How we get fuel from Nigerian smugglers – Niger petrol dealer

Petrol hits N850/litre at depots, filling stations raise prices

While many Nigerians are keeping vigil at filling stations to fuel their vehicles, motorists in the neighbouring countries of Benin Republic and Niger are enjoying fuel smuggled from Nigeria, a Saturday PUNCH investigation has shown.

Our correspondents, who visited the two countries discovered that the smuggled petrol was being sold by black marketers, whose rates were cheaper than those operating in filling stations.

Findings show that drivers often patronise the black marketers because their rates are cheaper than those who buy from the filling stations.

Saturday PUNCH gathered the higher value of cefas (CFA) to naira made the Nigerian smuggled fuel attractive to citizens of the two countries.

Nigeria is witnessing the fifth major fuel crisis since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, following his removal of the fuel subsidy.

The removal led to a sharp rise in fuel prices, causing panic buying, widespread fuel scarcity, and a subsequent hike in the cost of living. Petrol pump prices jumped from around N200 to over N500/litre.

A second fuel scarcity unfolded around September 2023 as a result of another surge in petroleum pump prices, leading to queues in major cities, including Lagos.

In January 2024, Nigeria experienced another scarcity due to distribution challenges and rising global oil prices.

Just before Tinubu’s one-year anniversary, the country witnessed the fourth fuel crisis, which brought about high transportation costs and disruptions in daily activities across the country.

The ongoing August fuel scarcity is the fifth in the petroleum crisis.

Fuel surplus in Benin

In stark contrast to the persistent petrol scarcity in Nigeria, findings by one of our correspondents showed that Benin Republic has stable fuel supply from smugglers and government-authorised dealers.

One of our correspondents, who visited the country, discovered that petrol was priced at 700CFA per litre, which converts to approximately N1,850.

During a visit to Cotonou and Calavi, two prominent cities in the West African country, Saturday PUNCH observed a well-functioning fuel supply system.


At various filling stations in the cities, there were no long queues.

For instance, at the Benin Petro Filling Station located at Saint Michelle Roundabout in Cotonou, the scene was notably calm.

When our reporter arrived, only one car and two motorcycles were seen refuelling at the two available pumps.

Similarly, at the Oryx Filling Station in Dantokpa, absence of customer activity was striking as attendants sat idly.

During a 30-minute observation, only three cars and one motorcycle were seen driving into the station. The situation at Jehova Nissi Petroleum Filling Station in the Vedoko area was the same. Although the station was open and had fuel, there were no customers present at the time of the visit.

A similar scene was observed at the MRS Filling Station and the Ewell Filling Station in the Agontinkon area, where fuel was available; but the customer turnout was low. At the SCB and Sylfrec filling stations in Calavi, fuel was also available, but the number of vehicles being attended to was limited.

Philip Umo, an attendant at the Sylfrec Filling Station, who spoke in French, said while fuel was consistently available, the challenge was finding buyers.

Despite the stable fuel supply at the filling stations, black market sellers were prevalent on the streets of both Cotonou and Calavi.

The vendors were seen selling fuel in jerrycans at 600CFA, which is lower than the official price of 700CFA. This discrepancy made many motorists opt for the black market.

A motorcyclist, Justin Asoba, described the situation as a “surplus,” explaining that the abundance of fuel led individuals to enter the black market trade.

A Nigerian trader based in Benin, Wasiu Olawale, said, “There is enough fuel, and everyone knows that much of it comes from Nigeria, but it is cheaper here.”

One black market trader, Kabiru Usman, indicated that he received regular supplies of fuel and offered to provide insights into the business for a fee.

Yusuf Bala, another motorcyclist, revealed that a significant portion of the fuel sold on the black market is smuggled from Badagry, Lagos State, into Benin Republic.

He said, “It is a booming business. The fuel is smuggled into Benin. Since their currency is stronger than the naira, they make substantial profits.”

How we get smuggled fuel – Niger dealer

Boisterous Illela town, the headquarters of illela Local Government Area in Sokoto State, is a border town between Nigeria and Niger Republic, which is about 120 kilometers away from Sokoto town.

One of our correspondents, however, discovered that while a litre of petrol was around N1,000 in Illela, the border town, a litre of the product was sold for between N1,250 and N1,300 in Konni, Niger Republic.

It was also observed that Niger Republic did not experience any scarcity.

A commercial motorcycle rider in illela, Mallam Abubakar Bello, while narrating his experience said the cost of fuel in Sokoto and Illela is the same.

He said, “We are buying the product here at N1,000 per litre and it’s about same price in Sokoto. Here at Illela, most of us don’t patronise filling stations because there is no difference between their price and black market.”

A motorist in Konni, Niger Republic, Mahmoud Sanusi, said there was not much difference in the cost of fuel in both countries.

He said the removal of subsidy by the government of Nigeria hit them in Niger Republic than even people of Nigeria.

“Though we have our fuel here, our filling stations are largely patronised by government officials, who have the purchasing power. We all prefer to get fuel brought from Nigeria, which used to be more cheaper than our own here,” he added.

More findings by our correspondent in Konni revealed that smuggled fuel was mostly sold by the roadside by black marketers. It was sold for 1,250 per litre equivalent to their currency. But the fuel supplied by the Niger Republic government to registered oil marketers in the country sold for N1,300.

A manager of one of the filling stations in Konni, Kaseem Sani, said the registered oil marketers in the country could only access the product through the government.

He said none of the filling stations in the country could be caught selling smuggled fuel from Nigeria.

“Yes, we know it’s cheaper to sell Nigerian fuel even after the removal of subsidy; Nigerian fuel is cheaper than our own,” he added.

Sani said the Niger government had outlawed fuel smuggling from Nigeria, adding that the black marketers usually found a way to beat security.

Corroborating the story, Hassan Muhammad, a black marketer in Konni, said they got their products through smugglers in Nigeria.

“We get our supply from Nigeria but not through legal means; most of the people that supply us are Nigerians who make the fuel available to us here.

“They use the bush path and atimes, through the waterways but not through the legal land border.

“It is a smuggled product and their prices differs. Some sell for us like 1,100 naira per liter, or less sometimes.

“It all depends on your relationship and bargaining power with the smugglers.”

He further confessed that the smuggle fuel used to be concealed in jerrycans and not tankers.

“They don’t use any tanker for the supply, but one thing I can also add is that there are some vehicles with an additional bigger tanker which can contain close to 200 litres of fuel at a go.

“I am not supposed to be telling you this and that is why I would not allow you to take my picture, to prevent a possible attack by my people.

“We have a lot of ways and the only reason we can attract customers is to sell a bit less than the government price and that is why you see those differences in the price between us and those that source their supply from the government of Niger Republic.”

Meanwhile, a source from Tawa, another major city in the Republic of Niger confirmed to our correspondent that majority of private car owners in the country patronised the black markets for fuel while only companies and government officials bought fuel from the filling stations.

The source added that some of the smugglers of Nigerian fuel also took it beyond Niger Republic up to Mali on some occasions.

Petrol hits N850 at private depots

Meanwhile, the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, aka petrol, at Nigerian private depots has increased to N850/litre.

Oil marketers said the ex-depot price was about N780/litre last week, but the cost increased to between N840/litre and N850/litre on Friday due to low petrol imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

The high petrol price by the private depots has led to increased pump prices at filling stations operated by independent oil marketers, as some outlets dispense the commodity for as high as N1,000 per litre, particularly stations in the North.

This came as the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, vowed to shut down filling stations caught dispensing petrol at exorbitant rates.

Also, the queues for petrol by motorists at filling stations were still visible on Friday in parts of Lagos, Abuja, Niger, and Nasarawa, among others.

Marketers said while the petrol price at NNPC depots was less than N600/litre, the cost at private depots had increased to about N850/litre.

“Independent marketers are not getting much from the products imported by NNPC. So, we scout for products with the DAPPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria) members that have been allocated the product,” the National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mustapha Zarma, stated.

IPMAN controls more than 80 per cent of the filling stations nationwide and has its members operating the bulk of retail outlets across the country.

Zarma added, “They (depots) sell the product to us above N800; it is N850 today. So, the product is now about N850 at the depots in Lagos. The private depot owners, that’s how they sell. And they are collecting the product from NNPC at less than N600.”

On whether the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has been informed of this, the IPMAN official said, “If you ask them, they will say bring the receipt.”

He explained that such receipts were not readily available most of the time, as payments were usually not made directly to the accounts of the private depots due to certain arrangements.

He stressed that many dealers need products to dispense to keep their businesses running, and since they can’t get it from NNPC, they have no choice but to buy from private depots despite the high cost.

“Today, the price is about N840, N850. It has been high since last week. That is why you see the product selling for N900 and N950 in Lagos. It may increase to about N1,000,” Zarma stated.

The Executive Secretary of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, had yet to respond to an enquiry on the matter till this report was filed.

The spokesperson of the NMDPRA, George Ene-Ita, however, argued that the petrol price reports that the regulator gets from its officials at the depots were different.

“Our depot people see a different price because we ask them to publish the prices at the depots every day and it is not N850/litre. Our field agents at the depots give us a different figure,” he said.

When told that some filling stations operated by independent marketers in Lagos and many other states dispense their products for as high as N900 and N1,000/litre, the NMDPRA official said such outlets would be brought to book if apprehended.

“If we get these outlets, all we do is to try and shut them down, because NNPC is the company that brings in the product and they tell us how much they sell as their ex-depot prices to off-takers. And we sit down together and work out the margins and there is no way it should be that high,” Ene-Ita stated.

Queues persist

Fuel queues have persisted across the country, Saturday PUNCH observed.

In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the situation has remained the same for over two months, driven by the lingering fuel scarcity.

In Kuje Area Council of the FCT, Baka sold fuel for N950/litre on Friday, while AA Rano sold it for N720/litre.

A motorcyclist, Nura Dauda, noted that he bought fuel at a BOVAS station in the area council for N670/litre, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation sold it to him at N617/litre.

In Lugbe, Abuja Municipal Area Council, fuel stations like Rain Oil had heavy queues, with numerous commuters waiting to access the station.

Heavy queues were also observed at NNPC and Shafa stations in Bwari Area Council.

A resident, Obaje Samson, lamented the poor circulation of fuel within the FCT, stating, “I wonder why we still experience fuel scarcity in the FCT despite several promises by the government to circulate enough fuel.”

Lagos residents keep vigil

At the Total Energies Filling Station on Ikosi Road in the Ketu area of Lagos State, Saturday PUNCH observed motorists keeping vigil at the gate on Thursday night.

Our correspondents gathered that many car owners slept in their cars, while others arrived as early as 2am or 3am the next day to buy petrol.

A commercial bus driver, Mr Sammy Okechukwu, who spoke to our correspondent at 11.15pm on Thursday, noted that he always came to the station at night so he would be among the first to buy when it opened the next day.

“This is my routine. Once I close by 10pm or so, I drive down here and wait for them to open,” he said.

He further lamented that he had not spent one night at home in the last six days since he began the routine.

“It was one of my colleagues who gave me this new strategy, and it has been working for me. By 8am or so when they open, I’ll be among the first five or six to buy,” he said.

Another commercial driver, who gave his name only as Mr Okere, said he had already spent two nights at that filling station before Thursday.

“That is what we go through to get fuel o. We sleep here at night and by morning, as they open, we will just buy so we can work,” he said.

Another driver who refused to give his name lamented that he was not going to leave because the fuel he had would not take him to his home in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“I am supposed to be driving to Ibadan, but no way. I will just sleep here,” the source said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night around 10.49pm, our correspondent observed drivers and petrol customers laying siege to the NNPC Filling Station in the Obalende area of the state.

One of the customers, Toluwalope Olaseinde, who came with four kegs, said, “I will sleep here. I don’t have a choice.”

A motorist, Emem Osung, said if she did not get fuel before the station closed, she would sleep at the station.

“I am ready to sleep here. It won’t be my first. This is what the government wants – to make us suffer,” she said.

On Monday, NNPC attributed the current fuel scarcity in the country to evacuation challenges from Apapa, Lagos, assuring that the issue would be resolved.

The NNPC’s spokesperson Olufemi Soneye, had said, “It’s just an evacuation challenge out of Apapa from the vessel. But we are working on it; it should be resolved.”

Soneye, who sought to reassure Nigerians at the time he spoke on Monday, stated, “I’m very sure that it (queues) will be cleared out by Wednesday.”

But despite the national oil firm’s assurances, the queues for petrol have failed to disappear.

Wife of Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, on Saturday, called on women in the state to shun spending money on “bleaching creams”, but should rather spend more on “regular health checks and eating balanced diets.”

This is as she decried the low uptake of immunisation in the state, urging mothers to prioritise the health and future of their children.

Soludo made the call at the 2nd Anambra State Women Health Summit organised under her Healthy Living Initiative in collaboration with the World Health Organisation in Awka.

She said that immunisation was important to protect children from life-long illness.

“I’m not happy to hear that our state is recording low in immunisation uptake. Mothers need to create time and take their children to health facilities to get them vaccinated.

“These childhood vaccines are free, safe and effective. Mothers should see immunisation as a top priority because when your child is healthy, you are free from stress and expenses experienced when a child is ill.

“Since Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration started the free antenatal and delivery policy, Anambra state is now one of the states with the lowest maternal mortality. We want to record the same in the area of immunisation too,” she said.

Soludo urged women to appreciate their God-given skin colour and shun spending so much on bleaching creams.

“Instead of spending so much on bleaching creams, women should spend more on regular health checks, eating balanced diets and engaging in regular exercises to stay fit and healthy,” she said.

Also speaking, Dr Uju Obiagwu of the WHO, lamented that immunisation coverage was gradually reducing in Anambra.

“The state government is doing so much in partnership with WHO to ensure availability of all the childhood vaccines across the health facilities but we are not happy that the uptake is low.

“These vaccines help to prevent acute paralysis, measles, polio, meningitis, Lassa fever, yellow fever, cholera and neonatal tetanus.

“We recorded several outbreaks of Measles at Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru and Ayamelum, because they do not take their children to the hospital for immunisation.

“Our mothers have a huge role to play in ensuring that children in Anambra are vaccinated. So, spread the message in your various communities to help our children live healthier and longer lives,” she said.

Also, Anambra Coordinator, WHO, Dr Mohamed Bonos, appreciated the state government for providing the enabling environment and partnership that promoted the health of residents.

In his presentation, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Brian Adinma, urged women to prioritise their reproductive health.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health in Anambra, Dr Afam Obidike, said the health summit was a demonstration that the state government recognised the health and welfare of women and children in the state.

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Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed, on Friday, that over 22, 500 Nigerians are parading fake certificates obtained from Benin Republic and Togo between 2019 and 2023.

He said that over 21, 600 obtained the certificates from unaccredited universities in Benin Republic within the time frame, while about 1,105 also obtained theirs at some unaccredited Universities in Togo.

The Minister disclosed the information at a press conference in Abuja, to mark his first anniversary, adding that some of the numbers were harvested from records from the National Youth Service Corp and other sources.

He said, “From all indications, the figure is higher than what we have already. This is because some of the people choose not to participate in the mandatory NYSC scheme and other engagements that would have enabled us to harvest their data.


“Sadly, these people have used the fake certificates to apply and secure job opportunities in government and private organizations with the mindset that they schooled abroad, while people who studied day and night are out there looking for job opportunities.

“Even within the countries, Benin and Togo, these universities are not accredited to offer degree programmes. I don’t know how Nigerians chose to go to unaccredited institutions abroad to ‘study’. Our investigations also indicated that many of the people never even attended the school physically. ”

The Minister, however, confirmed that a circular is being prepared from the Office of Head of Service of the Federation that would enable the fish out of these people for due prosecution.

“Private sector operators are also encouraged to carry out further investigations on their staff who are parading foreign certificates and ensure that anyone parading a certificate obtained from these countries between 2019 and 2023 is fished out and handed over to the Federal Ministry of Education for prosecution. Because the circular from the Head of Service will also be binding on private sector operators.”

Nevertheless, he confirmed that only five Universities in Benin and three in Togo were accredited to offer degree programmes, and people who passed through those schools were exempted from the punitive measures.

Meanwhile, the Minister disclosed that about four million out-of-school children have been pulled off the streets back to the classrooms through several of its programmes majorly championed by the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-school Children.

He added, “Our target is the see about 3 to 4 million children leave the streets and return the school annually, and if that is successfully achieved, then by the end of the administration, significant achievements would have been made as regards the out-of-school children.

The PUNCH reports that the activities of degree mills once again came to the centre of discussions in Nigeria, following an investigative report by a reporter, Umar Audu, with the Daily Nigerian newspaper on the activities of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo.

The reporter revealed how he obtained a degree within six weeks and even proceeded to embark on mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

Audu, who reached out to the syndicate that specialises in selling degree certificates in December 2022, graduated in February 2023 and was issued a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.

The report which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African states led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman having received the report of the Committee, noted that holders of fake degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities will be flushed out of the system.

Some of the recommendations of the committee stressed the need for universities in the country to conduct their admissions via the Central Admissions Processing System popularly known as CAPS and the mandatory submission of matriculation list.

Former Sweden national team coach Janne Andersson has expressed a strong interest in leading Nigeria’s senior men’s football team. 

The 61-year-old, who successfully guided the Swedish squad to the quarterfinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, has cited his admiration for the Super Eagles’ talent and their potential to excel on the global stage.

As a former forward with a wealth of coaching experience, Andersson sees the Super Eagles as a team brimming with promise. He is eager to leverage his experience and vision to help them achieve new heights in international football.

“It’s a huge footballing nation. I can confirm that I have had a dialogue with the Nigeria Football Federation,” Andersson said.

He added, “It’s a huge footballing nation, so I’m extremely flattered to be in the running to be their next national team coach. Dialogue is ongoing, and I don’t really want to say more than that. I have been in this industry for so long and know that things can happen in different ways. So we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Despite Andersson’s interest, the Nigeria Football Federation has yet to make an official statement on who will lead the Super Eagles as they prepare for crucial matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda in September.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that a new coach will be announced soon, with Augustine Eguavoen being heavily linked to temporarily lead the team in their upcoming clashes.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent presidential campaign activities for the forthcoming United States of America elections.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Kennedy said he was not terminating his presidential campaign as his name would be on the ballot in many states.

Kennedy asked his supporters to vote for him in the “red and blues” states in case of a “contingent” election.

The independent candidate added that if any of the two major parties did not meet the threshold in the election, he could become the president in the “contingent” election.

He asked his supporters not to vote for him in the “10 battleground states,” where his presence will be a “spoiler”.

“I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign. I am simply suspending it and not ending it,” Kennedy said.

“My name will remain on the ballot in most states. I encourage you to vote for me, and if enough of you do vote for me and neither of the major party candidates win 270 votes, which is quite possible in fact today, our polling shows them tying at 269 to 269.

“I could conceivably still end up in the White House in a contingent election.

“With a sense of victory and not defeat that I’m suspending my campaign activities.

“Three great causes drove me to enter this race in the first place primarily, and these are the principal causes that pressured me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent and now to throw my support to President Trump.

“The causes were free speech, a war in Ukraine, and war on our children.”

He said the promise of former US President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine when he becomes president justifies his support for him.

Kennedy added that he left the Democratic Party because it has become a “party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, and big money”.

Kennedy Jr. is a member of the Kennedy family. His father, Robert F. Kennedy, was the 64th US attorney-general. He is a nephew of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the US.

Some members of Kennedy’s family have distanced themselves from the decision of RFK Jr., saying their support is for Kamala Harris.

A court has ordered another Nigerian asset to be seized over the country’s ongoing legal tussle with Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd., a Chinese firm.

In January 2023, the superior court of Quebec in Canada ordered the seizure of Bombardier 6000 Jet (type BD-700-1A10) belonging to Nigeria.

The Canadian court ordered “Mise-en-cause (Tibit Limited) and/or the Custodians (Aviation Etcetera SEC and/or Starlink Aviation Inc.) or any of their parent, subsidiary or affiliated entities” to hand over the jet.

The order was made by David Collier, the judge.

The Chinese firm approached the Canadian court for the seizure in a bid to enforce a $70 million arbitral award against Nigeria.

NIGERIA’S DELAYED RESPONSE

After the seizure order in January 2023, Nigeria was summoned to the Quebec court.

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According to court documents, Nigeria had been notified of the legal action by the Chinese on April 19, 2023, through diplomatic channels.

Nigeria did not file its response within the timeframe as stipulated in the Code of Civil Procedures.

Although the deadline is not mandatory, the Canadian court reserves the right to determine whether a party filed within the timeframe.

After receiving the diplomatic notification of the request to enforce the arbitral award in Canada, Nigeria filed a response on January 11, 2024.

On February 15, 2024, Nigeria filed a request to be absolved of its failure to respond within the stipulated time.

Nigeria had told the court that it could not respond expeditiously because there was a delay while comparing notes with the Ogun state government — the subnational entity responsible for the arbitral award.

Nigeria said Ogun held a governorship election in March 2023 and that an attorney-general for the state was not appointed until October 2023.

Nigeria added that it was unable to brief its Quebec lawyers before January 11, 2024.

In his ruling in March 2024, Chantal Corriveau, a judge at the superior court of Quebec, dismissed Nigeria’s argument as “unreasonable”.

HOW NIGERIA GOT THE SEIZED JET

In May 2020, a court in the province of Quebec granted the seizure order of the jet in favour of the federal government.

The government told the court that the jet was originally acquired by Dan Etete, a former minister of petroleum.

Nigeria said the jet was procured from the controversial oil prospecting licence (OPL) 245 deal.

It was also alleged that the jet was acquired in the name of Tibit Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.

The sum of $57 million was said to have been used to purchase the jet in 2011.

The OPL 245 deal involves the $1.3 billion purchase of an oil block by Royal Dutch Shell and Eni from Malabu Oil and Gas, a company in which Etete had major shares.

THE CHINESE FIRM’S CASE

In 2010, Zhongshan, through Zhuhai Zhongfu Industrial Group Co. Ltd. (Zhuhai), its Chinese parent company, acquired rights to develop a free trade zone in Ogun state.

A year later, Zhongshan set up Zhongfu International Investment (NIG) FZE (Zhongfu) to manage the project, with the permission of the Ogun state government.

However, things took a different turn in July 2016 when the investor accused the state government of abruptly moving to terminate its contract, while attempting to install a new manager for the free trade zone.

Subsequently, Zhongfu initiated an investment treaty arbitration against Nigeria under the bilateral investment treaty between the People’s Republic of China and Nigeria (the China-Nigeria BIT).

The arbitrators had ruled that Nigeria was in breach of its obligations under the China-Nigeria BIT and awarded Zhongshan a compensation of about $70 million.

Recently, a French court ordered the seizure of three presidential jets belonging to the Nigerian government over the contract dispute.

A court of appeal in the United States also ruled that Nigeria’s claim of sovereign immunity cannot stand in a commercial venture.

A commercial court in London had also granted the Chinese firm permission to seize two residential properties owned by Nigeria in the UK — over the arbitral award.

Wale Edun, minister of finance and the coordinating minister of the economy, says the federal government plans to relaunch the suspended school feeding programme.

Edun said the government would ensure adequate resources are available to support and sustain educational programmes across the country.

The minister spoke on Thursday when the house of representatives committee on alternative education visited him, according to a statement by Mohammed Manga, director of information and public relations at the ministry of finance.

The ministry said the meeting was held to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria, providing a platform for the minister to outline the government’s financial strategies and programmes aimed at tackling the challenge.

Speaking at the meeting, Edun reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthening education.

He said through a lineup of initiatives, every child will be provided with access to quality education.

The minister said these initiatives would “positively impact the national budget by providing sufficient resources to support and sustain the educational programs”.

Edun also announced the upcoming relaunch of the ‘Home-Grown School Feeding Program’ — an initiative designed to increase school attendance by providing meals to students.

He said, “feeding children at school would not only improve their health and well-being but also incentivise them to remain in school, thereby reducing the number of out-of-school children”.

The minister said the government is dedicated to tackling critical issues through innovative initiatives like the “secretariat for financing safe schools” and the “home-grown school feeding program”.

“As the government continues to prioritise education, Nigeria’s future generations can expect improved access to quality learning, setting the stage for a brighter, and more prosperous tomorrow,” Edun added.

On January 12, President Bola Tinubu suspended all programmes, including school feeding, administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), as part of a probe into alleged irregularities in the management of the agency and its activities.

On January 2, Tinubu suspended Halima Shehu as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NSIPA over alleged financial malfeasance.

The president also suspended Betta Edu as minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation on January 8.

Edu’s ministry supervises the operations of the NSIPA.

The programmes affected include N-Power, the conditional cash transfer (CCT), the government enterprise and empowerment programme, and the home-grown school feeding initiative.

On March 13, the house of representatives asked the federal government to resume the implementation of the suspended social investment initiatives.

However, the green chamber later decided to probe the suspended school feeding programme, arguing that a complete cancellation of the initiative “may cause more harm”.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the average retail price per litre of household kerosene paid by consumers in July was N1,769.86.

According to its kerosene price watch released on Tuesday, this shows an increase of 13.81 percent compared to N1,555.11 recorded in June.

“On a year on-year basis, the average retail price per litre of the product rose by 40.37% from N1,260.81 in July 2023,” NBS said.

Based on state profile analysis, the bureau said that the highest price per litre was recorded in Akwa-Ibom at N2,383.33, followed by Oyo at N2,375.00 and Delta at N2,309.52.

NBS said the lowest price was recorded in Adamawa with N1,171.11, followed by Taraba with N1,191.30 and Borno with N1,381.58.

On analysis by zone, NBS said the south-south recorded the highest average retail price per litre of kerosene with N2,086.61, followed by the south-west with N2,051.27, while the north-east recorded the lowest with N1,411.97.

The bureau also reported that the average retail price per gallon of kerosene paid by consumers in July was N5,762.10, indicating an increase of 1.11 percent from N5,698.68 in June.

“On a year-on-year basis, this increased by 33.81% from N4,306.07 in July 2023,” the report added.

On state profile analysis, NBS said Jigawa recorded the highest price per gallon of kerosene with N7,250.00, followed by Taraba with N7,218.27 and Kebbi with N7,158.33.

The bureau said the lowest price was recorded in Rivers at N4,234.62, followed by Delta and Bayelsa with N4,500.00 and N4,800.00 respectively.

NBS said analysis by zone showed that the north-west recorded the highest price per gallon of kerosene with N6,742.41, followed by the north-east with N6,174.76, while the north-central recorded the lowest price with N4,988.61.

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) say the federal government interventions in states are not enough.

The governors’ position is contained in a communiqué issued on Friday after a meeting in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba state.

The federal government has been distributing palliatives to states to address the economic hardship in the country.

The governors asked President Bola Tinubu to caution his appointees against “mentioning” the interventions provided by the federal government to states to make them “look bad”.

“The Forum laments that rather than undertake a review of macro-economic and social policies with a view to giving them a human face, the federal government has resorted to blackmail,” the communiqué reads.

“We call on Mr. President to show statesmanship by restraining his officials from blame games that make the sub-nationals look bad by mentioning piecemeal interventions that cannot solve the problem.

“We remain unshaken in our firm resolve to stand with the suffering Nigerian masses and to take all legitimate steps to ameliorate their plight.”

On the forthcoming governorship election in Edo, the forum alleged that there are attempts to “compromise” the poll in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that security operatives are intimidating PDP supporters in the state.

The governors also urged the federal government to ensure a fair and speedy trial of those who were arrested over the #EndBadGovernance protest.

“The governors noted with a sigh of relief the end of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was edging to a major national crisis,” the governors said.

“We salute the dexterity of the governors, especially of the PDP extraction, in handling the situation in their respective states with maturity, thereby restraining hoodlums and other unscrupulous elements from hijacking the protests.

“The Forum reiterates that peaceful protests are the inalienable rights of the citizens through which they vent their genuine grievances.

“The Forum commiserates with the families of those innocent souls that were lost and calls on the Federal Government to ensure a fair and speedy trial of those who were arrested.”

Former Super Eagles’ captain, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has confessed that he is still haunted by memories of how he and his colleagues failed to win the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in the year 2000.


Though the Eagles fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Cameroon in the final, they eventually lost the match via penalties under controversial circumstances.

The loss was due to 1995 African Footballer of The Year, Victor Nosa Ikpeba (The Prince of Monaco) putting his hands on his head in lamentation, though his kick had crossed the line, and the match referee adjudged the player as having failed to score.

That meant Nigeria failed to win AFCON for the third time in history and missed what could have been their second conquest on home soil, during a competition they co-hosted with Ghana.

Okocha has now taken his mind back to that agonising day, in which then skipper of the side, Sunday Oliseh wept bitterly, and ‘The Emperor,’ who slso rued his lack of enough silverware as a footballer, confessed that it is a recurring nightmare for him.

“Winning silver at the Nations Cup is a bad memory for me, because it happened at home and due to the way it happened,” said the former Fernebahce of Turkey and PSG of France midfield dazzler.

“I thought we should have won it at home, but it’s not something that is given out … you have to earn it.

“We felt a bit robbed, and I now wish we had VAR back then. Silver was a consolation, just as were three bronze medals that I won in the competition. But, anyway you look at it, the gold medal is the ultimate.”

Okocha, who also played for Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany as well as Bolton Wanderers and Hull City of England, further acknowledged that he did not win many trophies during his playing days.

He also could not win the coveted award for African Footballer of The Year, in spite of placing second twice and being crowned most valuable player at the 2004 Cup of Nations, but Jay Jay submitted that he is always philosophical about having missed out on both personal and team honours.

“I truly may not have won more trophies, but I admit that everybody’s destiny is different. Maybe mine was not meant to win trophies but, at least, I still gained recognition.

“The older I get, the more I accept my fate and understand that some things are not meant to be,” said Okocha, who was named BBC African Player of The Year 2004.
He then concluded with personal experiences that he is using to encourage and motivate players of the current generation in Nigeria’s national team.

“The most important thing for me is that I won hearts when I was playing. For me, that’s priceless.

“I tell myself that I did a job well done, because I’ve always believed that whatever your profession is, you must be committed and give it your best shot.

“If you get appreciated after that, it means you’ve done something good. That’s why I cherish it every time people appreciate the work that I have put in.

“Though I left the game many years ago, it’s a good thing that people still talk fondly shout me,” Okocha rounded off with a tone of nostalgia.