Afe Babalola to Tinubu: Seek debt relief from international creditors - Newstrends
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Afe Babalola to Tinubu: Seek debt relief from international creditors

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Afe Babalola to Tinubu: Seek debt relief from international creditors

Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has advised President Bola Tinubu to seek debt relief from international creditors.
He stated this call during the 6th Induction Ceremony of 2023 graduating set of College of Medical and Health Sciences, ABUAD, by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.
He said, “Nigeria is one of the heaviest debtors in the world. I have written articles about it. Let us investigate how we came to several trillions of dollars. What do we spend it on? I can assure you, this money is pocketed by those who said they collected it.
“Let us call on Obasanjo again to advise the present government. When we were in serious trouble in the 90s, after he took over, he went round all the creditors and begged them; one, to peg the interest; two, to even reduce the indebtedness and today, we are better for it.
“Unless we do that, this indebtedness will cripple this country and it will lead to anything. I have seen people especially, in the North who are agitating because of the fact that the naira is getting worse; food prices are high; no employment, and those who get it are not paid. Something has to be done about it.”

He urged President Bola Tinubu to adopt former President Obasanjo’s style, by seeking reduction in the interest of the loan and the loan itself.

This according to him will lessen the burden of the loan on the country and bolster its economic growth.

Babalola also condemned the recent killings of two traditional rulers in Ekiti State and hike in food prices, attributing the phenomenon to the ‘worthless’ value of naira currency which has propelled an average Nigerian to succumb to heinous acts and other criminalities in order to make ends meet.
He urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts at tackling insecurity so that farmers could access their farms without fear and enable all Nigerians to be producers of crops by investing in agriculture.
The legal icon also called on the government to increase the salaries of teachers across all the levels of education to bolster their teaching delivery towards achieving and sustaining quality education in the country, as it has been in the 20th century.
His words: “Monarchs are killed; it is an unusual development. So, what is behind all these is the fact that we have no money, our money has no value; our currency is as worthless as toilet paper. Something has to be done about naira and productivity.
“Farmers have left their farms now because of kidnappers, something has to be done about kidnapping and farmers have to be encouraged to go back to their farms.”

The legal luminary urged the inductees not to contribute to the brain drain syndrome adversely affecting medical profession in Nigeria.
At the 6th induction ceremony, no fewer than 12 students of College of Medicine and Health Sciences of ABUAD bagged distinctions as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) inducted 161 students of 2023 graduating set.
The students recorded excellence in courses such as Community Medicine, Surgery, Pathology, Pharmacology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology and Integrated General Medical Courses.
After the physician pledge, the Registrar, MDCN, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, condemned the trends of japa syndrome and advised the inductees to return to Nigeria if given placements to train outside the country.

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Nigeria Takes Centre Stage at UN Road Safety Summit as Tinubu Delegates FRSC Corps Marshal

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Nigeria Takes Centre Stage at UN Road Safety Summit as Tinubu Delegates FRSC Corps Marshal

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to the global campaign against road traffic fatalities by appointing the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, to lead the country’s delegation to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety in New York, United States.

The high-level gathering at the United Nations General Assembly Headquarters has brought together Heads of State, ministers, global policymakers and road safety experts to review progress and accelerate efforts towards achieving the UN target of reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent before 2030 under the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Representing President Tinubu at the plenary session, Shehu Mohammed delivered Nigeria’s national statement on the meeting’s theme, “Scaling Up and Accelerating Implementation of Commitments to Halving Road Traffic Deaths and Injuries by 2030.”

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to strengthen road safety governance through sustained political commitment, strategic investments, innovation and stronger international partnerships in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Corps Marshal highlighted the significant progress Nigeria has recorded in advancing road safety, noting that the Federal Government has strengthened the institutional capacity of the FRSC through strategic reforms, technology-driven enforcement systems, enhanced emergency response mechanisms and intensified public education campaigns aimed at reducing crashes and fatalities.

He also showcased Nigeria’s growing influence in road safety across Africa, citing the recent launch of the Nigeria Road Assessment Programme (NigeriaRAP) in partnership with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP).

According to him, the initiative adopts the globally recognised Safe System Approach to improve road infrastructure safety and reduce crash risks.

Mohammed further pointed to Nigeria’s role as host of the Secretariat of the African Association of Road Safety Lead Agencies (AARSLA), describing it as a strategic platform for promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and institutional development among road safety agencies across the continent.

On sustainable transportation, the FRSC boss told delegates that Nigeria is aligning its mobility agenda with global environmental goals through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs), while developing comprehensive safety standards for heavy-duty vehicles and emerging transport technologies.

While acknowledging the progress already made, Mohammed stressed that achieving the 2030 target would require stronger international cooperation in areas such as intelligent enforcement technologies, road infrastructure safety assessments, institutional capacity development and technology transfer.

He therefore urged development partners and the international community to expand technical cooperation and support capacity-building programmes that would help countries accelerate the implementation of global road safety commitments.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s position, the Corps Marshal declared that road safety remains a national priority under President Tinubu’s administration, assuring the global community that the country would continue to collaborate with international partners to build safer roads, save more lives and contribute meaningfully to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN High-Level Meeting, convened by the President of the United Nations General Assembly in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is expected to adopt a Progress Declaration that will shape global road safety actions towards meeting the 2030 target.

The meeting is also reviewing countries’ progress since the 2022 Political Declaration and the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety held in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2025.

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Dangote Refinery resumes naira petrol sales, fixes gantry price at ₦1,215 per litre

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Dangote Refinery resumes naira petrol sales, fixes gantry price at ₦1,215 per litre

Dangote Refinery resumes naira petrol sales, fixes gantry price at ₦1,215 per litre

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has resumed the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in naira, ending its temporary dollar-denominated pricing regime and fixing a new gantry (ex-depot) price of ₦1,215 per litre.

The refinery announced the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the decision is expected to provide relief to petroleum marketers and consumers after days of uncertainty caused by the temporary switch to dollar pricing.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has resumed the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in naira, providing a measure of relief to marketers and consumers. The gantry price is fixed at ₦1,215 per litre,” the company stated.

The announcement comes barely a week after the refinery suspended naira sales and introduced U.S. dollar pricing for some refined petroleum products, including petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.

Under the temporary pricing template circulated to marketers, petrol was sold at $0.779 per litre, diesel at $1.087 per litre, while aviation fuel (Jet A1) was priced at $0.942 per litre.

The refinery had attributed the temporary dollar pricing to commercial realities surrounding crude oil procurement and foreign exchange obligations, particularly following challenges associated with the Federal Government’s crude-for-naira initiative.

The decision immediately triggered higher depot prices across the downstream petroleum sector, forcing marketers to source products at increased costs.

Consequently, retail petrol prices rose sharply in several parts of the country. In Lagos, pump prices climbed to between ₦1,200 and ₦1,280 per litre, while motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and many other states paid even higher prices due to transportation costs, logistics and regional distribution margins.

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Industry operators, including the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), had warned that prolonged dollar pricing would expose marketers to foreign exchange risks, increase operating costs and ultimately push higher fuel prices onto consumers.

Many independent marketers also complained that the pricing structure forced them to purchase petroleum products from private depots at significantly higher prices after loading from the refinery became more expensive.

The refinery’s decision to resume naira sales is therefore expected to ease pressure on marketers by reducing their dependence on foreign exchange for product purchases while improving fuel availability across the country.

Although the new ₦1,215 per litre gantry price is higher than the refinery’s previous naira ex-depot price before the temporary suspension, analysts believe the return to naira transactions could help stabilise the downstream market and reduce price volatility.

Energy experts, however, noted that the gantry price represents only the wholesale cost of petrol. The final pump price paid by motorists will continue to depend on transportation costs, depot charges, distribution expenses, retail margins and other operational factors across different regions of Nigeria.

The development also supports the Federal Government’s broader objective of encouraging local currency transactions in the petroleum sector through the crude-for-naira policy, which is intended to reduce pressure on foreign exchange demand and strengthen domestic fuel supply.

With a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery remains Africa’s largest single-train refinery and is expected to play a central role in improving Nigeria’s energy security, reducing fuel imports and stabilising the domestic petroleum market.

Industry stakeholders are now watching closely to see whether the refinery’s return to naira transactions will translate into lower retail petrol prices and improved product availability in the coming days.

Dangote Refinery resumes naira petrol sales, fixes gantry price at ₦1,215 per litre

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Blessing Computers marks over 20 years of building trust, expanding access to genuine technology

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Blessing Computers marks over 20 years of building trust, expanding access to genuine technology

For more than two decades, while Nigeria’s technology landscape has evolved at a remarkable pace, one company has steadily built its reputation on a less glamorous but enduring asset—trust.

Blessing Computers Limited, established in 2003 and incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), has marked over 20 years of providing genuine technology products, ICT infrastructure solutions, technical support and after-sales services to individuals, businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and corporate organisations across Nigeria and beyond, reinforcing its position as one of the country’s dependable technology solution providers.

Reflecting on the role of technology in today’s society, the company said access to reliable digital tools has become increasingly critical to personal and economic development.

According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Blessing Ikhayere Usinode, “Technology has quietly become the infrastructure of modern life. It powers how students learn, how businesses operate, how professionals deliver their best work, and how individuals stay connected to the opportunities around them.

“But access to reliable, genuine, and well-supported technology has never been evenly distributed — and for many people across Nigeria, finding a trustworthy place to start has been the first and hardest challenge.”

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Headquartered in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, Blessing Computers says its growth has been anchored on a simple philosophy of ensuring customers receive honest professional guidance, quality products and dependable support long after every purchase.

As an authorised Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partner for globally recognised brands including Dell, HP and Lenovo, Blessing Computers supplies laptops, desktop computers, printers, network servers, networking equipment and a broad range of technology accessories.

It also offers products from other leading global technology manufacturers to meet the diverse needs of its growing customer base.

Beyond hardware sales, the company has expanded its offerings to include IT infrastructure deployment, system upgrades, network solutions, technical consultancy, repairs and maintenance, delivery services, deployment support, structured after-sales support and warranty management, positioning itself as a long-term technology partner rather than simply a retailer.

From its Lagos base, Blessing Computers has steadily expanded its reach across Nigeria while serving clients in international markets.

Over the years, the company said it has earned the confidence of businesses, institutions and organisations through consistent service delivery, professional expertise and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

The company says its sustained growth has been driven less by aggressive marketing than by referrals from satisfied customers and a reputation built on reliability, integrity and quality service.

Evaluating the milestone, Blessing Computers notes that technology goes beyond the devices people use every day, describing it as a critical enabler of education, business growth, productivity and economic opportunities.

The company reaffirms its commitment to delivering trusted technology products, expert technical support and innovative ICT solutions that help individuals and organisations embrace digital transformation with confidence while making reliable technology more accessible to Nigerians.

Blessing Computers marks over 20 years of building trust, expanding access to genuine technology

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