General
Niger Delta Avengers Threatens Fresh Hostilities
By Dipo Olowookere
Members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have threatened to resume hostilities in the region, saying this time, their attacks would be brutal and fearless.
The group, in a statement issued on Friday, warned that, “Our next line of operation will not be like the 2016 campaign, which we operated successfully without any casualties.
“This outing will be brutish, brutal and bloody, as we shall crush everything we meet on our path to completely put off the fires flaring gas in our communities and cut every pipe that moves crude from our region.
“We can assure you that every oil installation in our region will feel warmth of the wrath of the Niger Delta Avengers.”
In the statement signed by its spokesman, Murdoch Agbinibo, said it would bring down the country’s economy again by blowing up pipelines and oil installations in the oil-rich region.
This threat is coming after last Saturday’s aborted Port Harcourt meeting of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) and the failure of Niger Delta elders to settle their differences.
During the meeting, some security operatives disrupted the gathering, which angered the agitators.
“The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wish to bring to the notice of the International Community and the general public that there is no such militant group with the name Reformed Niger Delta Avengers.
“It is not operated by any of our operatives but a money making tool in the hands of certain disgruntled Niger Delta political jobbers in connivance with top government functionaries of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government,” the statement said.
In a related development, some aggrieved ex-Niger Delta militants have called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to direct the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Mr Paul Boroh, to restore their names in the programme and continue their payments, or face unfavourable consequences in the country.
The ex-agitators made the demand in a letter to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, which was made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the letter, the group frowned at the “unfair treatment” meted out to them by the Amnesty Office, by refusing to pay them their monthly allowance since October 2015.
Ikemini Markson, who issued the document on behalf of 56 former Niger Delta agitators, said they were the first batch of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme, and wondered why government suddenly stopped the payment.
Markson further claimed that there were over 300 ex-agitators facing the government’s decision to put on hold payments of their allowances, saying that they had been exposed to unbearable hardship and dehumanisation.
“It is pertinent to note that, we are the rightful beneficiaries of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme’s first batch as captured in the original biometric compilation since its inception in 2009, and recipients of the Programme’s monthly stipends up until October 2015, when our payments were abruptly halted and our names surreptitiously removed.
“It is with utmost pain, but with the greatest sense of responsibility and respect for law and order, that we make this humble letter to you. We are beneficiaries of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s Presidential Amnesty Programme. We are using this medium to inform you of the irregularities and corruption that has eaten up the vision of our late President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“Despite all measures to amicably settle this issue through several letters written to the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programme, our members have remained unpaid till this very moment, culminating in over two years of strife, hardship and penury, capable of pushing us into unwholesome practices long forgotten and abandoned by us.
“Our instant burden stems from the cries of woes occasioned upon over 300 of our members, of which only 56 beneficiaries are courageous to defend and fight for our rights.
“The 56 of us are not just ordinary Nigerians; we are, as it were, youths struggling to outlive environmental, social and political despoliation, degradation and other denials emanating from the operations of the extractive industries and multinational oil and gas conglomerates, who have taken over the Niger Delta land, waters and air through activities of flow stations, pipe linings, spillages and gas flares. All of which will not know anything close to abatement soon. Undoubtedly, life is certainly unbearably short and brutal for all of us already,” Markson lamented.
The ex-militants warned: “It is, therefore, a matter of urgent national importance that you intervene expeditiously before this drum full of gunpowder blows up to cause more pains and mayhem to our Niger Delta and nation.
“We, therefore, on behalf of our members, urge you to use your good office to speedily intervene in this deplorable situation and ensure the prompt payment of our outstanding monthly stipends and restoration of our names back to the Amnesty Programme by directing the office of the Special Adviser on Amnesty as soon as possible, as we are also open for negotiation and peace.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that the average retail price of a litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, rose by 22.55 per cent or N237.07 per litre to N1,288.54 in March 2026 from N1,051.47 in February.
In the Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) Price Watch for March released on Tuesday, the NBS said on a year-on-year basis, the average retail price of fuel also increased by 2.13 per cent from N1,261.65 recorded in March 2025.
This surge in fuel prices could be linked to global disruptions brought on by the US-Israel war on Iran, which triggered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and sent prices of crude oil above $100 per barrel.
While the country was not heavily hit by the impact, it felt the ripple effect of crude prices increasing, particularly as Dangote Refinery imported crude from other markets to cover for local feedstock shortfalls.
The data noted that by state, Anambra recorded the highest average retail price of N1,441.22 per litre, followed by Sokoto at N1,377.55 and Borno at N1,375.16.
However, the price was cheapest in Lagos at N1,162.71, followed by Ogun at N1,169.78 and Kaduna state at N1,193.40.
By zone, it was most expensive in the North East at N1,336.50 last month, while the South-West recorded the lowest at N1,232.46.
A look at the Diesel Price Watch Report for March showed that the average retail price paid by users rose by 16.05 per cent on a month-on-month basis to N1,648.08 per litre from N1,420.17 per litre a month earlier.
“On state profiles analysis, the highest average price of diesel in March was recorded in Ebonyi at N2,262.29 per litre, followed by Akwa Ibom at N1,895.72 and Osun at N1,872.15.
“On the other hand, the lowest price was recorded in Kogi at N1,383.40 per litre, followed by Katsina State at N1,438.25 and Enugu at N1,480.06,” parts of the report said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Datti Baba-Ahmed, has left the party to join the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the politician said he’s no longer interested in the way the Labour Party was being run.
He disclosed that there is no more peace in the political party he flew its flag in the last general elections because of greed.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of destabilising opposition political parties to ensure President Bola Tinubu does not have a credible opponent in the 2027 presidential poll.
“What the Labour Party stood for is not the same now. We have a government of today which is interested in destroying other political parties,” he said.
“I am leaving the Labour Party tomorrow (today) by 12 midnight,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said when asked about his plans for next year.
I am leaving the Labour Party [at] midnight, and I am joining PRP. PRP is the new destination. PRP is the one with a history. It’s about 75 years old,” he further stated.
He further said, “When there was real peace in the Labour Party, someone was redeployed to the Labour Party and because of the antecedents of the person, [I don’t see things getting better].
PRP, a progressive Nigerian political party, was established in 1978 by Mallam Aminu Kano. It is rooted in social democratic principles and populist ideology, often focusing on the empowerment of the talakawa (common people).
Its current National Chairman, according to data obtained from the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is Mr Falalu Bello, while the National Secretary is Mr Babatunde F. Alli.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Director General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ms Omolola Oloworaran, has highlighted strategies deployed by her organisation to ensure pension coverage is deepened in Nigeria.
Speaking at the ISSA Technical Seminar in Abuja recently, she said the steps taken were to build a more inclusive, transparent, and responsive pension system, where communication serves not just as information, but as a bridge to trust, accessibility, and sustained industry growth.
According to her, the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) has, over more than two decades, built a strong institutional foundation, but true inclusion goes beyond coverage to require trust and clear communication.
For this reason, PenCom has prioritised the Personal Pension Plan, strengthened stakeholder engagement, and invested in digital channels that reach contributors in accessible and relatable ways, she stated.
Ms Oloworaran further stressed that, “Effective communication is not a soft complement to regulation; it is a core instrument of coverage expansion, compliance, and public confidence.
“Every circular we issue, every benefit we pay, and every reform we introduce ultimately succeeds or fails on whether our members can understand it and act on it.”
The ISSA Technical Seminar, themed Improving Inclusivity and Accessibility of Social Security Services Through Effective Communication, was organised in collaboration with the International Social Security Association (ISSA).
It brought together key stakeholders across West Africa to advance dialogue on strengthening social security systems through clearer, more inclusive engagement.
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