General
OGD, Dickson, Iweala, Fayose, Others Make Atiku’s VP List
By Peter Albert
Following the landslide victory of Mr Abubakar Atiku as the flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, information available to us reveal that the jostling for who will be his running mate has reached fever-pitch.
According to sources close to Mr Atiku, he has referred the question of who will be his running mate to the party elders to decide.
This, many believe, would serve to heal any wounds that may have arisen from his landslide victory over Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, who had been enjoying the unhinged support of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the state delegates loyal to him.
There are many eminent PDP members across the country who are qualified for the role but discussions with top PDP apparatchiks at the venue of the just-concluded PDP National Convention revealed that the front runners for the position of Vice Presidential candidate are Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), Governor Nyesom Wike, former Governor Peter Obi, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Govornors Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.
OGD is a former two-term Governor of Ogun State and the Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organization who was able to garner the delegates from the south west states, except Ekiti State delegates, to deliver block votes for Mr Atiku at the primaries.
He is believed to be more suited for the job as he would be able to reduce the votes to and the dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the south west states. He would also balance the influence of the current Vice President to President Buhari who is also from Ogun State.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State was the only Governor that openly supported Mr Atiku and mobilized support from fellow PDP Governors, in direct opposition to people like Mr Wike who publicly supported Mr Tambuwal.
Governor Dickson’s unalloyed support for Mr Atiku also contributed to his recent victory as the presidential candidate of the PDP.
Mr Dickson has been a stabilizing factor in the Niger Delta and is widely accepted as a grassroots politician with strong ties with the Yorubas being that his grandmother is from Ogun State.
His giant strides in various sectors in Bayelsa State continue to stand him in good stead as a purveyor of peace and development to the people in general.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the renowned Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy in President Goodluck Jonathan’s Government. She comes with immense experience and capacity together with a largely unblemished public service record.
Though not a politician, her candidacy should put presidential hopefuls from the south east states at ease as she would not be competing with them to take over from Mr Atiku at the end of his single term plan. She would also help to rein in sympathetic votes from Nigerian women across party lines and ethnic or tribal affiliations.
Governor Wike is arguably the latter day leader of the PDP who has fought to steady the course of the party in the last turbulent years after the loss of the presidency to the APC. Though he did not support Mr Atiku in the primaries, pundits say that his control of the party systems through his appointed Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus, is very strong.
Mr Fayose is the current Governor of Ekiti State who stepped down from the presidential primaries race ostensibly to support Mr Tambuwal. Despite the fact that his candidate lost the governorship elections to the APC candidate, pundits say he still commands a lot of support in the south west states.
Mr Fayose, though considered a rabble-rouser by a cross section of the society for his many verbal engagements, should therefore help the PDP garner votes in the south west states as Vice Presidential candidate to Mr Atiku.
Last but not the least is Dr Peter Obi. He is the immediate past and very successful governor of Anambra State. Mr Obi brings economic sagacity and an unblemished public service record to the table but may raise fears from other possible successors to Mr Atiku at the end of the single term as being vice president would put him in pole position to take over.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) recently hosted a high-level delegation from Newryton International Industrial Development Company Limited, a leading Chinese investment and industrial development consortium, to advance discussions on deepening bilateral trade, industrial cooperation, and development financing between both countries.
The Newryton delegation, led by Mr David Chen, Assistant Secretary-General of the China Hainan Investment Council, had earlier engaged with the Nigerian Association of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). They were accompanied to the NCSP by Mr Joe Onyuike, Vice-Chairman of NACCIMA’s Agriculture and Livestock Trade Group, who conveyed NACCIMA’s support for the delegation’s engagements.
Discussions centered on the establishment of a Nigeria–China Trade and Investment Platform, including a proposed Promotion Centre in China to support Nigerian products, investors, and state governments.
The consortium also presented opportunities within Hainan Province’s Free Trade Port (FTP), which offers preferential policies that Nigerian businesses can leverage to expand exports and attract new investments.
In his address on behalf of Newryton, Mr Pong outlined plans to collaborate with NCSP in accessing FOCAC-supported financing for strategic investments in agriculture, energy, mining, solid minerals processing, and related sectors. The delegation identified aquaculture as a key area of interest and referenced the forthcoming Global Aquaculture Conference in Hainan Province, encouraging Nigerian stakeholders to participate.
They also expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation in vocational training and employment under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Director-General, Martins Olajide, NCSP’s Head of Internal Operations, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships.
He highlighted NCSP’s strong interest in the proposed Nigeria–China Trade and Investment Platform and the development of the Nigerian Oil Palm Industrial Park as a flagship demonstration project.
Also speaking at the meeting, Ms Judy Melifonwu, NCSP’s Head of International Relations, underscored the opportunities presented by China’s zero-tariff policy and the forthcoming NAQS–GACC protocol on the export of Nigerian aquaculture products. She noted that these frameworks would significantly enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in emerging global markets.
Both parties expressed commitment to advancing discussions toward a structured cooperation framework covering all priority areas.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Kingdom–Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), established in 2019 as part of a 16-year legacy of UK-funded infrastructure support to Nigeria, convened over 100 senior stakeholders on Tuesday, December 2, to review its progress and formally close out its current phase of operations.
The event brought together representatives from federal and state governments, development partners, development finance institutions, and the private sector to reflect on UKNIAF’s work across the power, infrastructure finance, and roads sectors. Discussions focused on institutional reforms, capacity development, and the sustainability of tools and processes introduced over the past six years.
Since inception, UKNIAF has delivered targeted technical assistance designed to embed evidence-based reforms, data-driven decision-making, and improved institutional performance. Its interventions have mobilised significant financing, strengthened regulatory and planning systems, and enhanced investor readiness across multiple infrastructure markets.
In the power sector, participants highlighted landmark achievements including the development of Nigeria’s first Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines a least-cost and low-carbon pathway for expanding electricity supply. UKNIAF also supported the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in building advanced real-time data capabilities for tariff monitoring, grid management, and outage tracking. The programme enabled pioneering states to establish their own electricity markets following constitutional reforms.
In infrastructure finance, UKNIAF was recognised for strengthening project preparation systems and enabling access to capital. Notable accomplishments include supporting the mobilisation of $75 million from the African Development Bank to the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme in two states, and accelerating mini-grid and solar deployment through improved technical standards at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
UKNIAF also designed a national project preparation facility, for which N21 billion was allocated in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets to build a pipeline of bankable projects.
Speaking on this, Mr Frank Edozie, UKNIAF Team Lead, described the programme’s close-out as a “handover for sustained delivery,” emphasising that strengthened institutions now hold tools that make Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape more transparent, climate-smart, and investor-ready.
On his part, the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, commended the programme, noting that its technical assistance and advisory services had helped lay the foundation for a sustainable and inclusive electricity supply industry.
Mrs Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Corporation at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Nigeria, praised the partnership, highlighting achievements ranging from state-level electricity market reforms to unlocking major financing and designing Nigeria’s Climate Change Fund.
Enugu State Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, underscored the lasting influence of the programme, stating that UKNIAF’s impact continues through the expertise and leadership transferred to national and sub-national institutions.
The close-out event reaffirmed stakeholders’ commitment to sustaining tools, reforms, and knowledge products developed under UKNIAF, while strengthening collaboration among public, private, and development actors in the infrastructure ecosystem.
Participants included federal and state agencies such as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Federal Ministry of Power, Ministry of Finance, NERC, REA, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, alongside development partners including the African Development Bank, World Bank, and IFC, as well as private sector and civil society stakeholders.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, has been slashed by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The Lagos-based oil facility brought down the ex-depot price of the petroleum product by 15.58 per cent or N129 per litre to N828 per litre.
Though the company had yet to release an official statement on this development, real-time market data on Petroleumprice.ng on Friday showed the new price.
Punch reports that data from the platform also showed fresh reductions across several private depots following the refinery’s latest review.
Sigmund Depot cut its ex-depot price by N4 to N824 per litre, Bulk Strategic dropped its price by N3, and TechnoOil slashed its by N15.
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