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Reps Raise Alarm Over Plot To Sink Nigeria Through Fuel Subsidy

Published

4 years ago

September 20, 2022

… says Nigeria subsidising for neighbouring countries

NNPC extends DSDP to avert fuel scarcity during Christmas.

THE House of Representatives on Monday raised the alarm over alleged plans to sink the country through the controversies trailing the fuel subsidy regime.

Chairman, House ad hoc committee investigating the subsidy regime between 2013 and 2021, Honourable Ibrahim Mustapha, disclosed this while responding to the submission of the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, who averred that Nigeria is subsiding West African countries.

While responding to a question on the huge allocation of petrol to states near border towns, the NNPC helmsman lamented that previous efforts made by the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to install Acquila facility with a view to forestalling illegal transportation of PMS across illegal border failed.

He, however, said: “If you have N5 million, you can cross the borders with trucks laden with PMS and that is the bitter truth: we have porous borders; yes, we have the Customs service but I do not know.

“PMS crosses anywhere to Cameroon through the North-East, Nigerian petrol gets to Upper Volta, Mali; our neighbouring countries hardly import petrol; in fact, some of them do not have the LC cover to back up imports.

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“Cameroon refinery got burnt sometime last year or so, since that time, they have not imported petrol and then, still using the product. If you go to Niger, you find that petrol is sold in bottles just like Coca-Cola because, to them, it is a cheaper source why waste their foreign exchange? So, we are subsidising for our neighbours, that is the simple truth.”

In a swift response, Honourable Mustapha said: “There is a committee set up by the seventh Assembly that investigated subsidy. And, in the report of that committee, it was established that 31.5 million litres of PMS were being consumed daily as of that time; that was in 2012.

“Now, in comparison with the figure we are having before us here, 66 million plus litres, one will wonder what increase of consumption is it that within 10 years, we have over 100 per cent increment. How can we justify it?

“For a layman like me, if I say 1,500 trucks were discharged from various depots into the country, it will at least take those trucks five to 12 hours to arrive at their final discharge point and then, it will take more hours to discharge.

“So, how come that these trucks will discharge and return same day and also be able to load to maintain the 64 or 66 million consumption daily?

“And the second issue, if you look at this your table, gasoline price across West African countries per naira per litre. Maybe you will help a layman like me that probably we are simply subsidising for the West African region. Even in Niger Republic, it is sold for N536; in Mali, N577; in neighbouring Benin, N389; in Ghana, N589 and in Togo, N470. In Chad, N362 and in Cameron, N423, whereas the landing cost plus incidentals, profit and whatever as you projected here is N462 in Nigeria and we subsidise it to N162 or N165 or thereabout.

“Don’t you think we deliberately choose to sink the country for the benefits of others? What justification can we say we have to justify this to Nigerians? These are some of the key issues we will like to hear from the horse’s mouth.”

Speaking earlier, the NNPC helmsman, who painted a gory picture of how oil theft and pipeline vandalisation plagued the industry, disclosed that the country, which produced 2.3 million barrel per day before COVID-19, currently produces between 1.2 million and 1.6 million barrel per day, against 1.8 million barrels per day approved by OPEC.

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Noting that the joint venture partners are entitled to about half of the total production, some of the partners, he said, have declared force majeure, with ExxonMobil shut-in, while Shell has also signified plans to follow suit.

Kyari, who was represented by the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr Umar Ajia, said: “We have about 1.6 billion litres incoming, land and marine. This is what is the minimum level we have to maintain, especially as we approach winter. Most of the refineries that we procure are actually shutting down their operations because of the clamour for green energy and COP26 compliance.

“Even gas that is transition fuel for us is being given eight years. Of course, we do not agree. When you look at PMS outlook, we want be closing each and every month with a two billion closing stock. That is the only way you can sustain petroleum so that a marketer do not see some slack and take advantage by begin to hoard product that create, artificial scarcity which can lead to queue.

“There is a huge arbitrage for anybody to move product to outside. We are not saying that the bulk of the product is smuggled. The reality is that there is no study to validate the actual consumption. What we are reporting daily is what the authority, which is the regulator, publishes. They are represented at every depot in Nigeria.

“Exchange rate has been moving steadily from N195.5 to now N390.6 to a dollar, on average. The subsidy scheme is two ways, the fx subsidy and price.

“The shipping cost has doubled, therefore the landing cost of PMS has moved from N87 per litre in 2015 to about N327.68 per litre today. When you compare it to what we sell, you have a N209 on every litre. When you multiply the N209 per litre with an average of 66.7 million litre, you are talking about N3.4 trillion subsidy for the year.

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“The reality today is that if one were to take statistics of the number of vehicles in Nigeria, how many Keke NAPEP do we have? How many pumping machines do we have? On a routine visit, I saw nothing less than a million keke. Take an average that each one uses four litres every day, that is four million litres, one city.

“We have not done a study to validate; people are saying that we are evacuating 66 million a day. That is the reality. Some days, what is evacuated can go as much as 100 million a day, while some weekends, we do zero. The marketers are watching.

“States like Oyo and Ogun states even consume more than Lagos State, so you wonder. Is it that they have more vehicles than Lagos? This explains that these are states with porous borders and that will explain why this bulk evacuation is going out of Oyo and Ogun states, probably neighbouring countries.”

He also informed the lawmakers that the company resolved to extend the Direct Sales Direct Purchase (DSDP) contract, which was billed to end in August 2022, in order to avert fuel scarcity in December and during the 2023 general election.

“It is a very dangerous period to begin to re-tender for that because we are facing the winter. These are the difficult ‘embers months’ that we normally avoid fuel scarcity,” he said.

Before resorting to a closed-door session, Mustapha had directed some subsidiaries, including Duke Oil and NNPC Retail Limited, to appear on Thursday with relevant documents.
Tribune

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Presidency Clarifies Edun, Dangiwa Resigned—Not Sacked

Published

11 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Presidency Clarifies Edun, Dangiwa Resigned—Not Sacked

The Presidency has clarified that former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, resigned from office on health grounds and was not removed, putting to rest speculation surrounding his exit from the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

In a statement issued in Abuja by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the government also confirmed that the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, similarly stepped down voluntarily.

According to the Presidency, Edun conveyed his decision in a formal resignation letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing health concerns. The former minister, who recently turned 70, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the administration.

“It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve your administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda. Under your leadership, Nigeria has emerged stronger, more resilient and more internationally respected,” his letter read in part.

The Presidency disclosed that Edun paid a valedictory visit to the President on Tuesday, where both men held a closed-door meeting lasting about an hour before the official announcement of his resignation.

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Following the meeting, Edun was said to have departed Abuja to focus on private business interests and personal matters, marking the end of his tenure in public office for now.

Similarly, Ahmed Dangiwa thanked the President for the opportunity to serve, as the administration acknowledged his contributions to housing and urban development policies during his time in office.

President Tinubu expressed appreciation to both former ministers for their service and roles in advancing the government’s reform agenda, wishing them success in their future endeavours.

As part of the transition, the Presidency confirmed that Taiwo Oyedele has assumed office as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. He has been tasked with consolidating ongoing fiscal reforms and driving Nigeria’s economic agenda with renewed discipline and innovation.

In the housing sector, the President is expected to forward the nomination of Muttaqha Darma to the Senate for confirmation as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

Edun, a seasoned economist and investment banker, previously served as Lagos State Commissioner for Finance between 1999 and 2004 during Tinubu’s tenure as governor, where he played a key role in fiscal reforms at the state level.

His tenure at the federal level was marked by efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s economy, manage public finances, and implement reforms amid inflationary pressures and global economic uncertainty.

The Presidency’s clarification comes amid heightened public interest and political commentary following the recent cabinet reshuffle, with officials emphasising that the exits were voluntary and part of a smooth leadership transition within the administration.

Presidency Clarifies Edun, Dangiwa Resigned—Not Sacked

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Insecurity in Nigeria: US Lawmaker Accuses Matawalle of Attempt to Silence Global Scrutiny

Published

24 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Trends Admin

A United States lawmaker, Kimberly Daniels

Insecurity in Nigeria: US Lawmaker Accuses Matawalle of Attempt to Silence Global Scrutiny

A fresh controversy has erupted over Nigeria insecurity, drawing international attention after a United States lawmaker, Kimberly Daniels, accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of attempting to suppress global scrutiny of ongoing violence across parts of the country.

Daniels, a member of the Florida House of Representatives and Chairwoman of the United World Congress of Diplomats, made the allegations during a Facebook Live broadcast, where she claimed there were coordinated efforts linked to the minister to influence American officials and control the narrative surrounding the security crisis in Nigeria.

According to Daniels, her earlier statements highlighting what she described as targeted killings in Nigeria, particularly affecting Christian communities, triggered pressure from individuals she alleged were associated with Matawalle. She said these efforts included attempts to discredit her report, circulate counter-narratives, and lobby U.S.-based elected officials to publicly oppose her position. Daniels further alleged that an unnamed American lawmaker was “persuaded” to defend Nigeria’s defence leadership, raising concerns about possible external influence on U.S. political voices.

“I am speaking on behalf of people who say they are under attack,” Daniels stated, emphasizing that her intervention was intended to call for investigation into the violence in Northern Nigeria rather than make outright accusations. She insisted that no amount of pressure would silence her, citing her constitutional right to speak on international human rights issues.

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The controversy stems from a report released on April 14, 2026, by Daniels under the UN-WCD, which spotlighted escalating insecurity in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions. The report referenced attacks during the Easter period in Plateau, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states, noting what it described as a widening gap between government assurances and the realities faced by communities on the ground.

In addition to documenting the Nigeria killings crisis, the report questioned the credibility of the current defence leadership and recommended a review of the country’s security architecture. It specifically called on Bola Tinubu to consider redeploying Matawalle and initiating a transparent investigation into both the security situation and the allegations of influence operations.

Daniels maintained that her findings were based on testimonies from affected communities, contributions from members of the Nigerian diaspora, and intelligence gathered through the UN-WCD’s multinational network spanning the United States, Nigeria, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and Canada. She stressed that the aim was to promote accountability and draw global attention to the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, not to interfere with the country’s sovereignty.

As of now, Matawalle has not issued an official response to the allegations. However, the development has sparked debate within political and diplomatic circles, with some Nigerian stakeholders cautioning against foreign involvement in domestic security matters, while others argue that international attention could help address the Nigeria security crisis more effectively.

The situation underscores growing global concern over banditry in Nigeria, insurgency, and communal violence, as well as increasing scrutiny of how Nigeria’s defence leadership is handling the crisis. It also highlights the expanding influence of diaspora voices and foreign lawmakers in shaping international narratives around Nigeria’s internal security challenges.

Insecurity in Nigeria: US Lawmaker Accuses Matawalle of Attempt to Silence Global Scrutiny

News

BREAKING: Tinubu Allegedly Shakes Up Cabinet, Removes Wale Edun, Ahmed Dangiwa

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2026

Trends Admin

Wale Edun

BREAKING: Tinubu Allegedly Shakes Up Cabinet, Removes Wale Edun, Ahmed Dangiwa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly approved a minor cabinet reshuffle involving key changes in the Federal Executive Council (FEC), including the removal of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, alongside the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.

The development was said to have been contained in a memo signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, directing immediate transition processes across the affected ministries.

Wale Edun, Dangiwa Relieved of Ministerial Duties

According to the reported directive, Wale Edun has been asked to hand over duties at the Ministry of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Similarly, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa is to vacate his position as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

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The memo reportedly instructed that all handover processes be concluded on or before close of business on Thursday, April 23, 2026, ensuring a smooth administrative transition within the affected ministries.

Succession Arrangements and Ministerial Changes

The document further stated that Mr. Taiwo Oyedele has been named as the incoming Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, following Edun’s exit.

In the housing ministry, Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma has reportedly been nominated as Minister-designate for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, pending formal confirmation procedures. Until then, Dangiwa has been directed to hand over to the Minister of State within the ministry.

Presidency Explains Reason for Reshuffle

Explaining the development, SGF George Akume was quoted as saying the changes are aimed at improving cohesion, synergy in governance, and economic delivery under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He added that President Tinubu acted within his constitutional powers under Sections 147 and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), emphasizing that cabinet adjustments remain part of ongoing efforts to improve governance efficiency.

Presidential Appreciation and Next Steps

The memo also reportedly conveyed President Tinubu’s appreciation to outgoing ministers for their service to the nation, while wishing them success in their future engagements. It further indicated that the President assured Nigerians and cabinet members that government reinvigoration efforts will continue periodically.