By Adedapo Adesanya

More reactions continue trail the recent tariffs introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump of the United States, and the latest to add his input is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, who called on African nations to urgently invest in their human capital and scale up productivity.

He made this while speaking at the plenary session of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Trade and Investment Summit 2025 in London on Tuesday.

Mr Obi emphasised that Africa’s pathway to relevance and resilience in the evolving global economy lies in harnessing its youthful population and vast resources.

The former Governor of Anambra State noted that interventions by President Trump had already disrupted long-standing assumptions of global trade, with many nations adopting protective measures to safeguard their economies, lamenting that African countries have largely failed to respond proactively.

“Despite its vast opportunities, Africa’s share of global trade remains at a paltry 2-3 per cent, with its GDP share at about 3 per cent,” Mr Obi stated, adding that Africa’s GDP per capita stands at just $1,900, compared to about $9,000 in Asia per World Trade Organisation (WTO) data.

He warned that this persists even though Africa has the second-largest and most populous continent of about 1.5 billion people and the world’s largest concentration of working-age population

Mr Obi pointed out that the continent boasts abundant natural resources, including nearly a billion hectares of uncultivated arable land and over 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves but these remain underutilised.

“Africa holds over 60 per cent of the world’s arable land. Our food and agriculture market, currently valued at $280 billion annually, is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030,” he explained, adding that, “With agriculture at the core of our economic transformation, Africa can emerge as a global agricultural powerhouse and a net exporter of food.”

He lamented that leadership remains the lacking element and called for a transformative shift in governance across the continent, advocating one that embraces innovative education, healthcare investment, and poverty reduction.

“What is missing is leadership that can reorder priorities and scale up productivity so that African countries can move into higher levels of value creation,” he argued.

“We have seen promising signs in better-governed African countries. The challenge remains scaling up and sustaining this across the region,” he added.

Mr Obi urged African leaders to learn from Asia’s developmental state model, which prioritised human capital and productivity over mere institutional imports from Western economies, and called for bold, visionary leadership to steer Africa toward economic self-reliance and global competitiveness.

“Africa must rebuild its economies through leadership that focuses on rapid upgrades in productive capacities, especially in education and healthcare, to lift millions out of poverty and seize the opportunities of the new global economy,” he said.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has tasked Mr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the new chief executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, to rehabilitate the remaining moribund refineries and increase the country’s crude oil production.

The group in a statement said the appointment of Mr Ojulari, a former Shell engineer, is a “masterstroke” given his reputation for excellence in the oil and gas industry.

The National President of PETROAN, Mr Billy Gillis-Harry, in the statement praised the erstwhile chief executive of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, for his tenure, but says the new Sheriff in town must work for the transformation of Nigeria’s oil industry.

“Engineer Ojulari brings with him decades of experience, a track record of integrity, and a reputation for delivering results. We are confident he will steer NNPCL toward innovation, accountability, and value creation.

“We thank Engr Kyari for his monumental efforts. His leadership revived the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which had remained dormant for years, and also helped push production figures upward. History will not forget his contributions,” Mr Gillis-Harry said.

The association also outlined its agenda for the man, which includes critical reforms to deepen investor confidence and ensure petroleum product availability for Nigerians.

“PETROAN expects the Ojulari-led NNPCL to pursue the resumption of Kaduna refinery operations and the timely completion of the second Port Harcourt refinery.

“Also, we call for improved stakeholder communication. Transparency in operations, sales, and production figures will go a long way in rebuilding public and investor trust.”

Mr Gillis-Harry called on other major industry groups to close ranks and support Mr Ojulari.

“We urge MEMAN, DAPPMAN, NUPENG, PENGASSAN, and others to work closely with him. We must support this leadership to deliver a new era for our oil and gas industry. The President made the right call. Mr Ojulari is the right man, at the right time, for the right job.”

Among the highlights of PETROAN’s expectations for the new NNPCL leadership include the creation of a business-friendly environment for investors and marketers as well as achieving crude oil production targets of 3 million barrels per day.

Others are, “Producing top-quality petroleum products that meet international standards. Stabilizing fuel prices and promoting healthy competition in the downstream sector. Ensuring transparent communication of operations and results to stakeholders.”

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The presidency has responded to an outburst by the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Mr Ali Ndume, that the appointments by President Bola Tinubu have been from a particular region of the country.

The federal lawmaker was on Arise TV to express frustration at the “lopsided appointments” by Mr Tinubu, warning that it could backfire when least expected.

According to him, the President has consistently breached the federal character in the Nigerian Constitution, which made provision for appointments to be spread across the states and regions.

“The figures are there. You can look at the figures. I sent you one. I sent you figures. It’s not that I’m just making accusations. It’s not that I’m saying, well, the president has no right to do that kind of thing, it’s a constitutional provision. Section 13, I mean, Section 14 (3) of the constitution is very, very clear.

“When you look at it vis-a-vis the appointments made so far, and there are political appointments, the constitution is very clear.

“It is because of avoiding such infractions that the constitution clearly states that appointments, especially political appointments, should reflect the federal character, and that is not the case here.

“All I am saying is to call the attention of Mr President to such infractions so that it can be corrected; otherwise, you know, these things can boomerang at a certain period of time,” Mr Ndume said.

But while responding, the spokesman of the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the outburst of the Senator reeked hypocrisy and selective perception, emphasising that the appointments are “based on merit, integrity, geographical spread.”

“While the Borno senator grandstanded as a moral authority on equity, he forgot to tell his interviewer that two of his kinsmen featured in recent NNPC Limited top appointments. The Chairman, appointed by President Tinubu, is from Ndume’s senatorial district. If Tinubu and his surrogates’ choices are so tribal, how did two of Ndume’s kinsmen clinch NNPC’s top roles?” the presidency queried in a statement.

Mr Onanuga noted that as a politician, Mr Ndume has proven time and time again that he is allergic to facts and addicted to theatrics.

“His habit of firing half-baked criticisms—only to be contradicted by facts—proves he’s more interested in headline-chasing, rabble rousing, stoking divisive narratives than offering constructive criticism,” he said.

Mr said President Tinubu remains deeply committed to fostering a government that embraces all Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic or regional affiliations.

“He aims to harness our nation’s diverse strengths to achieve a common goal: building a prosperous Nigeria.

“The President’s appointments are—and will continue to be—based on merit, integrity, geographical spread and a demonstrable capacity to serve the Nigerian people, not Ndume’s cherry-picked tribal arithmetic.

“We urge Ndume to elevate public discourse and avoid misinformation and baseless criticism. This is a disservice to the nation and the behaviour least expected from a Nigerian Senator,” he added.