President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the National Assembly to remove the ministers of Finance and Petroleum from the board of the soon-to-be incorporated board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.)
The request is contained in his letter seeking an amendment to the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
He also asked the Senate to confirm appointments made for the boards of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two other federal agencies.
These are the Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority..
The President on Sunday named a nine-member board for the NNPC Ltd headed by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.
The President’s letter titled “Forwarding administrative structure amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 was read to Senators by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, during yesterday’s plenary.
He listed three sections of the PIA that he wants to be amended as 11(2)(b) and 34(2)(b); 11(2)(f-g) and 34(2)(f-g); as well as 11(3).
The President explained in the letter that amendments to the sections were needed to make for seamless administrative structure in the Act.
He also cited unbalanced geo-political representation as a reason for his request to remove the ministers of Finance and Petroleum from the NNPC Ltd. board.
A part of the letter reads, “I wish to forward to the Senate the attached Administrative Structure Amendments of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 for your kind consideration and approval.
“Having carefully reviewed the administrative structure of both the Commission and the Authority; I would like to propose the following amendments to the PIA 2021:
“Appointment of non-executive board members: The Petroleum Industry Act 2021 provided for the appointment of two non-executive members for the board of the two regulatory institutions.
“I am of the view that this membership limitation has not addressed the principle of balanced geopolitical representation of the country, therefore, I pray for the intervention of the 9th Assembly to correct this oversight in the interest of our national unity.
“Needless to add that this amendment will provide a sense of participation and inclusion to almost every section of the country in the decision-making of strategic institutions such as the oil industry.
“If this amendment is approved, it will now increase the number of the non-executive members from two to six that is one person from each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
“Removal of the Ministries of Petroleum and Finance from the board of the two institutions:
The proposed amendment will increase the membership of the board from nine to 13 that is representing a 44 percent expansion of the board site.
“This composition would strengthen the institutions and guarantee national spread and also achieve he expected policy contributions.
“The two ministries already have constitutional responsibilities of either supervision or inter-governmental relations. They can continue to perform such roles without being on the board.
“It is also important to note that administratively, the representatives of the ministries in the board will be Directors – being the same rank with the Directors in the institution. This may bring some complications in some decision making especially on issues of staff-related matters.
“Appointment of Executive Directors: The Act has made provision for seven Departmental Heads in the Authority to be known as Executive Directors. Their appointment will also be subject to Senate confirmation. This category of officers is civil servants and not political appointees.
“The Senate is invited to note the need to exempt serving public officers from the established confirmation process for political appointments.
“This will ensure effective management of the regulatory Institutions through the uniform implementation of public service rules for employees of the Authority. In the future, these positions will obviously be filled by the workers in the authority.”
Also yesterday, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said in a statement that the names of the EFCC, the Upstream Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority board members were contained in another letter to the Senate
Adesina’s statement partly read, “Nominees for the EFCC board are George Abang Ekpungu from Cross River State (secretary); Lukman Muhammed, (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu); Alhaji Kola Adesina (Kwara); and Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe).
“For the upstream Regulatory Commission, Isa Ibrahim Modibbo is nominated as chairman; Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive; Hassan Gambo, executive commissioner in charge of Finance and Accounts; and Rose C. Ndong, executive commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management.
“Chairman nominee of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority is Idaere Gogo Ogan; Sarki Auwalu, chief executive; Abiodun Adeniji, executive director in charge of Finance and Accounts; and Ogbugo Ukoha, executive director, Distributions Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure.”
The Nation
FULL LIST: Phones that WhatsApp will no longer work on in 2025
WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business will no longer be available on some older smartphones starting May 5, 2025, as Meta phases out support for devices that don’t meet its updated system requirements.
This update is part of Meta’s commitment to enhancing security and ensuring the app performs smoothly on modern hardware and software. The company says the decision is aimed at helping the platform maintain its efficiency and safeguard user data.
While this change will mostly affect older phones — especially those released over a decade ago — users are advised to upgrade their devices to avoid losing access.
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Apple devices affected:
WhatsApp will require iOS 15.1 or later iPhone models that won’t meet the minimum requirement include:
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
These models can only run iOS 12.5.7, which falls below WhatsApp’s new cutoff.
Android Devices Affected:
Back on January 1, 2025, WhatsApp ended support for Android phones running version 4.4 (KitKat) or older. Users with these devices were urged to update their operating systems where possible — but for phones stuck without official updates, using WhatsApp is no longer an option.
Affected Android phones include:
Samsung:
Galaxy S3
Galaxy Note 2
Galaxy Ace 3
Galaxy S4 Mini
Motorola:
Moto G (1st Generation)
Moto E (2014)
Razr HD
HTC:
One X
One X+
Desire 500
Desire 601
LG:
Optimus G
G2 Mini
L90
Nexus 4
Sony:
Xperia Z
Xperia SP
Xperia T
Xperia V
Users still relying on these older devices will need to upgrade to newer models if they want to keep using WhatsApp.
FCT traffic service confirms sale of number plates by touts
The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday advised residents not to patronise touts in registering their vehicles.
A statement by the Director, DRTS, Abdulateef Bello said: “ The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), wishes to inform the general public that the current scarcity of vehicle number plates in the FCT is due to irregular and insufficient supply from the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) Plant and efforts are ongoing to remedy the situation.
“We also wish to draw the attention of the motoring public to the activities of fraudsters impersonating DRTS officials in the attempt to take advantage of the situation to exploit vehicle owners.
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“The DRTS firmly disassociates itself from these illegal activities and strongly caution members of the public against dealing with any individual either staff or agent who claim to be in position of number plates outside what is uploaded in the DRTS self-service portal (https://selfservice.fctevreg.com).
“Moreover, in order to ensure transparency, the approved costs of number plates and related services are readily available on our official communication platforms, and particularly our website.
“The Directorate therefore encourages the public to stick and insist on the stipulated prices.
‘‘In collaboration with the Security Agencies, the Directorate has intensified efforts to bring these impostors to justice.’’
“We urge the public to report suspicious individuals or illegal activities to the Management of the DRTS. The DRTS remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering transparent, efficient, and accountable services to the motoring public”.
Filling stations yet to reduce petrol price after Dangote slashes rate
For the second time in one week, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
With effect from yesterday (April 16th, 2025), the gantry price (ex-depot price) of petrol would now go from N865 to N835.
This would be the second price reduction within a week as Dangote Refinery earlier slashed the price from N880 to N865 per litre.
However, as of yesterday, prices are yet to change at most filling stations including the retail outlets belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
While marketers welcomed the decision by Dangote, they however expressed mixed reactions over what they called, “arbitrary” reduction which portends losses to the market.
Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries, Anthony Chiejina, in a statement said, “High-quality Dangote petrol will now be available at the following prices across all our partner retail outlets….”
He said key partners, including MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Hyde and Techno Oil, will offer petrol at N890 per litre, down from N920 in Lagos.
In the South West, the price will be N900 per litre, reduced from N930 while in the North West and North Central, the price will be N910 per litre, lowered from N940.
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In the South East, South South, and North East, the price will be N920 per litre, down from N950.
The statement said, “These price reductions reaffirm our commitment to providing high-quality petrol at affordable rates, benefiting consumers across the nation. In addition, we are working collaboratively with our partners to ensure equitable reflection of this price reduction.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery has consistently worked to reduce the prices of petrol and other refined petroleum products, ensuring the continued benefit of Nigerian consumers. For example, in February, the refinery reduced prices twice by N125. In addition, products such as diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) have also experienced significant price reductions due to the refinery’s sustained efforts.
“We anticipate that this latest reduction in PMS prices will generate a positive ripple effect throughout various sectors of the economy, providing much-needed relief to consumers and contributing to broader economic growth, particularly during the Easter season.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring a steady supply of premium-quality petroleum products, with sufficient reserves to meet domestic demand, along with a surplus for export. This strategy is designed to support the stability of the domestic market while also contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.”
The refinery however called on industry stakeholders, including marketers and distributors, to continue sourcing their products from the refinery, ensuring that the benefits of these price reductions are fully realised across the country.
It was learnt that the reduction in price of crude oil was one of the reasons behind the price change.
Global crude oil price has been experiencing volatility in recent times as the US tariff war rages.
Crude oil edged more than 2% higher on Wednesday following expectations of tensions easing in the US-China trade war.
At 1:28 p.m. ET, Brent crude was trading up 2.09% at $66.02, while the US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was trading up 2.12% at $62.63.
But as of 8 p.m. yesterday, Brent Crude further dipped to 65.77.
As of the time of filing this report, most filling stations across the country are yet to adjust their pump prices with a litre of PMS still sold as much as N990 in some parts of Nigeria.
In Kano, some independent stations were selling at N990 while the NNPC and MRS were selling at N945. In Maiduguri, Bornu State, a litre was sold at between N950 and N980.
In Abuja, NNPCL sells at N950 per litre while other major stations sell between N955 and N960.
There are indications that NNPCL would also adjust its pump price as it is always the case when Dangote slashes its price but as of the time of filing this report, the price adjustment has not been done.
Daily Trust
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