which does not make sense. Nigeria still imports 97 or 98 per cent of the milk that we consume.
“Government needs to bring out a draconian policy to stop people importing milk, just like they did with cement,” he was quoted to have said.
Speaking about his $12 billion oil refinery project expected to become operational in 2019, he said, “when we finish this project, for the first time in history Nigeria will be the largest exporter of petroleum products in Africa.”
When it is up and running, — the refinery will process 650,000 barrels of oil a day, a third of every drop Nigeria produces and approaching one per cent of planetary production.
That will make it the biggest oil refinery of its type in the world.
It will pump out all the plastic Nigeria’s 190 million population needs, as well as three million tonnes of fertiliser a year, more than all its farmers currently sprinkle on their fields.
The project requires sinking 120,000 piles, on average 25 metres in length. But, no port in Nigeria is big enough to take delivery of the massive equipment, which includes a distillation tower the height of a 30-storey building, and no road is strong enough to bear its weight.
Mr Dangote disclosed that he had to build both, including a jetty for which he has dredged the seabed for 65m cubic metres of sand.
There is not enough industrial gas in the whole country to weld everything together, so Dangote also revealed that he will build his own industrial gas plant. There aren’t enough trucks, so he’s producing those in a joint venture with a Chinese company, he added.
The plant will need 480 megawatts of power, about one-tenth of the total that electricity-starved Nigeria can muster, he further hinted.
Dangote is building his own power plant too.
For years, and absurdly, Nigeria has exported all its oil as crude and then reimported refined petroleum, such as petrol and benzene.
That has been a lucrative racket for the middlemen who scheme over import contracts and who concoct ways to scam a system distorted by subsidies.
“I am sure you know about this game,” Mr Dangote said. Because of its reputation for skulduggery, he said, he has shunned the oil trade.
“It is very simple to destroy a name,” he added, referring to a family business that stretches back to his great-grandfather on his mother’s side, Mr Alhassan Dantata, a prodigiously wealthy merchant who imported kola nuts from Ghana and exported groundnuts from Nigeria.
“But it’s very difficult to build it.”
Mr Dangote reiterated his desire to acquire London-based Arsenal Football Club, saying “I love Arsenal and I will definitely go for it.”
He reckoned that the football club is worth about $2 billion.
Speaking about his daily schedules, he said, “people call me in the middle of the night to tell me about their problems.”
According to him, Tony Blair, a former British prime minister and his friend had told him he needed to screen his calls. “Tony said he only makes three phone calls a day,” Mr Dangote said, adding that each day, scores of emails come rat-tat-tatting in. “You try to be polite and reply but they come back to you with a longer email, not minding that here is a very, very busy person,” he said.
He reckoned that he takes more than 100 calls a day.
“Look Aliko’,” he said Mr Blair had told him, “the world is not going to fall apart if you don’t answer your phone.’ “He, however, said his ambitions were changing as he is considering pulling back from the business, concentrating on strategy and letting others run things day-to-day.
“I’m trying to step back from some of the boards.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, has affirmed the right of Nigerians to film personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on duty.
The judgment was given by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa on Tuesday in a case filed by Mr Maxwell Uwaifo in suit number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025.
The court held that Nigerians have the constitutional right to use any device to record police officers executing their official duties in public.
It was ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.
The court awarded the applicant N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and N2 million for the cost of litigation.
Business Post reports that the respondents in the case were the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPF, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer filed the case in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution of Nigeria and others.
“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria,” Mr Uwaifo said after the judgement.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The General Manager in charge of Transmission for Lagos Region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Adeshina Adeonipekun, has stressed the critical role of Lagos in the national grid.
While receiving the chief executive of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ms Wola Joseph Condotti, at his office on Monday, he said the Lagos region accounts for about 30 per cent of total power off-take in Nigeria.
He stated that TCN was implementing strategic expansion and project upgrades aimed at enhancing grid stability and operational efficiency in response to rising demand.
Mr Adeonipekun highlighted recent key milestones achieved in the region, including the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at the Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, a 300MVA transformer at the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation, and a 125MVA unit at the Agbara 132/33kV Substation, among others.
According to him, these additions have further increased the region’s installed capacity to 5,470MVA on the 132/33kV network and 4,110MVA on the 330/132kV network.
He further said that there were several ongoing rehabilitations at key substations within the region, including Amuwo GIS, Akoka 132/33kV, and Itire 132/33kV Transmission Substations, all geared towards further improving reliability, reducing system constraints, and enhancing the overall efficiency of power delivery.
In her remarks, Ms Condotti expressed appreciation for TCN’s continued partnership and support, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration between transmission and distribution companies in building a more stable and efficient electricity transmission and supply network.
Both parties explored ways to strengthen collaboration and ensure a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Anambra, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, says the years-long sit-at-home is now a thing of the past in the state as it will bring back lost economic viability to the South East state.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term as the leader of the state, noting that security has improved in Anambra.
“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Reports say that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Mr Soludo said.
The second inauguration of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) witnessed eminent Nigerians, including ex-presidents Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, among others.
“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, it was not possible,” he said at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.
Primarily associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, the sit-at-home saw millions of South-East residents remain indoors, shut their businesses, and stay off the roads on Mondays. Initially, it was declared as a weekly protest (especially on Mondays) to demand the release of IPOB leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021 by the Federal Government and draw attention to the separatist cause.
The cause had significant socio-economic consequences in the South-East states like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
However, Mr Soludo referenced several milestones, including the destruction of criminal camps and the “mass return” of Anambra indigenes during the Yuletide, as evidence of improving security in the state.
“Some 62 criminal camps have been dismantled, and 8 local governments previously under total siege have been liberated,” the governor said.
“Anambra had its best Christmas season in decades last December with a mass return and over 10,000 visitors per day to the Solution City every day until the 10th of January.”
Part of the measures to address insecurity in Anambra was the Homeland Security Law 2025, a measure the governor said contributed to the reduction in criminality.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Soludo as the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State. The APGA candidate polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Mr Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
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