A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairmanship aspirant, Conrad Utaan, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might win the 2027 election.

He warned that this would be the case if the ongoing issues within the PDP continues.

Utaan stated this while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

He lamented that internal crisis has rendered all key figures in the PDP ineffective.

Naija News reports that the PDP has been grappling with internal disputes since the buildup to the 2023 presidential election, which contributed to the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, losing to the incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the APC.

Speaking on the situation, Utaan said, “Look, there’s so much confusion in our party, the PDP. The APC, as much as we hate to admit it, may just stroll into another term by 2027 if the PDP continues this way with this crisis.

“The big names in the PDP have become dormant because of the issues we have found ourselves in within the party. That is the reason why we are advocating for North Central to complete its term as PDP National Chairman to resolve all issues.

“By the way, this term ends in November 2025. I am not running to be chairman for four years. I am running to complete the term of the North Central, the term of Benue, the term of Benue North West Central District, even if it’s for two days. It belongs to the North Central. It belongs to Benue. It belongs to Zone B of Benue. It’s ours, even if it’s for two days.”

Utaan, who described it as a shame that the PDP has been mired in an internal crisis for so long, emphasised the urgent need for the North Central to propose a replacement for Damagum to be approved at the National Executive Committee meeting on October 24.

“What came to us in the North Central was the national chairman of the PDP, and then all of a sudden, we discovered that Damagum was becoming more or less a substantive chairman. And then nobody was saying anything, you know, so again, I took it upon myself to give it a challenge.

“And our case should not be an exception. The Chairman of the PDP is for the North Central Zone. If the party, or the National Executive Committee of the party, decides that Damagum should be a substantive chairman, they should come out and inform the North Central. If not, the North Central must bring a replacement; the North East cannot have both the Deputy National Chairman and the National Chairman at the same time when we in North Central are left with nothing,” he said.

He stressed that the PDP urgently needs peace and genuine reconciliation, stating that he is not too proud to ask all stakeholders for help in achieving this.

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed frustration over the perceived complacency of Nigerians in the face of ongoing economic challenges.

In an interview with Igbere TV, Amaechi criticized the lack of proactive responses from the populace, particularly the youth, regarding the rising cost of living.

Amaechi, who previously served as the governor of Rivers State, noted that he anticipated a surge of protests from young people demanding action against the deteriorating economic conditions.

He said, “People should be angry because you cannot see a group of people stealing your money without doing anything. I am really angry with the citizens because they are not doing anything.

“Look at what happened in Edo State, should any politician be campaigning in Edo State? See, some of us cannot afford to buy diesel again because it’s costly.”

Naija News understands that Amaechi’s call comes hours after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced that it had increased the ex-depot prices for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as fuel for marketers.

NNPCL Retail Limited communicated this change through a price list, indicating that the ex-depot price in Calabar is now set at ₦1,050 per litre.

According to the National Oil Company, the ex-depot price in Lagos is ₦1,010 per litre, while in Port Harcourt, it stands at ₦1,045. Additionally, the prices in Ogara, Koko, and Warri are all set at ₦1,040 per litre.

William Troost-Ekong has confirmed that Ahmed Musa is still the captain of the Super Eagles even though the veteran winger is not currently in the squad.

Ahmed Musa who has not been called up by Nigeria since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, is currently playing for Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) club, Kano Pillars.

In a recent league game against Sunshine Stars, the 31-year-old forward scored two goals as he helped his team secure a 2-0 victory.

Musa has also made it clear that he has not retired from international football.

Ahead of Super Eagles’ 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Libya, Troost-Ekong said at a media parley in Ikot Ekpene that Musa remains the leader of the national team.

“We’re happy he’s back,” Troost-Ekong said at today’s media parley in Ikot Ekpene.

“He’s still our captain and he’s welcome back any time.

“He’s our most capped player, a good role model, he’s a good leader.

“I am happy to deputise for him.”

On the other hand, with Victor Osimhen unavailable for selection in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations doubleheaders due to injury, Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface has expressed his readiness to step in for Osimhen against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.

Boniface is expected to fill the void left by the injured Galatasaray forward in the starting lineup against the North Africans.

Despite the pressure that comes with replacing a key player like Osimhen, the 23-year-old striker emphasized that he does not feel burdened by the team’s goal-scoring responsibility.

“I don’t feel any pressure. It’s not just me; we have other strikers, Kelechi, Awoniyi and myself. If I play, if any of us play, we will try to get the win,” Boniface told Football Fans Tribe.

“For me, the most important thing is the team’s performance. If we are winning and I’m not scoring, then I don’t have any problem. Whatever people want to say, they should say it, but as long as we are getting the win, then it’s fine by me.”

Petroleum marketers have confirmed that the recent fuel price hike by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is due to the complete removal of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).

As a result, NNPCL has raised the pump prices to ₦1,030 per litre in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and ₦998 per litre in Lagos.

This clarification came from spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, during an interview with DAILY POST on Wednesday.

Ukadike’s comments were in response to the latest price adjustment at NNPC stations, which increased from ₦897 per litre to ₦1,030.

This hike follows a previous increase by NNPCL, where the pump price jumped from ₦617 to ₦897 per litre.

Ukadike said, “It is a price template that shows that the total deregulation of the oil and gas sector and the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act have taken off.

“With this, I don’t think there is anything like a subsidy on petroleum products now. NNPCL is now selling as they are buying from Dangote Refinery. NNPCL is no longer a middleman for oil marketers. Marketers are to buy petrol products from Dangote Refinery. It has become a willing buyer, selling relationship. We are embracing the new NNPCL price template.”

However, Ukadike mentioned that neither NNPCL nor Dangote Refinery has yet disclosed their ex-depot prices, which are essential in determining the resale price for marketers.

“Although they have not released their ex-depot prices, we are waiting for NNPCL’s ex-depot prices. Once the ex-depot prices of NNPCL and that of Dangote Refinery are released, we will now choose where to buy our petroleum products and stock our filling stations,” he concluded.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has accused his successor, Siminalayi Fubara of sponsoring the Action Peoples Party (APP) in the just-ended local government election in the state.

Recall that Governor Fubara on Monday sworn in local government chairpersons in Rivers State.

APP won 22 of the 23 chairmanship positions in the election.

In the lead-up to the poll, Fubara who is a member of the PDP said he is the “greatest loser” since his party was not on the ballot.

Wike, however, claimed that Fubara sponsored the APP for the election.

While speaking on Channels Tv, on Tuesday said, “Today, people say ‘Discipline Wike, he did anti-party’. I did not do anti-party; I said we must stand for equity, fairness, and justice.

“Today, what happened? The governor [Fubara] is the one who sponsored the APP. The chairman of the [PDP] governors’ forum was the one who attended the swearing-in.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged Nigerians to place their love for the country above financial gain.

Akpabio spoke on the floor of the senate on Tuesday.

The Senate President asserted that the country would be better if citizens who are skilled in various fields stayed back in the country.

“The country is losing its expertise. If they acquired those expertise and returned to Nigeria, it would have been better,” he said while commenting on a motion seeking to address mass immigration of Nigerians

“I also think the conditions of service are quite responsible. I believe people should place love for their country above financial gains.

“That is why many of us choose to remain here,” he added.

Akpabio said the massive migration of Nigerians has adversely impacted the country’s health sector.

He said, “The brain drain is a big problem, not just in the educational sector, particularly in the health sector – it is affecting us a lot.

“The greatest professionals in medicine in the USA, from what I read, some people say we have almost 22,000 health workers in there (US) who are Nigerians and they are doing extremely well.

“I have seen that from different reports.

“In the educational sector, the disadvantages are too numerous because some of the departments do not have even up to 50 per cent staff strength.

“So what then are you teaching our children? It’s like a computer, garbage in and garbage out.”

The Senate President said the National Assembly would continue to do its best to better the lives of teachers so that they could stay back and impact future generations.

The Federal Ministry of Education has set up a 31-man panel to renegotiate the agreement entered into between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The committee, according to findings by our correspondent, will be inaugurated next Wednesday.

This move by the government is part of plans to avert a potential disruption in the academic calendar of universities, following a fresh strike threat issued by ASUU.

Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja, the Director of Press, FME, Folasade Boriowo, said, “The government has started working, and I am sure that ASUU won’t be embarking on a strike because a number of developments are ongoing. A 31-man renegotiation committee has been formed, and they will be inaugurated next Wednesday.”

ASUU recently issued the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to resolve several lingering issues, failing which it would embark on a fresh round of industrial action.

Among other demands, ASUU is seeking the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021, as well as the release of withheld salaries due to the 2022 strike action.

Additionally, ASUU is demanding the release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, as well as the payment of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions. 

The union is also seeking funding for the revitalization of public universities, partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget, and the payment of Earned Academic Allowances, also partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement issued last Wednesday, expressed frustration with the government’s lack of commitment and delay tactics, stating that these actions were fueling a crisis in the public university system.

“In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, September 23, 2024, during which all the lingering issues must be concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union. The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from the government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud,” the ASUU President said.

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that Nigeria needs to stop mortgaging crude oil to ensure the availability of feedstock for local refineries.

Dangote, who spoke at a summit organised by the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria in Lagos, said it was unfortunate that while countries like Norway are putting oil proceeds into a future fund through their national wealth funds, Nigeria and African countries are spending oil proceeds from the future.

“To ensure sufficient feedstock availability we will need to stop mortgaging crude. It is unfortunate that while countries like Norway are putting oil proceeds into a future fund through their national wealth funds, in Africa, we are spending oil proceeds from the future today,” he stated.

On October 4, 2024, The PUNCH exclusively reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had pledged 272,500 barrels per day of crude oil through a series of crude-for-loan deals totalling $8.86bn. 

The report stated that pledging 272,500 barrels daily meant that about 8.17 million barrels of crude would be used for different loan deals by the national oil firm on a monthly basis.

This, it said, was according to an analysis of a report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the NNPC’s financial statements.

On Tuesday at the event,  Dangote, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Mansur Ahmed, said the country must also prioritise the implementation of the domestic crude.

“We will also need to prioritise the implementation of the domestic crude supply obligation. We will need to expand crude production capacity to support demand from the refinery,” he submitted.

He also revealed that the company built the 650,000 barrels per day capacity Dangote refinery In Lagos without any incentive from the government.

“We built the Dangote refinery without a single incentive from the government. However, to achieve the vision of turning Nigeria into a refining hub for the region, investors need to be incentivised,” he stated.

Dangote maintained that 1.8 million barrels of new refining capacity is coming on stream in the next three years in Kuwait, China, and Bahrain.

On the other hand, he said Europe is tightening environmental standards while Holland and Belgium have banned exports of low-quality petroleum products from their hubs, stressing that these low-quality products used to be destined for Africa.

Quoting a report, Dangote mentioned that several refineries across Europe and China, with a total capacity of 3.6 million barrels per day are likely to be shut down over the next couple of years.

He said, “It was recently in the news that Scotland’s only refinery will be shut down next year. Shell is converting the 7.5 million tonnes per annum refinery in Germany to a lubricating plant.

“So, the opportunities are there. Africa imports about 3 million barrels per day of petroleum products. About half of this volume is imported by countries along the coast from Senegal to South Africa.

“These same countries produce over 3.4 million barrels of crude per day, which indeed highlights the problem of the dimension of excess crude production capacity without refining capacity. The imports come from Europe, Russia, and other parts of the world.

“So to grab this opportunity, we will need to build 1.5 million barrels per day of additional refining capacity. This would not be an easy feat, and strong support from the government and cooperation between stakeholders would be essential.”

This came as the Federal Government announced that it has officially designated the Dangote refinery as the exclusive supplier of jet fuel or Jet A1 for Nigerian airline operators.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, during an interview with Channels TV on Tuesday.

“The airline operators just met recently. With my blessing, it’s a decision from the airline operators in Nigeria that they should only buy from Dangote refinery Jet A1,” Keyamo said.

“You can see that yesterday we started the naira-for-crude purchase with Dangote. It’s all naira, no dollar component,” he added.

Keyamo further explained that sourcing jet fuel from Dangote would protect airline operators from the volatility of international oil prices, ultimately lowering their operational expenses.

Former Governor of Rivers State and the incumbent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister,Nyesom Wike, has said he owes no apology for his actions against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.

Naija News reports that the FCT Minister made this remark on Tuesday on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Wike faulted the accusation against him, saying that he engaged in anti-party activities by refusing to support Atiku Abubakar, the then-PDP presidential candidate.

According to him, he only supported equity, fairness and justice.

“For the presidential election, I said I am going to support equity, fairness and justice. In the other one, I am going to support my party and that is why we won the governor, National Assembly election.

“For presidential, I have no apologies because I don’t believe in injustice. Today people say ‘discipline Wike, he did anti-party.’ I did not do anti-party,” Wike said.

Naija News recalls that in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections, Wike, who was the governor of Rivers State at the time, allied with four other dissatisfied governors from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP): Samuel Ortom from Benue, Seyi Makinde from Oyo, Okezie Ikpeazu from Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi from Enugu.

These five governors consistently insisted that Senator Iyorchia Ayu resign from his position as the national chairman of the PDP as a prerequisite for their support of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Ultimately, Atiku was defeated in the presidential election by Bola Tinubu, the candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC), under whose administration Wike is currently serving.

Nigerian oil company, Oando Plc, has been shortlisted by the Trinidadian government as one of three final contenders to take over the country’s state-owned refinery, Petrotrin.

The defunct company is a state-owned oil company in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidadian Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, disclosed this during a presentation of its national budget held on September 30. Our correspondent obtained the minister’s speech on Monday.

He noted that among the initial 10 proposals, three companies had made the final shortlist including, CRO Consortium, a consortium of three Trinidadian companies, INCA Energy, an American company, and Nigeria’s Oando Plc.

The bidding process began in February 2024, when the government of Trinidad and Tobago enlisted the services of US-based Scotia Capital to oversee the refinery’s procurement by inviting “expressions of interest.”

Imbert noted, “A formal selective Request for Proposals process will now be initiated to determine the winner among these three companies, with a view to restarting the refinery, if found feasible.”

He explained that the proposals received were evaluated based on five criteria which were, a clear restart plan and timeline by the proposing company.

This restart plan and timeline had to include an asset integrity assessment, utility requirements such as power, natural gas, and water, as well as sources of crude supply.

Other criteria included a viable financing plan that covered working capital, and an agreement with the Trinidadian state oil company, Paria, that safeguarded the national interest in fuel security while addressing the management of Heritage’s crude supply, among others.

The refinery located in Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad had been closed since 2018, when the country’s Prime Minister, Keith Rowley noted that the refinery was recording losses of up to $2bn per annum.

Colm Imbert in his budget speech noted that the accumulated losses of the refinery as of the last audit was $15bn, with the country carrying a public debt of $3bn on behalf of the company.

He also noted that when the refinery was shut down in 2018, it was battling with low productivity levels.

Trinidad and Tobago, just like Nigeria is a crude oil-producing nation that relies on imported petroleum products for its energy demands.

According to reports, the refinery under review was built in 1917, making Trinidad the major oil supplier to the Caribbean region. In 1956, the owner of the refinery, Trinidad Leaseholds was acquired by Texaco, however, Texaco’s assets were nationalized in 1984.

In 1993, the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Petrotrin) was formed and formally took over control of the refinery. By 2018, the refinery was shut down and Petrotrin and broken into four companies, including Guaracara Refining Company which is now the holding company for the refinery as well as other assets offered for sale.

Oando Plc in August just completed a $783m acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company, thus increasing the company’s interest in the different joint venture assets.

The acquisition has also given Oando control over 40 oil and gas fields, of which 24 are producing.