Author: Hamza Rufai

THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has given the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works a five-day ultimatum to appear before it and answer questions regarding the alleged abandonment of a federal road construction project in Kaduna State, valued at ₦1,461,376,553.75. PAC Chairman, Rep. Bamidele Salam announced the directive after the Permanent Secretary failed to respond to two previous invitations. The committee made the resolution while entertaining issues bothering on non-compliance with financial regulations, the procurement act, and to assess the value for money concerning the project. The road construction contract, which spans 115 kilometer and…

THE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has commenced work on the faulty Ugwuaji – Apir 330kV Double Circuit transmission line. According to the TCN, it discovered the fault around 5pm in the Igumale area of Benue State. The TCN said the “fault area of the transmission line, which measures about one span, was found to be a snapped 330kV transmission line located in the swampy forest of Igumale.” “Having made the discovery earlier in the evening of today, arrangements are already ongoing to mobilise equipment and materials that would be moved to the site of the incident to enable TCN…

GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has been nominated for the prestigious Best Security Conscious State Governor Award by Africa Security Watch, which is an international organization focused on enhancing security awareness and addressing contemporary security challenges across the African continent. The award will be presented to the Governor during the 18th Africa Security Watch Awards & Conference, scheduled to take place from December 10th to 12th, 2024, in Doha, Qatar. The event, organized in partnership with Stellenbosch University, South Africa, is a premier international platform that celebrates outstanding achievements in governance, leadership, security, safety, transport, and environmental sustainability.…

A KANO State High Court on Wednesday, fixed Nov. 20, for hearing in pending applications in the ongoing case of alleged bribery and misappropriation against the National Chairman All Progressive Congress(APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Ganduje and six others. This newspaper reports that the state government instituted an eight-count charge bordering on bribery allegations, Misappropriation and division of public funds running into billions of Naira against Ganduje and his wife. Others are; Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited. When the case came up for hearing of…

THE Dangote Petroleum Refinery has received four cargoes of crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited under the naira-for-crude sale agreement, officials of the refinery and the Federal Government confirmed on Tuesday. It was gathered that the four cargoes of crude were delivered to the refinery within the past three weeks when the government kick-started the sale of crude to local refineries in the local currency. Informed sources about the local crude sale deal told our correspondent that the refinery was still waiting to receive more crude oil cargoes from NNPCL, the organisation managing the country’s hydrocarbon resources.…

Imo, Bauchi, Osun, Taraba Join As Anambra, Adamawa, Ebonyi Withdraw THE Supreme Court, on Tuesday, reserved judgment in the suit filed by 19 states challenging the constitutionality of the laws establishing the EFCC and two others to a date to be communicated to the parties. The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: SC/CV/178/2023 had argued that the Supreme Court, in Dr. Joseph Nwobike Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria, had held that it was a UN Convention against corruption that was reduced into the EFCC Establishment Act and that in enacting this law in 2004, the provision of Section 12 of the…

GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have summoned the acting National Chairman of the party, Amb Umar Damagum, the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and others to a crucial meeting today (Tuesday). The meeting is coming ahead of the planned National Executive Committee session scheduled for Thursday. At the meeting, the Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led reconciliation committee is expected to brief the party’s National Working Committee on its findings and potential recommendations. Addressing journalists after meeting with the PDP National Assembly caucus in Abuja, Oyinlola disclosed the role he was expected to play at the meeting. He said, “As…

DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja requesting the annulment of import licenses granted to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, AA Rano Limited, and four other companies. The case centred on the importation of refined petroleum products that Dangote Refinery claimed were already being produced domestically without shortages. In the suit, Dangote Refinery is also demanding ₦100bn in damages from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The refinery alleged that the NMDPRA has unlawfully continued to issue import licenses to the NNPCL,…

OIL marketers have said that the bulk of jet fuel consumed locally is now being supplied by the Dangote Refinery. According to a report by Energy Intelligence, jet fuel marketers say fuel from the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery make up the bulk of jet fuel utilised locally, less than six months after it began production. “We’re already buying from Dangote [now] it’s slightly cheaper or at least the same price as imports,” Asharami Synergy’s managing director, Foluso Sobanjo, told Energy Intelligence in an interview this week. The downstream subsidiary of Sahara Group is now Nigeria’s leading airline fuel…

NO fewer than four vessels carrying imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, arrived at seaports situated along the nation’s borders between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20, findings by this newspaper show. According to a document obtained from the Nigerian Port Authority on Sunday, about 123.4 million litres of PMS were berthed at two seaports to improve fuel supply nationwide. The latest development confirms an exclusive report by this newspaper, which disclosed that oil dealers intend to import the commodity to supplement the supply from the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The dealers had stated that the supply from…

THE All Progressive Congress, APC, has swept the 21 Local Government Chairmanship seats and 239 councillorship slots in Kogi in the election held on Saturday Mr Mamman Nda-Eri, chairman, Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, KOSIEC, who announced the results in Lokoja, said the election was peaceful, free, fair and credible. This newspaper reports that among the elected local government chairmen was a woman that clinched the seat in Ogori-Magongo Local Government. “APC performed excellently; it cleared all the chairmanship and councillorship positions, leaving nothing to the other 18 political parties that took part in the election. “The results declared at…

THE Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman noted that the country has recorded a drop in the performance of female students in examination. Mamman gave the expression at the end of a technical and vocational education training camp for girls in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital. Although he did not state the reason for the decrease in performance, however, the minister further noted that the camp would trigger female students’ interest in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship. Mamman urged female students to show commitment to their studies. According to him, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration was determined to produce students with…

THE Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to attend to numerous issues affecting the smooth operations of polytechnics and mono-technics in the country, or face a prolonged industrial action. Addressing journalists at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi in Plateau State Zonal Coordinator Zone B, Lumpye Simji stated that the national executive council at its last meeting, reviewed the current status of engagements with proprietors of public polytechnics, colleges of technology and mono-technics in the country, specifically on some disturbing issues affecting the polytechnic sector. Some of the issues in contention…

VANDALS have destroyed two towers along the crucial 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines 1 and 2, throwing parts of Kano and Kaduna into darkness. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said Friday that the towers, T133 and T136, suffered extensive damage, resulting in a disruption of electricity supply to parts of the North-West, including Kaduna and Kano. The incident was first detected when one of the transmission lines tripped, shortly followed by the second, prompting TCN to mobilise local vigilante groups for increased patrols around the affected area. TCN’s Shiroro Regional Office said the cables were found to be severely compromised…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed worry over the deepening political crisis in Nigeria, pinning the blame on court rulings, which he described as “turning the cone of justice upside down.” Speaking at the 67th birthday celebration and 50-book presentation of renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Mike Ozekhome, the former President also warned Judges not to be swayed by political antics. While addressing the gathering, which he co-chaired alongside former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan noted that recent court judgments in political matters have thrown the country into disarray, particularly referencing a ruling that empowered…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is still the sole off-taker of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery despite the recent directive of the Federal Government that other oil marketers were free to start loading PMS from the plant. Oil marketers revealed on Wednesday that NNPC would continue to be sole off-taker of the product from the $20bn Lekki-based plant until its agreement with the Dangote refinery as regards the lifting of PMS terminates. They, however, did not tell when the agreement between both organisations would end. Officials of NNPC and the Dangote refinery also…

THE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Tuesday said the ongoing restoration of the national grid which collapsed on Monday is ongoing and almost completed. In a statement on Tuesday, the Public Affairs General Manager of TCN, Ndidi Mbah, said that the national grid experienced a partial disturbance, on Monday, 14th October 2024 at about 6:48 pm. “The statement said although the recovery of the grid commenced immediately, with Azura power station providing the blackstart, grid recovery reached advanced stages at about 10.24 am, today (Tuesday) when it encountered a challenge that caused a slight setback in the recovery process,”…

THE national electricity grid collapsed again on Tuesday, plunging millions of people into darkness. The latest incident comes barely 24 hours after electricity distribution companies across the country announced the grid collapsed around 6:48 p.m, resulting in the loss of power supply across their networks. “Dear valued customer, kindly be informed that there was a system collapse at 09:17hrs which has resulted to a loss of power supply across our network,” Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) which serves some parts of Lagos State said on its X handle. “We are currently working with our partners as we hope for a…

AMID the hardship faced by Nigerians, the Federal Government says it empathises with the citizens, especially the poor. The Vice President, Senator Shettima, stated this in Abuja on Monday during the 30th anniversary of the Nigerian Economic Summit. He defended the economic policies of the current administration while highlighting steps taken by the government to improve the economy. “Some of the policy decisions, the policy options available are painful, but they are almost inevitable,” Shettima said. “My heart and the heart of President Bola Tinubu go to the Nigerian people. We empathise with what the poor and the young are…

GROUP Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, says petrol smugglers took advantage of the loopholes in the subsidy regime by making around ₦17m profit per truck in neighbouring countries. Briefing journalists in Abuja, the NNPCL boss said cross-border smuggling was rampant due to the fuel subsidy, with a 6,000-liter truck netting smugglers no less than ₦17 million per trip. “In the last 47 years, PMS has always been subsidised and subsidy is creating arbitrage that means there is a difference between price in one location, lower than what it should be in another location,”…