General
Release Emefiele Now—Groups Tells DSS
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Department of State Services (DSS) has been asked to immediately release the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele.
This request was made by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and a coalition of civil society groups under the aegis of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs).
Mr Emefiele was arrested last month by the secret police, and despite court orders for his release, he has been kept in the agency’s custody.
He was arraigned on Tuesday at a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on a two-count charge bordering on illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. He was granted bail, but the DSS rearrested him in the court premises in a Gestapo manner and in flagrant disobedience to the court.
Worried that the banker was yet to regain his freedom, the group called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately call the DSS to order as an impression of a draconian regime had already been created about his administration in the minds of Nigerians due to the activities of the secret police in recent times.
In a statement jointly signed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Mr James Ezema, and the National Secretary of the CSOs, Mr Ali Abacha, they said that “respect for court order is one of the basic ingredients of a democratic society.
“Nigeria needs investors to come. However, no investor will put his money in a country where a clear order of a court of competent jurisdiction is violated at will,” he added.
The organisations earlier called on Mr Tinubu to prove to Nigerians that he is truly a democrat by upholding the rule of law as against what they described as the All Progressives Congress (APC) invented script of detention without trial, using bogus allegations to keep suspected political enemies in detention indefinitely.
Calling on him to whip the agency into shape, the CNPP and the CSOs said, “It has become not just a national show of shame but an international embarrassment that the age-long inter-agency rivalry in Nigeria would be brought to the full glare of the public where DSS operatives will be manhandling security personnel on official duty in court premises.
“What happened to inter-agency cooperation? Why will the DSS not approach a court to obtain a warrant for the re-arrest of Godwin Emefiele, knowing that the order of the court was that he should be remanded in prison custody by the correctional service?
“The DSS only approached the court after coercing correctional officials and abducting the suspended CBN Governor. Of course, any judge who knows the facts of the case will not grant such an order to legitimize illegality.
“We, therefore, call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end this illegality and call the DSS to order. Otherwise, Nigerians will believe that he opted to run a draconian democratic regime, which is the impression already being created.
“Those who know are aware that we were very critical of the CBN Governor while he was in office, but if society must move forward, what is right should be commended, and what is wrong must be condemned.
“In the present circumstance, we call for the immediate release of the abducted suspended Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as the court has already granted him bail and if the Federal Government has any established case against him, the rule of law should be followed.”
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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