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.

The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries has issued a strong rebuttal against the recent ridicule of its members’ testimonies circulating online.

The Church has firmly rejected accusations of fabricating testimonies and criticized the misleading nature of some viral videos.

In a statement released on Monday, the Church urged Nigerians to approach internet content with caution, warning against believing everything seen online.

The Church specifically condemned bloggers they described as “devilish,” accusing them of manipulating and taking statements out of context for sensationalism.

The backlash followed viral videos featuring testimonies from Church members, including one particularly controversial account where a member claimed to have ridden on a lion.

The Church emphasized that such testimonies are genuine expressions of faith and not fabricated stories.

The Church called on the public to disregard the disparaging comments and to approach such matters with discernment.

The Lord’s Chosen member in the testimony had said, “Something entered my back, lifted me up. It carried me like aeroplane to express.

“When it reached there, it dropped me. When it dropped me, I turned to look at what carried me and as I looked it was lion.

“So when the lion dropped me, the place was very narrow and tight, it now raised one hand up and asked me to go like this (pointing to the left). When I go, the lion said bye bye.”

In another viral video, a lady said he fought robbers and took their AK-47 rifles.

In the footage, the elderly woman revealed that she was attacked by armed robbers.

She said she “Miraculously gained control of their guns and ensured the arrest of three of the robbers.”

Similarly, a man revealed that he survived kidnapping, machete attacks, and gunshot wounds “without injury”.

However, reacting to the videos and the reactions trailing them, the Lord’s Chosen Church said the footages were doctored.

The Head, Public Relations and Media, of the church, Pastor Chidi Louis, described the videos as “a bid to discredit what God is doing.

“Nigerians should visit the Church’s platform and listen to the complete testimonies for better understanding. The woman defeated the armed men in a dream.

“Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. They just cut one part and made it look real. The woman was explaining her dream.

“The viral video is a fake one. It was doctored.

“Most of these bloggers are very wicked and devilish, they edited this testimony in a bid to ridicule the work of God.”

Also, the Lord’s Chosen Church media department, on its platform, described the clip as fake and urged the public to disregard it.

Furthermore, the church’s TikTok handle released the full clip of the lady’s testimony, clarifying that her story happened in her dream

At least three people were reportedly killed by armed bandits in a recent attack in Bakinpah-Maro, a locality within the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Naija News learnt that the assailants invaded a church within the area and gunned down Christian worshippers.

It was gathered that approximately 31 individuals, including a pastor, were abducted during the attack, which specifically targeted the ECWA and Catholic churches in the area.

Reports indicate that this tragic event took place on Sunday while church services were ongoing.

A former chairman of the Kajuru Local Government Area, Cafra Caino, has confirmed the distressing occurrence.

Caino told Leadership that the assailants, who arrived in significant numbers around 10 a.m., opened fire indiscriminately at the two churches.

He also mentioned that Bernard Gajera, a pastor from one of the churches, was among those taken by the perpetrators.

Attempts to contact the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Munir Hassan, were unsuccessful.

A week ago, a yet-to-be-ascertained number of nurses were taken hostage by bandits who stormed a Primary Health Care Center in Kaduna State recently.

Naija News learnt that the incident happened in Layin Dan Auta village, within the Kuyello Ward of the Birnin Gwari Area of the state.

The assailants were said to have initially targeted a primary school in Kuyello, located on the town’s periphery. However, when they were unable to find any students to abduct, they allegedly proceeded to the adjacent hospital, where they seized the nurses who were on duty.

A local leader, who chose to remain unnamed, verified the occurrence to Daily Trust, characterizing the situation as concerning.

“They arrived in the area and went straight to a nearby school, thinking they would find students. However, the school was empty, so they proceeded to the PHC in Kuyello and abducted the nurses on duty,” the source said.

Another youth leader from Kuyello, Baba Isah, has also verified the occurrence.

He mentioned that the two nurses were present during the assault by the bandits.

It is still uncertain whether any patients were taken, as the majority had already departed from the hospital.

The Nigerian government has begun a free programme to convert petrol-powered commercial vehicles to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in Ibadan and Zaria, as part of efforts to promote cleaner energy and reduce fuel costs after the removal of subsidies.

In Ibadan, around 100 vehicles were converted at three locations, including a Mobil filling station on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and two other sites in the city.

Louisa Afu, Business Development Executive of the Presidential CNG initiative, said the project aims to help vehicle owners cut costs while contributing to a cleaner environment.

Afu noted that the initiative, part of President Bola Tinubu’s push for sustainable energy, would expand to other regions. “Gas is cheaper, more sustainable, and safer,” she said, adding that Nigeria’s abundant gas reserves made CNG a viable alternative to petrol.

Local transport officials praised the programme as a positive step for the sector, though some, like CNG user Sowole Jayeola, called for further reductions in conversion costs to encourage more widespread adoption.

In Zaria, the government also launched its CNG initiative, starting with 50 vehicles. Dauda Suleiman, Team Lead at the National Institute for Transport Technology Centre, said the conversion kits were being provided for free to commercial drivers in the region.

The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has decried hardship Nigerians are going through as a result of economic policies of the federal government.

In his Eid-el Maulud message on Monday, Peter Obi called on Nigerians to show empathy to one another.

He enjoined Nigerians to embrace the message of Prophet Mohammed which is centered on love, compassion and kindness.

On his X handle, the former governor of Anambra State wrote, “I am most delighted to join the Islamic Community In Nigeria and globally in celebrating the Eid-El Maulud!

“This year’s celebration comes at a time when many of our fellow citizens are enduring severe hardships.

“Across the country, millions are grappling with the pain of economic challenges, lack of access to basic healthcare, and the distressing reality of countless children being out of school.

“These challenges weigh heavily on our collective conscience, reminding us of the Herculean work that remains to be done to uplift our people.

“The teachings of the Prophet—centered on love, compassion, and kindness—offer us the hope and guidance we need in these difficult times.

“His message calls us to be our brother’s keeper, to show empathy to those in need, and to work together in the spirit of unity. It is through this lens that we must address the inequalities that persist in our society, ensuring that no child is left without an education and no family suffers without access to healthcare.

“Let us use this occasion to reflect deeply on the values that bind us and renew our commitment to building a Nigeria where every individual, regardless of background or belief, has the opportunity to thrive.

“Together, we can overcome these trying times and create a more just, equitable, and prosperous nation for all.

“Eid al-Maulud Mubarak! Wishing Muslim families peace, joy, and prosperity.

“May your prayers bring lasting peace and security to our troubled nation.”

Troops of the Nigerian Army have recorded another success in the fight against terrorism by killing a notorious bandit kingpin, Baleri Fakai.

Reports obtained by Naija News on Monday revealed that Baleri Fakai was among thirty (30) bandits who were neutralized recently in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Baleri Fakai is said to be a close associate and superior to Bello Turji, another infamous bandit leader.

Multiple sources, including security analysts, have confirmed that Fakai has indeed met his waterloo days after appearing invincible in a video shared on TikTok.

Former Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmed, also shared the news of his killing on his X handle on Monday.

Ahmed wrote, “WONDERFUL: It has been confirmed that the joint security forces have eliminated the notorious bandit leader Baleri Fakai, along with 30 other terrorists, in Maru, Zamfara state. Baleri Fakai was a close ally to murderer Bello Turji, who will be joining him soon, in Sha Allah.”

Naija News reports that the latest development brings the record to about five bandit leaders eliminated in a 72 hour span.

Earlier, troops from Operation Hadarin Daji announced the killing of four notorious bandit leaders in Zamfara State.

It was gathered that the criminals, identified as Ibrahim Nagure, Lawali Dodo, Kadiri, and Jambaleri, were killed during a military operation that also neutralized Halilu Sububu, a key figure behind numerous terrorist activities in the North West.

Meanwhile, military forces apprehended another wanted terrorist kingpin, Hosseini Osman, in Plateau State.

He was captured in Ganawuri village, Riyom local government area, where he confessed to organizing several deadly attacks, including a recent assault on Ganawuri village that claimed the lives of innocent civilians.

Osman also revealed his involvement in a local kidnapping syndicate responsible for a series of abductions.

Using information obtained from Osman, troops swiftly mobilized to Kyaram village in Kanam local government area, where they successfully rescued several kidnapped victims.

In a separate operation, PRNigeria sources confirmed that troops launched a strategic ambush on fleeing terrorists from the Sambisa Forest heading towards the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza local government area.

This led to significant casualties among Boko Haram fighters and the seizure of a large cache of weapons and ammunition.

The Lagos-headquartered church was founded by Lazarus Muoka on December 24, 2002, with the aim of “preaching the undiluted word of God”.

But in the past years, the Lord’s Chosen has been at the center of controversy due to its unconventional miracles.

Recently, some social media users posted old clips showing church members sharing their testimonies, sparking questions and concerns about the authenticity of the miracles. 

In one of the footage, an elderly woman revealed she was attacked by four armed robbers. She said she “miraculously gained control of their guns and ensured the arrest of three of the robbers”.

Similarly, a man revealed that he survived kidnapping, machete attacks, and gunshot wounds “without injury”.

Another man alleged that a lion rescued him from kidnappers by lifting him into the air and guiding him to safety.

“Before you know it something entered my back, lifted me and carried me from there to the express. When it reached there, it dropped me and I turned to look at what carried me, it was a Lion,” he added. 

“So where the lion dropped me was very tight and narrow, he now raised his one of his hands and said I should go like this. When I left, he told me bye bye.”

See video clips and reactions below:

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it purchased premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in dollars.

In a social media post on Monday, the NNPC said naira transactions would commence on October 1.

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

NNPC also released the estimated pump price of petrol based on prices set by the Dangote refinery.

On September 14, Wale Edun, the minister of finance, had said from October 1, the refinery would supply PMS and diesel to the domestic market in naira.

“From October 1, NNPC Ltd. will commence the supply of about 385,000 bpd of crude oil to the Dangote refinery, to be paid for in naira,” the minister had said.

“In return, the Dangote refinery will supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market, to be paid in naira.”

On September 15, the NNPC commenced petrol lifting at the refinery’s gantry after an extended period of price negotiations.

The development followed the deployment of a fleet of NNPC’s trucks to the refinery on September 14.

At the close of loading on Sunday, the NNPC had said it bought petrol from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre.

However, the Dangote refinery countered the claim, describing it as “both misleading and mischievous”.