Protest disrupts fuel loading at Lagos ports – Newstrends
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Protest disrupts fuel loading at Lagos ports

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Protest disrupts fuel loading at Lagos ports

There are fears at the weekend that the current fuel scarcity in Lagos and adjourning states may continue into the week as marketers express frustration with disruption to fuel loading at the Lagos ports.

 The ongoing hunger protest that began on Thursday had led to a halt in petrol loading at the Lagos depots, as depot owners blame the halt in fuel loading at the ports for the problem that is already causing fuel scarcity.Reports on Saturday said depot owners refused to open for business over fears of violence.

The scarcity which is pronounced in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, and other states has increased the activities of black marketers pushing the price of petrol to around N1,300 per litre in some areas.Our correspondent learnt that the depots which were expecting fresh supplies were forced to shut down last week when the commencement of the protest made it difficult for them to load the product over security concerns.

An operator was quoted as saying that members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers were ready to support the depots in loading fuel, but the depot owners refused to take a risk.“There were no activities at the Lagos depots on Thursday and Friday for two obvious reasons. One, we are still battling the paucity of the product, and two, the security concern on the roads after loading due to the hardship protest.

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“NUPENG is ready to support depots to load, but the security situation is a drawback. Hopefully, if the situation improves later today loading may continue tomorrow,” the source stated.Tanker drivers had earlier been quoted as saying that they would continue to load fuel even during the protest.

The President of the National Association of Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, said in an interview that he had directed members of the association to continue lifting fuel but should be careful.According to him, NARTO will not partake in the planned protest, nor will it stop its operations.

“NARTO is not part of this planned protest; we don’t support it and will not partake in it. We have told our members to continue the work they are doing. Nobody should park his truck because any drop in business will bring a lot of scarcity and we don’t want to get involved.

“Everybody is scared and this is the time when we should be able to service everybody to ensure fuel is circulated across the country. We have told our people to continue the good work they are doing, they should just be careful,” Othman stated.He stated that he was unaware that some of the members of the association were not working, stating, “That I don’t know. How were you able to speak to some of them? I am operating. Right now, I have 10 trucks I’m loading. If I’m doing this, other people will follow suit because there is no issue, fuel is going to be continuously circulated. We don’t have any problem. This too will come and go, but we remain in our business.”

Protest disrupts fuel loading at Lagos ports

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Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers

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Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers

 

A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to honour another invitation extended to him over alleged misappropriation of funds.

Bello went to the anti-graft office with his lawyers in the morning.

The ex-Kogi governor reportedly drove himself to the EFCC’s office in a black Toyota Hilux van with some lawyers.

He was said to have been taken by some operatives of the agency and are currently being grilled.

This is  coming after the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed a suit brought by some state governments challenging the constitutionality of the agency.

The EFCC at the last hearing on November 14, sought the adjournment till November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against Bello.

It stated that the 30-day window was still running for the summons earlier issued.

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Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct 

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Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct 

 

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced the immediate suspension of two commissioners with a permanent secretary among others for gross misconduct.

Those suspended are the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Francis Ori, and the Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

The suspension followed an incident on Saturday night, when the governor reportedly visited the Ministry of Health’s premises and was said to have found six officials diverting government materials.

Others suspended for three months are the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency

The suspension order was announced by the state Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, who cited alleged misconduct and dereliction of duties as the reasons for the disciplinary actions.

Okpor made the disclosure on Tuesday during a press briefing on the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday at the New Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital.

“Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, respectively

“In view of the development, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Health was directed to take charge of the ministry in the absence of the suspended commissioner.

Governor Nwifuru directed the suspended government officials to hand over all government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government.

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Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG

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Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun

Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG

The Federal Government has defended its decision to borrow to address budget deficits, despite surpassing revenue targets in 2024.

Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu clarified this position during a session with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance, Budget, and National Planning. The meeting focused on the 2025–2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

Last week, the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s $2.2 billion loan request to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit in the 2024 budget partially.

During the session, key agency heads, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO Mele Kyari, Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji, presented their revenue reports.

The agencies reported exceeding their 2024 targets.

  • Customs Service: Generated ₦5.352 trillion by September 30, surpassing its ₦5.09 trillion target for the year. For 2025, the agency projects ₦6.3 trillion, with a 10% increase planned for 2026.
  • NNPCL: Achieved ₦13.1 trillion in revenue, exceeding the ₦12.3 trillion projection for 2024. Kyari announced a ₦23.7 trillion revenue target for 2025.

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  • FIRS: Surpassed multiple tax collection goals, including ₦5.7 trillion from company income tax against a ₦4 trillion target. Education tax collections also exceeded expectations, reaching ₦1.5 trillion compared to a ₦70 billion target.

Overall, ₦18.5 trillion of the ₦19.4 trillion 2024 revenue target had been achieved by September, indicating the goal will be exceeded by year-end.

Despite these surpluses, the government insists borrowing remains essential to cover budget gaps and support vulnerable populations.

Bagudu explained, “Even with agencies exceeding revenue targets, borrowing is necessary to address deficits and boost productivity, particularly for the poorest. This aligns with Agenda 2050, which aims for a GDP per capita of $33,000.”

Edun also reiterated that loans were critical for adequately funding the budget.

The committee, led by Senator Sani Musa, questioned the rationale behind the borrowing and demanded further transparency. The Immigration Service was specifically asked to provide documents regarding an “unacceptable PPP arrangement” before the end of the week.

The session underscored the government’s balancing act between increased revenues and fiscal challenges requiring external borrowing.

Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG

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