By Modupe Gbadeyanka

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to urgently look into the escalating hunger and suffering faced by millions of Nigerians due to the policies of his administration.

This call was made by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.

The group was reacting to the recent tragic incidents, including stampedes in Ibadan Oyo State, Anambra State and Abuja, resulting in loss of lives as citizens scrambled for palliatives.

“The current economic policies have had devastating short-term impacts, leading to increased hardship for the populace,” a part of the statement said.

“The federal and state governments must prioritize the survival of its citizens before they can even begin to enjoy the so-called long-term benefits of ongoing reforms in the country,” the organisation stated further.

The CNPP said it firmly believes that the “reality is that Nigerians must be kept alive first; only then can they contribute to the nation’s economic growth and development.”

To address this, the CNPP called on President Tinubu to immediately reconsider the pricing of petroleum products, particularly in light of the recent completion of the Port Harcourt Refinery’s rehabilitation and the ongoing loading of petroleum products at the refurbished refinery.

“We equally call on the President to urgently consider releasing crude oil at a highly subsidized rate to local refineries, including Dangote Refinery for domestic consumption,” it added.

“This will lead to a reduction in fuel prices, which is essential to alleviate the burden of transportation costs and the expenses associated with fueling power generators for manufacturing companies,” it added.

The CNPP warned that if these issues are not addressed, the increasing cost of production will continue to complicate Nigeria’s economic woes, rendering both interim and long-term gains from the ongoing economic reforms unattainable.

According to the group, the current trajectory is unsustainable and threatens to push more Nigerians into poverty and despair.

“No responsible leader can stand by and watch avoidable deaths occur among our citizens — individuals who should be contributing to the economic growth of our nation but are instead succumbing to the negative impacts of government policies and poor governance,” it stated.

It called for an immediate and comprehensive response from the Tinubu administration and state governments to address these pressing issues, urging the government “at all levels to implement policies that prioritize the welfare of the people,” ensuring that “no Nigerian is left behind in the quest for economic recovery and stability.”

The group implored Mr Tinubu to take decisive action to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians and to create an environment where citizens can thrive, saying, “The time for rhetoric is over; it is time for tangible action that reflects the needs and realities of the Nigerian people.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

National security agencies led by troops of the 6 Division have recorded significant milestones in the fight against oil theft, including the dismantling of 37 illegal refining sites, the seizure of six boats, the arrest of 10 suspected oil thieves, and the recovery of over 130,000 litres of stolen products.

These feats were achieved during separate operations conducted between December 16 and 22, 2024, according to a statement by the Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division, Army Public Relations Danjuma Danjuma.

Mr Danjuma said that around Obiafu in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA) Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State, troops destroyed a cluster of nine illegal refining sites, which housed 176 cooking drums, several pumping machines, and locally constructed dumps stocked with over 60,000 litres of stolen products.

These included approximately 50,000 litres of stolen crude oil, 5,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and 6,250 litres of illegally refined Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK). Four suspected oil thieves were apprehended during the operation.

In Buguma, Asari-Toru LGA, three illegal refining sites, and a large boat were dismantled, with over 24,000 litres of stolen products recovered. Meanwhile, around Bille and Bakana in Degema LGA, three illegal refining sites and three boats (two wooden and one fibre) were intercepted.

Troops recovered over 16,000 litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined DPK from these locations. In Ozorchi Forest, Abua/Odual LGA, four illegal refining sites containing over 10,000 litres of stolen products were also neutralized.

He said similar successes were recorded along the Imo River, where eight illegal refining sites, 50 drum pots, 65 metal container receivers, and over 5,000 litres of stolen products were dismantled during clearance operations.

The Army disclosed that in Bayelsa State, troops uncovered an illegal refining site at Kunsho Creek in Southern Ijaw LGA, where 2,000 litres of stolen crude oil were confiscated. Another operation at Kumbo 4 Flow Line in Ekeremor LGA foiled an attempt to sabotage a Shell Petroleum Development Company pipeline. The vandals fled the scene, abandoning 18-inch pipes and three gas cylinders.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery is now operating at 85 per cent capacity and is on course to deliver European-standard products by January 2025.

This was disclosed by Mr Edwin Devakumar, the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited and the head of the $20 billion refinery.

The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote oil refinery built by Nigerian billionaire, Mr Aliko Dangote, in Lagos, aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity.

However, since it started operations this year, it has struggled to secure sufficient crude locally — as production remains below target and tied to contracts with other players by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

“We have gone up to 550,000 barrels per day, that is 85 per cent capacity in crude distillation,” Mr Devakumar said.

The refinery was forced to source crude from international markets following a dispute with the Nigerian state oil firm, the NNPC, over a crude supply deal under which Dangote Group had agreed to sell a 20 per cent stake in the refinery to NNPC for $2.76 billion

“Of this, we agreed that they will only pay $1 billion while the balance will be recovered over a period of five years through deductions on crude oil that they supply to us and from dividends due to them,” a spokesperson of the company said.

“Unfortunately, NNPCL was later unable to supply the agreed 300,000 barrels per day of crude given that they had committed a greater part of their crude cargoes to financiers with the expectation of higher production which they were unable to achieve,” the spokesperson said in a statement last Wednesday.

Dangote Refinery began processing crude in January into products, including diesel, naphtha and jet fuel and started processing petrol in September.

It still faces challenges distributing the products at home with local fuel traders and even the NNPC importing refined products.

The NNPC recently said it had restarted its 60,000 barrels per day Port Harcourt refinery.

However, there have several reports claiming that production was not as presented with the state oil firm denying such claims.

Dangote Refinery cut the price of its petrol to N899.50 per litre on Thursday from N970 “to alleviate transport costs during the holiday season.”

Business Post reports that petrol prices have relatively dropped to N935-N950 in some retail stations.