A Nigerian Catholic priest was indicted in Texas, United States of America on felony sexual assault charges after several victims accused him of s3xual and financial abuse, according to court documents and investigators, The New York Times reported on September 15, 2024

Odiong was indicted on Thursday by a grand jury in McLennan County, Texas, on two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of first-degree sexual assault. 

He was arrested in July in Ave Maria, Fla., when investigators found him in possession of child pornography while looking into sexual assault claims reported to the police, according to a Facebook post from the Waco Police Department. 

He was not indicted on possession of child pornography, but could be in the future, Detective Bradley DeLange said.

The police had been investigating Father Odiong for months because they had received “credible information” alleging he committed a sexual assault in 2012, according to the police. 

During the investigation, Detective DeLange said, the police found several women with similar stories of abuse as the original victim who had come forward. 

Detective DeLange discovered at least eight women who claim that the priest groped, s3xually assaulted or financially abused them, including one woman who sought Father Odiong’s counsel over her marriage troubles.

Under Texas Law, it is considered s3xual assault if members of the clergy engages in sexual activity with individuals who depend on them emotionally as “spiritual advisers.”

Father Odiong served as a priest at St. Peter Catholic Student Center in Waco, Texas, and at St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, from 2007 to 2012, according to the police, and he also served in Luling, La., from around 2015 to 2023.

He was brought to McLennan County Jail on Aug. 6 and is being held on a $2.5 million bond, according to jail documents.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the second-degree sexual assault charges and could get life in prison for his first-degree felony charge, according to Christopher King, a lawyer representing several people in a separate civil case against the priest.

The Guardian reported in February on the allegations, which Father Odiong denied in April in a Facebook post that called them a “false, salacious and one-sided smear campaign.”

Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the Diocese of Austin, Texas, during the beginning of Father Odiong’s time as a priest at that diocese, and he now leads the Archdiocese of New Orleans, where Father Odiong served in recent years. 

Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, the current leader of the Diocese of Austin, said in a statement in July that the diocese would fully cooperate with law enforcement.

Sarah McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said on Sunday that Father Odiong had served there at the request of the Diocese of Uyo in Nigeria.

“When the archdiocese became aware of allegations of criminal activity we reported him to law enforcement and removed him from ministry,” Ms. McDonald said in a text.

A Ghanaian woman, tired of being a single mother, is desperately searching for the father of her child after confessing to dating two men before becoming pregnant and being unsure of the biological father.

The woman made the revelation during an appearance on Oyerepa Afutuo on Oyerepa TV. In a video that has since gone viral on TikTok, she shared that both men abandoned her after learning of the pregnancy, leaving her to raise the child on her own.

Now, years later, the woman revealed that she no longer knows the whereabouts of either man. Her situation has become more complicated as her child is pressuring her to meet their father.

The ongoing nationwide fuel crisis has forced the Independent National Electoral Commission to increase its financial commitment to the transport unions that would be involved in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, The PUNCH has exclusively learnt.

The adjustment, one of our correspondents learnt, was in response to the recent surge in fuel prices, which has impacted the operational costs of transport companies.

The decision followed a meeting held last Friday at the INEC State Office in Benin-City, the Edo State capital, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, told The PUNCH on Monday.

The meeting, chaired by INEC boss, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had the electoral body holding discussions with representatives of the three major transport unions – National Union of Road Transport Workers, National Association of Road Transport Owners and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.

The discussions, which culminated in a new Memorandum of Understanding that addressed various concerns related to the election logistics, came after concerns were raised about the availability and cost of transportation for the timely distribution of election materials such as ballot boxes, voting machines and other sensitive resources.

Oyekanmi noted that the revised funding aimed to ensure the unions effectively contributed to the smooth conduct of the election.

He further noted that the unions would mobilise their resources and workforce to support the election process, pledging their cooperation to ensure a successful outcome.

“The meeting, held last Friday at the INEC State Office in Benin-City between the INEC team led by the commission’s chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the national/Edo State officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, National Association of Road Transport Owners and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigerian agreed on all areas of concern,” Oyekanmi said.

“INEC agreed to increase the amount payable to them due to the increase in per litre price of fuel, and the terms of the MoU were agreed upon.

“The three unions thereafter gave their commitment to work hard for the successful conduct of the Edo Governorship election.”

Meanwhile, with just four days to the election, Edo political landscape witnessed a new twist on after the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Asue Ighodalo, filed a N20bn defamatory suit against Senator Adams Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress even as he dared the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, saying the ex-Rivers governor had no power to determine his fate in the poll.

Ighodalo, through his counsel, Ayo Asala (SAN) & Associates, sought an immediate retraction and apology for the comments made by Oshiomhole on the defunct Planwell Scheme – which allegedly scammed many Edo People in the 1990s – during an All Progressives Congress ahead of the poll.

A letter by Ighodalo’s lawyers, dated September 16, 2024 and addressed to Oshiomhole read, “It is our information that at a campaign rally of your Party on Saturday, 14th of September, 2024, you (Oshiomhole) made statements to the effect that our aforesaid client, Dr. Ighodalo, was associated with or participated in an alleged pyramid scheme known as ‘PLANWELL’ in which numerous Nigerians were defrauded of their hard-earned funds.

“This false and unfounded statement of yours was broadcast live on television and has received extensive exposure on electronic and social media.

 “It is sad to note that despite your status as an elder and holder of a public office, you appear to have developed a pattern of spewing false statements in the public domain purely for the achievement of your political ends.

 “Our client is an accomplished Nigerian legal practitioner and a corporate leader whose impressive resume from birth up till the current day is entirely in the public domain and our client has absolutely no connection with and could never have been involved in any manner whatsoever with the purported ‘PLANWELL’ scheme with which you have seriously defamed our client’s reputation.”

The letter stated further, “In consequence of the foregoing, therefore, our client demands the following:  i) an immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for your false, defamatory and malicious statements which should be published in at least two National Television Networks and three nationally circulating newspapers.

“Pay to our client damages in the sum of 20 billion Naira for your false, defamatory, and malicious statements referred to herein.

“Take Notice that it is our client’s instructions that we immediately institute appropriate proceedings against you for damages in the sum of Twenty Billion Naira (N20,000,000,000.00) for your said false, malicious, irresponsible and damaging statements made against our client without any foundation whatsoever in fact.

“Further take notice that such action will be instituted without further notice or correspondence to you in that regard whatsoever,” it added.

In a similar move, Ighodalo, on Monday, stated that Wike didn’t have the power to determine the next governor of Edo.

The contestant’s statement was a response to Wike’s claim that he told Governor Godwin Obaseki he won’t back Ighodalo during the governorship poll.

Ighodalo expressed disappointment in the position of the FCT minister, saying that wasn’t exactly the outcome of the meeting he earlier had with him.

He said, “Sometimes when gentlemen talk in some kind of privacy or arrangements, we don’t voice out what has been said. But it is not correct that (former) Governor Wike said he wasn’t going to support us. That’s incorrect. But events may have overtaken his decision at that point and he is free to change his mind.

“I believe, as a gentleman, he would adhere to the word he gave me. But if he changed his mind, so be it. When he and I spoke, we deliberated on issues around fair governance, and how we can create a better country and Edo State. At the end of the day, we ended the conversation at a point where Wike said he would mind his business and Edo State is not part of his business.

“Again, if he has decided to change his mind, that’s fine. But the decision as to who becomes the next Governor of Edo State is the decision of the people. It is not his or anybody else’s to make.

“Whether you are a governor or a minister, it is only Edo citizens and residents who have their PVCs who can take that decision with the support of God Almighty. I fear no man, I only fear God.”

Continuing, the lawyer emphasised that he would concede defeat and congratulate the winner if his party lost the political contest but expressed strong conviction that he would defeat his political opponents.

“Honestly, if we lose this election and we know we’ve lost it fairly and squarely, I will be the first to concede. But I know we can’t lose this election if there is a level playing field for everybody.

“We have related with the people of Edo State and told them what we plan to do for them. They trust us and will vote for us. All the polls and indicators (seen so far) support us. So I have no fear,” he stated.

Peace Accord discord

On Monday night, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki said the PDP will sign the Peace Accord if arrested members of the party were released.

Obaseki, who stated this after the party’s caucus meeting at the Government House in Benin City, said granting bail to the arrested members would allow them to come back home to their families and participate in the democratic process.

“We are hoping that when the courts resume tomorrow (today), all our people who have been detained in Abuja all these weeks will be released.  If they are granted bail, allowed to come back home to their families and participate in the democratic process, we would consider signing the Peace Accord,” Obaseki said.

The Governor added that the PDP was pleased with the commitment of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetoku, and INEC boss Prof. Yakubu in ensuring a free, fair and credible election in the state.

He said, “As a caucus, we are pleased with the current utterances from the security agencies in Nigeria. We want to particularly appreciate the statement issued by the Inspector General of Police, making a commitment to support the peace process, ensuring that there is a level playing field for all the players and we endorse his efforts to draft a lot more men to Edo to support the elections on Saturday.

“We are also pleased with INEC so far and have every reason to trust the authorities of INEC and what they are committed to doing. So, our leaders are going to various local governments to continue mobilising for citizens to come out and support our candidate who clearly stands shoulder high above other candidates in the governorship race.”

With just four days to the Edo State governorship election, the leading political parties, the PDP, APC, and the Labour Party on Monday began massive wooing of voters across the state.

After the grand rally of the PDP and APC on Saturday in Benin City, and the road show of the LP last Friday, all the parties are back strategising for the big day.

The APC kicked off their ward-to-ward campaign, consolidating their support base and winning new voters to its fold.

Media Director of the APC Campaign Organisation, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, said, “As I speak to you now, we are doing unit-to-unit and house-to-house campaign, soliciting for votes from the electorate for our candidate. This is what we will be doing in the next 48 hours.

“The moves have been very successful. It was easy to sell our ideas to them because where we went to, there was no government presence there. The only presence of governance in those places was the project done during Adams Oshiomhole’s tenure as governor of the state.

“The school built, road constructed, primary health centre and farm road graded under Oshiomhole were still the only signs of development in those areas.

“We had to apologise to the people of Ovia North East and other people who we sold Governor Godwin Obaseki to in 2020 because of the poor state those area are in.”

The Public Relations Officer of the Labour Party, Sam Uruopa, said the party candidate, Olumide Akpata, visited the riverine areas in the state to seek votes.

He said, “The Olumide Akpata Campaign Organisation visited the riverine areas on Monday. That is the first time a candidate is visiting the people and he has shown that he has their interest at heart.

“The welcome by the mammoth crowd was overwhelming and they have also vowed to vote for Akpata. They are tired of PDP and APC and were happy to welcome him at the jetty.”

The Deputy Director-General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Council Management, Olu Martin, added that the party had embarked on unit-to-unit and ward-to-ward campaign to strengthen its support base.

He said, “The election is ours to lose, so, campaigns are going on unit-to-unit and ward-to-ward. Even though the open campaigns have been slowed down, there are strategic meetings going on. The idea for us is to defend our votes.

“It is obvious that 70 per cent of the Edo voters have the name of Asue Ighodalo on their lips and on September 21, they will put their thumbs on the ballot papers for Ighodalo.”

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo has filed a N20bn defamatory suit against Senator Adams Oshiomhole over comments on the Planwell scheme.

Ighodalo, through his counsel, Ayo Asala (SAN) & Associates, also sought an immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for the false, defamatory, and malicious comments which should be published in at least two (2) National Television Networks and three (3) nationally circulating newspapers.

The PDP candidate noted that the allegations by Oshiomhole are baseless, false, and malicious, describing them as another of such defamatory fabrications and statements made by the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District in the recent past.

He added that the fabrication of the unfounded and false story is a figment of Oshiomhole’s imagination, intended to denigrate his good character and reputation for the political purpose of advancing the sinking fortunes of Oshiomhole’s party and candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State.

A letter by Ighodalo’s lawyers dated September 16, 2024, and addressed to Oshiomhole reads, “We are counsel to Asue Ighodalo, who is the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming Edo State Governorship election. It is our information that at a campaign rally of your party on Saturday, September 14, 2024, you made statements to the effect that our aforesaid client, Dr Ighodalo, was associated with or participated in an alleged pyramid scheme known as ‘PLANWELL’ in which numerous Nigerians were defrauded of their hard-earned funds.

“This false and unfounded statement of yours was broadcast live on television and has received extensive exposure on electronic and social media.  It is sad to note that despite your status as an elder and holder of a public office, you appear to have developed a pattern of spewing false statements in the public domain purely for the achievement of your political ends.

“This baseless, unfounded, false, and malicious allegation has become another in a long line of such defamatory fabrications and statements made by you in respect of our client in the recent past. Our client is an accomplished Nigerian legal practitioner and a corporate leader whose impressive resume from birth up till the current day is entirely in the public domain our client has absolutely no connection with and could never have been involved in any manner whatsoever with the purported ‘PLANWELL’ scheme with which you have seriously defamed our client’s reputation.”

Ighodalo further noted, “It is clear that the fabrication of the unfounded and false story regarding the purported involvement of our client in the said ‘PLANWELL’ scheme or any other financial scheme whatsoever, is a figment of your imagination and a story fabricated purely to denigrate the good character and reputation of our client for the achievement of the political purpose of advancing the sinking fortunes of your political party and candidate in the forthcoming Edo State Gubernatorial elections.”

The letter added that Ighodalo was determined to ensure that the allegations against him do not go unaddressed.

“Our client has been inundated with calls and other contacts from concerned members of the public who heard your said allegations on electronic and social media as a result of which our client has suffered enormous unwarranted reputational damage arising from the lies and baseless fabrications of which you have become the purveyor.

“Our client is determined to ensure that these defamatory lies and fabrications which you have put in the public space do not go unchallenged.

“In consequence of the foregoing, therefore, our client demands the following:  i) An immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for your false, defamatory and malicious statements which should be published in at least two (2) National Television Networks and three (3) Nationally circulating newspapers.

“Pay to our client damages for 20 billion Naira for your false, defamatory, and malicious statements referred to herein. Take Notice that it is our client’s instructions that we immediately institute appropriate proceedings against you for damages in the sum of Twenty (20) Billion Naira (N20,000,000,000.00) for your said false, malicious, irresponsible and damaging statements made against our client without any foundation whatsoever. Further take notice that such action will be instituted without further notice or correspondence to you in that regard whatsoever,” it added.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, yesterday reported that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, disbursed N3.473 trillion to the three tiers of government in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting an increase of N46.77 billion (1.42%) compared to the first quarter of 2024. 

NEITI in its latest Quarterly Report on Federation Account Revenue Allocations for Q2 2024 showed the Federal Government received N1.102 trillion, representing 33.35% of the total allocation.  

The 36 states received N1.337 trillion (40.47%), while the 774 local government councils shared N864.98 billion (26.18%). Additionally, nine oil-producing states received N169.26 billion as their derivation share from mineral revenue.

Compared to the previous quarter, the Federal Government’s allocation decreased by N41.44 billion (3.76%), while state governments saw an increase of N58.13 billion (4.29%), and local government councils experienced a rise of N30.82 billion (3.57%).

The report highlighted an upward trend in revenue allocations in the latter months of 2023 and early 2024. Total monthly disbursements increased from N1.094 trillion in January 2024 to N1.098 trillion in February but then declined slightly to N1.065 trillion in March.

On state-by-state allocations, Delta State received the largest share of allocations in Q2 2024, with a gross allocation of N137.357 billion, including oil derivation. Lagos State followed with N123.282 billion, and Rivers State came in third with N108.104 billion. Nasarawa, Ebonyi, and Ekiti States received the least, with N24.735 billion and N25.404 billion, respectively.

At the local government, Alimosho in Lagos State received the highest allocation at N5.721 billion, followed by Ajeromi/Ifelodun (N4.592 billion) and Kosofe (N4.541 billion). Ifedayo received the smallest share of N661.82 million.

Tje report indicated that nine states benefited from 13% oil derivation revenue, with Delta State leading at 40.153%, followed by Bayelsa (38.112%) and Akwa Ibom (36.117%). Rivers State recorded a derivation ratio of 27.272%, while the other oil-producing states had ratios below 20%.

The report also noted that solid minerals-producing states did not receive derivation revenue in Q2 2024 due to insufficient revenue generation from the sector.

According to the report, Bauchi State recorded the highest debt deductions in Q2 2024 at N6.49 billion, followed by Ogun State. Anambra State had the least deductions at N115.6 million, while Lagos and Nasarawa recorded no debt deductions for the quarter.

Commenting on the report, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, emphasized that “The Quarterly Review aims to highlight the sources of funds into the Federation Account and the factors affecting the growth or decline in revenues and distributions over time.

“The ultimate goal of this disclosure is to enhance knowledge, increase awareness, and promote public accountability in the management of public finances,” Dr. Orji stated.

The NEITI Executive Secretary urged the citizens and civil society organizations, particularly those involved in revenue and expenditure monitoring, to show interest and strengthen their capacity in budget tracking and monitoring of allocations and disbursements to all tiers of government.

The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, were identified as the main revenue-generating agencies for the Federation Account. 

Their contributions included oil and gas royalties, petroleum profit tax, company income tax, value-added tax, and import & excise duties.

Real Madrid teenager Endrick has announced that he is newly married to his girlfriend and model Gabriely Mirandy.

Both took to their Instagram pages to share pictures and announced the milestone.

They wrote on their shared post quoting the bible verse, ‘Matthew 19:6: So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has put together no one can separate. At last we are married’.

Endrick only turned 18 some months ago.

They are reported to be together not close to a year and their relationship is to be under a contract as Endrick previously revealed.

The contract is said to have certain bans and the need to say “I love you” when it is needed.

The Brazilian prospect recently joined from Palmieras in the summer, appearing in only four games that aren’t up to 15 minutes altogether.

Endrick will now shift his focus to making his Champions League debut on the opening matchday as Real Madrid face Stuttgart.

The eighth African Nations Championships will be held from February 1 to 28 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe said Monday.

The biennial African Nations Championships (CHAN) is restricted to locally-based players, ruling out big name footballers who move to Europe.

It will be the first time East Africa hosts a continental football competition for national teams, and will serve as a precursor to the three nations hosting the 2027 African Cup of Nations.

Motsepe toured three Kenyan national stadiums which are earmarked to host the event, with two currently under renovation.

“I’m impressed with the commitment shown by the three countries which gives each of them the opportunity to enhance their football infrastructure and attract thousands of visitors and boost their tourism,” said Motsepe after chairing a CAF Executive committee meeting.

Qualifying matches for the 19-team tournament will start on October 25 and end in December.

Senegal won the last edition of the tournament in 2023 beating hosts Algeria 5-4 on penalties in the final.

Morocco and DR Congo have each won the CHAN title twice since its inception in 2009.

Al Nassr struggled in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence on Monday, when the Saudi club kicked off the revamped Asian Champions League with a 1-1 draw against Al Shorta in Iraq.

Al Nassr captain Ronaldo did not travel with the squad for the match in Baghdad, with the club issuing a statement a day before stating that the Portuguese superstar had been diagnosed with a viral infection.

The statement read: “Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t feeling well today and was diagnosed with a viral infection.

“The team’s doctor confirmed he needs to rest and stay at his place.

“As a result, he will not be travelling with the team to Iraq today. We wish a speedy recovery to our captain.”

Al Nassr, who were knocked out of last season’s Asian Champions League in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Al Ain, were given a dream start in the Iraqi capital, when full-back Sultan Al Ghannam met Otavio’s astute, first-time pass on 14 minutes to finish low past Al Shorta goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.

Ronaldo is yet to win a major trophy with Al-Nassr since joining the Saudi club.

as NNPC set Dangote petrol price at N950 per litre

Hopes for a potential reduction in petrol prices, following the commencement of supply from Dangote Refinery, were dashed, yesterday, as NNPC Limited released a new pricing template that raised pump prices by about 11 per cent to N950 per litre.

The pump price of petrol was increased by over 45 per cent two weeks ago, apparently in anticipation of the refinery’s output.

But amid disagreements between NNPC and Dangote Refinery over price of the product, a statement by Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, clarified that Dangote petrol will not sell cheaper.

A document, titled “Estimated pump price based on Dangote Refinery September 2024 PMS supply”, showed that petrol from the refinery will have a base cost of N898 per litre.

Additional costs such as Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, charge of N4.495, Midstream and Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) charge of N4.495, distribution and logistics cost of N42.45 all added up to bring the effective pump price in Lagos area to N950.22 per litre from the current rate of N855 per litre.

NNPC also adjusted the price of the product across the country for its stations with Abuja now at N992.22 per litre from N897. The price for Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto has also increased to N992.22 while consumers in Borno area will pay the highest pump price at N1,019 per litre. Prices in Port Harcourt and Imo have been increased to N980.22 per litre.

NNPC insisted that it loaded the product at N898 per litre from Dangote and challenged anyone with contrary figures to make it public.

The company stated: “The NNPC Ltd also wishes to state that in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, PMS prices are not set by government, but negotiated directly between parties.

“The NNPC Ltd can confirm that it is paying Dangote Refinery in dollars for September 2024 PMS offtake, as Naira transactions will only commence on October 1st, 2024.

“The NNPC Ltd assures that if the quoted pricing is disputed, it will be grateful for any discount from the Dangote Refinery, which will be passed on 100% to the general public.

“Attached to this statement are the estimated pump prices of PMS (obtained from Dangote Refinery) across NNPC Retail stations in the country, based on September 2024 pricing.”

NNPC completes lifting 16.5m litres

Meanwhile Vanguard findings yesterday, showed that the NNPCL has completed lifting of 16.8 million litres of petrol allocated to it.

A competent source in the refinery said: “NNPCL has completed lifting the 16.8million allocated it. The product would be discharged into retail outlets, thus assisting to ease shortage in the country.”

Meanwhile, checks indicated that depot owners and oil and marketers have not started to take delivery of the product.

A depot owner, who spoke to Vanguard said: “We are still lifting imported petrol from NNPCL at N766 per litre. We don’t know what price the Dangote Refinery product will be sold to us. We look forward to discussing with the NNPCL.”

Also, an independent marketer, who pleaded to be anonymous, said: “We have not started selling Dangote Refinery petrol. In fact, we are not even sure of what the price would be. But I can confirm that we are still lifting imported product from depot owners at N875 per litre.”

Consumers should expect N1, 200 per litre — Marketers

On his part, with NNPC selling at almost a thousand naira in Abuja, the Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, IPMAN, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, said consumers should expect to pay as much as N1,200 per litre in outlets operated by other marketers.

“You can expect the price to be significantly higher than what you have at NNPC stations. Depending on how much depot owners are getting from NNPC, price may rise to between N1, 200 and N1,300 per litre in most parts of the north.

“We don’t know yet how much NNPC will sell and for independent marketers, things will even get more difficult because we don’t have direct access to products from NNPC. We have to buy from those who bought from NNPC,” he stated.

He had earlier lamented that the continued closure of NNPC Retail portal meant they would not be able to get access to petrol supplied by the Dangote Refinery through NNPC Limited.

Ukadike explained that the group which owned the majority of petrol stations across the country had also not been informed by NNPC of how it would get supply.

“We are happy that Dangote’s supply has commenced and we have another source of petroleum product supply. We are also not against the policy of selling the product to NNPC. The independent marketers are saying we also want the refinery to deal directly with us. We have the highest number of filling stations and will be the best partners for the refinery.

“We have not heard anything from NNPC. We are still waiting for their portal to open, so we can make purchases because since the issue started, NNPC has not opened its portal.”

When contacted to know the price NNPC Limited will be supplying other marketers as the sole off-taker of petrol from Dangote Refinery, Mr Soneye said the company was in discussion with the marketers.

Similarly, IPMAN National Welfare Officer, John Kekeocha, stated: “If Dangote products becomes higher than the imported products, then it doesn’t make sense. What is esence of the celebration we have been having all this while?”

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Breakfast programme yesterday, he said the government should try to address all downstream problems and deliver petrol to consumers at an affordable rate.

Dangote keeps mum

However, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Refinery, Anthony Chiejina, did not respond to enquiries on the new facts yesterday.

But in his earlier statement Chiejine said Nigerians should “await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars.”

Sector requires increased transparency — DAPPMAN

However, Olufemi Adewole, Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, said: “The downstream sector needs to operate transparently in a manner that gives all stakeholders the opportunity to thrive and contribute significantly to the quest of ensuring availability, reliability and accessibility of petroleum products nation-wide.”

We’ve supplied more than 48m barrels to Dangote refinery — NNPCL

Meanwhile, the NNPCL, yesterday, said it has so far released 48,622,741 barrels of crude to Dangote refinery for processing.

In a document titled – Number of barrels of crude made available to Dangote Refinery, NNPCL, stated that 3,424,584 barrels, 3,477,214 barrels and 3,290,723 barrels were supplied in December 2023, February 2024 and March 2024, respectively.

The company said 3,330,537 barrels, 3,021,368 barrels, 5, 108,050 barrels and another 5, 108,050 barrels, were supplied in April, May, June and July 2024, respectively.

It also maintained that 4,797,215 barrels, 5,350, 000 barrels and 11,715,000 barrels were supplied to the refinery in August, September and October 2024, respectively.

The First Lady of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki, has stated that President Bola Tinubu has no intentions to influence the September 21 gubernatorial election in the state.

She stated this while reacting to allegations that Tinubu has planned to influence the outcome of next Saturday’s governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) using “federal might.”

Obaseki asserted that Tinubu is not in a level where he would stoop to influence an election.

She disclosed this while responding to questions during an online television interview.

“President Tinubu is smarter and wiser. He is not at their level at all. I also want to praise former President Muhammadu Buhari for his democratic stance and using federal power only to safeguard voters, not to tamper with election results,” she said.

Obaseki opined that President Tinubu would not undermine democratic processes given his history as a reformer during his tenure as governor of Lagos State.

“President Tinubu, who is committed to good governance and continuity, would not disrupt the progress made in Edo under my husband’s administration, especially when the state has received international recognition for its development.

“Now the father of the nation, President Tinubu would not lend his support to efforts aimed at destabilising a well-governed state. If every state governor begins to toe these paths set out in Edo and Lagos, one day we will all wake up to a good Nigeria,” she added.