General
Royal Gardens Estate Residents Reject Bulk Metering System
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Residents of Royal Gardens Estate in Ajah, Lagos, have demanded the scrapping of bulk metering system put in place by the developer of the facility, Trojan Estate.
Appearing before the Lagos State House Committee on Housing on Tuesday in Ikeja, the residents, through the chairman of Royal Gardens Estate Residents Association (RGERA), Mr Anthony Ogbebor, also asked for full transparency in the collection and use of service charges in the estate by the manager of the property.
The parliament asked parties to appear before it with a view to finding a lasting solution to the issues between RGERA and Trojan Estate.
It was alleged that the developer of the estate refused to allow Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to provide prepaid meters to individuals in the estate.
The place has been without public electricity since May 2024, according to Mr Ogbebor, forcing residents to cry out to the Lagos State House of Assembly for intervention.
Appearing before the House Committee chaired by Mr Segun Ege, the residents said their community had endured unfair practices for more than a decade, which worsened in the last 18 months.
Mr Ogbebor claimed the controversial bulk-metering system introduced after the estate’s communal generator failed to meet demand. Under this arrangement, all households are connected to a single meter in the common area, leaving residents collectively liable for the entire bill.
“Right now, I have over 4,000 units on my prepaid meter but no electricity because of the bulk meter system. We have met our obligations but are being punished by a system that is clearly against the law,” he lamented.
“EKEDC has confirmed its willingness to meter us directly. Yet the developer, who does not live here, insists on a system that is crippling residents financially,” he further alleged.
The crisis deepened in April 2024 when electricity tariffs spiked from N74 per kilowatt hour to N241. Because of bulk metering, the increase was applied wholesale, raising the estate’s monthly bill from about N60 million to nearly N290 million. With residents unable to pay, the estate has been in total blackout since May 26, 2024.
He accused Trojan Estate of ignoring several invitations from the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NEC) to mediate and instead challenged the regulator’s jurisdiction in court. The case, pending for over a year, has yet to be decided.
“We do not want to take the law into our hands. That is why we are appealing to the House to intervene. This is about fundamental human rights,” Mr Ogbebor stressed.
Lawmakers at the hearing reportedly directed Trojan Estate to produce documents on the court case and promised to revisit the matter. One option being considered is seeking the intervention of the Chief Judge to expedite judgment.
As of press time, Trojan Estate had yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
For the second consecutive month, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has become the largest supplier of jet fuel to Europe, outpacing the United States of America (USA).
Data from Kpler showed that in July 2026, the Lagos-based oil facility, which has the capacity to refine 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, produced more than 400,000 tonnes of jet fuel.
In June 2026, the private refinery, owned by Mr Aliko Dangote, exported 466,000 tonnes to Europe, underscoring its growing influence on international fuel markets and highlighting Nigeria’s emergence as a strategic player in global refined petroleum trade.
The latest data indicated that Dangote Refinery accounts for approximately 20 per cent of Europe’s total jet fuel imports last month.
The sustained export performance marks a significant milestone for the refinery, demonstrating its ability to consistently supply one of the world’s most demanding fuel markets with aviation fuel that meets stringent international quality specifications. Europe imported approximately 2.06 million tonnes of jet fuel in July, with Dangote accounting for the single largest share of those imports, ahead of traditional suppliers from the United States and the Middle East.
Industry observers say the refinery is rapidly reshaping established Atlantic Basin fuel trade flows by offering a competitive alternative to long-standing suppliers. While European buyers have traditionally relied on refiners in the United States, the Middle East and Asia, Dangote’s strategic location on Nigeria’s Atlantic coast, combined with its scale, modern technology and export capability, has enabled it to become an increasingly important source of aviation fuel for European markets.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
