Says Dangote petrol price won’t be fixed

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has directed  petrol marketers to open Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, points at their filling stations to increase accessibility for consumers.

The Chief Executive, NMDPRA, Engr Farouk Ahmed who disclosed this during a meeting with key oil marketing companies in Abuja yesterday, said new applications for retail licences would no longer be approved without CNG points.

Ahmed who described the push by the Federal Government to encourage the use of CNG as an alternative to petrol as a revolution, said the government was determined to reduce the burden of petrol on the economy.

“We hope to see very soon CNG add-ons in most of our upcoming and larger petrol stations just like we have PMS, AGO and DPK so that we can have easy access for the consumers. But first, we have to address the supply side and we are working with the producing companies, our sister agency, NUPRC and NNPC Limited as well as GACN (Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria) to ensure that the product is also available at competitive cost to the consumers.

“This will align us with the President’s objective of transforming the country into more CNG for mobility rather than depending heavily on PMS. So, we are appealing to the companies to also invest and ensure that the point of sale for CNG is available to consumers.

“Once we are done with consultations, we will require that CNG add-ons be put in petrol stations and for new applications, one of the requirements will be that you must have CNG add-on in the petrol station”, he said.

On the recent shortage of petrol across the country, Engr. Farouk blamed it on the logistics problem faced by NNPC Limited in moving product from offshore to onshore depots.

He stressed that though the government was encouraging local refining of petroleum products to reduce imports, it would not compel oil marketers to buy from Dangote Refinery as the decision was commercial. 

“We allayed the fears of the marketers and we told them that Dangote refinery is a major achievement in our country because in the past we were importing every litre of petroleum products we required except those supplied by modular refineries. And as an oil producing country, we believe at NMDPRA that we should support our local industry. And that is why we encourage our marketers to patronize our local refineries.

“But, at the same time, it is a commercial decision that they will have to make between the suppliers and the clients. NMDPRA will not determine how much it is sold or how much you are buying. It is their own decision to go to Dangote refinery and purchase, and for Dangote refinery to determine the price it will sell. As a regulator, we are only interested that the nation is well supplied”, he added.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released additional 36,540 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME results, which were earlier withheld for further investigation.

This was in addition to the 531 results released the previous week now bringing the total results released to 1,879,437.

The board disclosed this in a statement it released on Tuesday night through its spokesman, Fabian Benjamin.

JAMB, in the statement, denied reports circulation on the social media purporting to emanate from it that the outstanding 2024 UTME results, currently being subjected to intense scrutiny by its team of experts, had been compromised on account of a cyber security breach and that it is considering rescheduling the examination.

It asked the public to disregard the report, saying it was created by fraudsters who are out to dupe the unsuspecting members of the public.

“In another development, the attention of the Board was drawn to a fictitious letter concocted by a fraudster and circulated on social media purporting to emanate from the  Board stating that the outstanding 2024 UTME results, currently being subjected to intense scrutiny by its team of experts, had been compromised on account of a cyber security breach and that it is considering rescheduling the examination.

“This is far from the truth as the said letter did not emanate from the Board. In fact, a closer look at the letter, which was not signed by any person, lacked every ingredient of a letter from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. The letter is, therefore,  from those, who wish to destroy the integrity of the Board, by compromising its unassailable operational processes to mislead hapless candidates with the sole aim of extorting them.

“The Board reiterated, for the umpteenth time, that the results of its  2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and other previous years are intact, not in any cloud storage and can, therefore, not be hacked by anybody.

“It is to be recalled that at the release of the 2024 UTME, the Board had announced that some results had been withheld as they were being subjected to further investigation. Out of these, 531 results were released recently. Others found to be involved in any examination misconduct are still undergoing investigation as the Board would want to review all the footage of all CCTV cameras placed in all its accredited centres to ascertain the candidate’s culpability or otherwise.

“At the conclusion of this exercise, the Board would publish its findings. Therefore, the public is urged to be wary of misleading information emanating from sources not linked to the Board be it religious or other sources.

“Equally disturbing is the misleading comments of some functionaries of  some private institutions, who are linking the Board with “the prevailing low ‘cut-off marks’ when in practice, it was their institutions that had submitted lower minimum minimum admissible scores marks, even lower than what other institutions had presented.

“For the purpose of clarity, minimum admissible scores are first presented by individual institutions before such are debated to  arrive at a benchmark agreed upon by all Heads of Institutions across the country at its annual Policy Meeting on Admissions and which no institution would be allowed to compromise.

“Also, the Board would also like to urge religious organisations to stick to their primary roles and not dabble into areas outside their calling as there are reports of some religious organisations making false representation to government at various levels for selfish ends, “it read.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has preferred a fresh charge against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, over an allegation that he illegally printed Naira notes while he held sway at the apex bank.

The anti-graft agency, in the four-count charge it entered before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, equally accused the former CBN boss of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of about N124.8billion from the consolidated revenue fund.

According to the EFCC, the defendant, acting in violation of law and “with intent to cause injury to the public,” okayed the printing of naira notes without the approval of both the former President, Muhammadu Buhari and the board of the CBN.

Emefiele, who is already facing multiple charges both in Abuja and Lagos, is expected to take his plea before trial Justice Maryann Anenih.

Specifically, the charge against him, read: “That you Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

“That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

“That you Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

“That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had on June 9, 2023, suspended Emefiele from office as the head of the apex bank.

He was later arrested at his Lagos residence by DSS operatives.

The former CBN boss was subsequently transferred to the custody of the EFCC, which on November 28, 2023, docked him on a six-count charge that bordered on his alleged involvement in procurement fraud.

Though Emefiele, who initially spent 151 days in custody of security agencies, was later granted bail to the tune of N300million and ordered to produce two sureties that the trial court stressed must be Abuja residents that have landed property within the Maitama District, the defendant could not perfect the conditions till December 23, 2023, when he was released from Kuje prison where he spent about 34 days.

Six men have been arrested for raping a 12 year old girl at Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. 

The girl, whose name was withheld,  went for an errand for her parents when she was accosted by the men and taken to their hideout. 

The suspects include: isah Isma’il, 60yrs, Ibrahim Umar, 45, Mustapha Sani, 44, Dauda Garba, 40, Tukur Bawa, 38 and Muktar Muhammed, 28. 

It was gathered that they were apprehended by men of the Hisbah Command at various locations in Argungu after committing the crime.

A director at the Hisbah Command in Birnin Kebbi said the suspects confessed to committing the offence while being interrogated by the officials of the command.

He added that the suspects and the victim had been handed over to the criminal investigation department of the police command in Birnin Kebbi for further investigation.

The Public Relations Officer of the Police Command, SP Nafi’u Abubakar who confirmed the arrest of the suspects said they are being investigated at the CID in Birnin Kebbi police Command.

Super Eagles coach, Finidi George has promised to make Enyimba International Stadium as his first point of call in search of home- based players for the Eagles.

The Enyimba International Stadium is the home ground of Nigeria Premier Football League side Enyimba.

Finidi revealed that he is hopeful of selecting at least one player to play in the Super Eagles from the People’s Elephant.

The former Enyimba coach revealed this during his farewell speech in Aba.

“Definitely I will still come back to Aba to watch Enyimba play because my duty now is to mix the Super Eagles team up with the home based players,” Finidi told the media in Aba.

“Aba definitely will be my first destination when I come to watch Enyimba play. Most likely I will see one or two that I can take with me to the Super Eagles.”

DAILY POST recalls that Finidi George was unveiled as the Super Eagles coach on Monday.

A 38-year-old Ipswich Town manager, Kieran McKenna could be the next boss at Manchester United.

The Red Devils have reportedly started talks with representatives of the manager as they search for Erik ten Hag’s potential replacement.

As per a report by Santi Aouna on FootMercato, the young manager’s past experience with the Red Devils and his exceptional display at the Championship side has seen him get on the list.

Kieran McKenna has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town as they return to the Premier League next season.

McKenna was the U18 coach at Old Trafford in 2016 and was later promoted to assistant manager under Jose Mourinho before leaving in 2018.

He was appointed as the Ipswich Town manager in December 2021.

The report, however, added that England national team boss, Gareth Southgate remains the top candidate for Manchester United.

Apart from the England boss, McKenna, Graham Potter, Thomas Tuchel and Robert De Zerbi have all been linked with Manchester United.

Naira’s woes continue for the second week as legitimate operators of Bureau De Change, BDC, await the Central Bank of Nigeria’s intervention.

FMDQ data showed that the naira dipped to N1520.40 per dollar on Tuesday from N1478.11.

This represents N42.29 depreciation against the dollar in the official market compared to N1478.11 traded on Monday.

 

Similarly, in the parallel market section, the naira dropped to N1520 per dollar on Tuesday, compared to N1500 the previous day.

The combined data showed that the margin between official and parallel foreign exchange markets stood at N0.40 on Tuesday.

Speaking about the development, Mistila Dayyabu, a BDC operator at Wuse Zone 4, urged the Central Bank to resume its supply of FX to the retail end of the market as a solution to the naira fluctuations.

“The naira depreciated further to N1,520 per dollar from N1,500 on Monday. We are eagerly waiting for CBN to release additional FX intervention into the retail end of the market,” he said.

From February to April 8, 2024, the apex bank distributed FX three times to BDCs.

However, the naira returned to depreciation in mid-April. During that period, it dropped by 28 per cent against the dollar.

Popular Nigerian singer Ayra Starr has opened up about her relationship status.

According to the 21-year-old singer, she is currently single and hopes to find love soon.

The ‘Bloody Samaritan’ hitmaker also admitted that she has broken a few hearts.

Speaking in a recent interview with Angela Yee, Starr said: “I am not in love yet but [I will be] soon. I have broken a few hearts. Not on purpose, though. In case I’ve broken anybody’s heart, it has not been on purpose.”

… gives FG 2 weeks to reinstate governing councils, resolve 2009 agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has threatened to embark on another nationwide strike to protest absence of governing councils in all federal universities across the country among other issues the government is yet to address.

The body which recalled that the federal government dissolved governing councils of the universities in May,last year,has asked Nigerians to hold the government responsible for any decision it takes to protest the action of government.

President of ASUU,Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke,spoke at a press conference ,Tuesday,in Abuja, said the union rejected all the “ongoing illegalities and flagrant violation of university autonomy in public universities as a result of non reinstatement/reconstitution
of Governing Councils.”

Osodeke insisted that Nigerians must hold the federal and state governments responsible if the matter of governing councils was allowed to degenerate into an avoidable industrial crisis.

The latest ASUU statement came following its National Executive Council,NEC meeting, held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, between Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May, 2024.

At the meeting, the union undertook a dispassionate and comprehensive review of the status of its engagements with Federal and State Governments on how to reposition Nigeria’s public universities for global reckoning and competitiveness.

The meeting also took a critical look at the worsening living and working conditions in universities and the nation at large.

Osodeke said the meeting received alarming reports on the failed promises of the Federal and State governments towards addressing the lingering issues that forced the union to embark on the nationwide strike action of February-October 2022.

He said:”As our union has consistently stated, salary awards are no substitutes for a negotiated Agreement. Each negotiated Agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) and ASUU is a comprehensive package that captures not the just salary component but also a gamut of requirements for benchmarking a competitive university system designed for addressing the developmental challenges of Nigeria.

“ASUU’s demand for negotiated salary and other conditions of service is anchored on the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention No. 98 which underscores the principle of collective bargaining.

“The last FGN/ASUU Agreement was in 2009. Consequent upon the union’s advocacy spanning almost one decade, our union went into the renegotiation with the FGN as in 2017.”

On the issue of governing councils, he said,”the NEC observed with dismay the continued erosion of autonomy of public universities, contrary to the provisions of the Universities Miscellaneous Act (1993, 2012).”

He added:”The illegal dissolution of Governing Councils by the Tinubu Government and many state governments has paved way for all manner of illegalities in the Nigerian university system.

“University administrations now place advertisements for the appointment of Vice-Chancellor without authorization from the appropriate quarters – the Governing Councils.

“Outgoing vice-chancellors, working in cahoots with the federal and state ministries of education, are illegally running the universities on daily basis.

“They routinely usurp the powers of Governing Councils to recruit and discipline staff as well as manage university finances in manners bereft of transparency and accountability, ” he added.

The union further lamented the unending grip of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, saying that the platform is a fraudulent one that inflicted unprecedented hardship on Nigerian academics and corruptly distorted university operations with respect to payroll management.

“ASUU also lamented the socio-economic crises in which our nation, Nigeria, is currently engulfed are multifarious and multidimensional, no thanks to the massive injection of neo-liberal policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

“The NEC therefore, condemned in strong terms the seeming refusal of federal and state governments to decisively address all outstanding issues with the union.

“NEC shall reconvene after two weeks from the date of the NEC meeting to
review the situation and take a decisive action to address the issues,” he added.

The Lagos State Police Command, has said that the controversial singer Haberb Okikiola popularly known as Portable would be granted bail only if he is able to produce a reliable surety.

The singer was arrested Tuesday morning following his inability to pay the balance of N14 million out of N27 million worth of a G-Wagon car he purchased from a car dealer.

He was said to have paid only N13 million, while refusing to pay the N14 million balance.

Confirming Portable’s arrest to Vanguard, the spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hudenyin said the singer will spend the night in the police cell, pending when he’s able to produce a reliable surety before he can be granted bail.

“Yes, he’s with us. A vehicle dealer has lodged a complaint against him.

“If he gets a reliable surety, he will be granted bail,” said the police spokesman.

However, as at 8.30pm, there was no sign of him being released on bail.