The name Aliko Dangote does not require a key, either smart or analogue, to open the doors to most of the 54 African countries.

The industrialist, who has been Africa’s richest man for years, has ventured into various sectors over the past three decades before finally taking the challenge of building an oil refinery.

Nigeria, despite being a major exporter of crude oil in Africa, does not have a functional refinery to hone its crude. This has caused the country to continue to spend billions of dollars on importation of refined petroleum products.

Aliko Dangote has before now, been into the manufacturing of cement, sugar, noodles, and fertilisers, among other valuable products.

Over time, he has been accused of exhibiting monopolistic tendencies. He is seen to be taking advantage of his closeness to “his friends in power” to corner various privileges like waivers to enhance profits for his various businesses. However, the recent controversy over the operations of the Dangote Refinery has opened a new vista. A lot of Nigerians believe that though he is human and therefore imperfect, the aggressive tactic of the regulators in the oil and gas industry in handling some issues of disagreement between the government and the Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), reeks of subtle push to promote some “vested interests”.

This development happened at a time when a video of the current British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, went viral. In the video, Mr Starmer is seen expressing regrets at the way corruption, as well as certain actions and inactions of some vested interests have stymied the growth and development of Nigeria, a country  he said, has the greatest potential to not only be the leader in Africa, but also one of the leading nations in the world.

The story of Nigeria’s many battles to sustain local refining is all too known by the average Nigerian. Successive governments have pumped in billions of Naira with no tangible results to show for those expenditures.

The absence of a fitting refinery has seen the country also fritter resources under the guise of fuel importation, fuel subsidy and crude swap.

Absence of petroleum refinery and attendant costs to Nigeria

Nearly 70 years after the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities, Nigeria’s oil and gas downstream sector is yet to develop to expected levels.

The federal government spent N12.05 trillion on maintenance and rehabilitation of refineries, as well as fuel subsidy under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, more than enough to build a brand new 650,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) refinery, the like that Aliko Dangote has built.   

Such a new refinery would have been bigger than the three moribund refineries built many years ago by the Nigerian government. Over time, the refineries had guzzled billions of naira in the name of “upkeep”, yet cannot produce enough refined oil to meet the country’s domestic consumption needs.

The four refineries have a combined 445,000bpsd capacity. Port Harcourt refinery complex (old and new site) has 210,000bpsd, Warri has 125,000bpsd and Kaduna has 110,000bpsd capacity.

The collective failure of the refineries has forced the oil-rich Nigeria to depend on importation of refined petroleum products after exporting the crude.

Sadly, a large chunk of dollars accruing to Nigeria is being used to import the refined oil for domestic use, obstructing channelling of the funds to social and economic development of the country, the largest on the continent in terms of population. Nigeria is projected to have over 220 million people.

According to the 2023 full-year foreign trade data, Nigeria incurred about N7.5 trillion in fuel import costs throughout 2023, compared to N7.7 trillion in the previous year. Using the 2023 exchange rate, the country spent approximately $7.7 billion on fuel importation in that year.

The importation of motor spirit, also known as petrol, has cost Nigeria a staggering N23.5 trillion over the last five years. Fuel importation proved particularly costly for Nigeria in 2022 and 2023, with a combined expenditure of N15.2 trillion—more than half of the total cost incurred in the last five years.

Shining examples from far and near 

There are 18 oil-producing countries in Africa, based on March 2022 data by Trading Economics, a global market website. Nigeria is the largest of them with 1,238 million bpsd oil production, overtaking Libya (1,220mbpsd). Angola is the third, Algeria is fourth and Egypt is fifth (562mbpsd).

The rest, comprising Congo DR, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Chad, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Congo Brazzaville and Niger Republic, have less than 500,000bpsd oil production each. According to a McKinsey Refinery Capacity Database Report of 2020, there were over 600 operating refineries around the world as at the beginning of 2017. As of 2020, 20 African countries had refineries, with some having more than one. 

The McKinsey data revealed that Antwerp city in Belgium hosts the three refineries with 767,000bpsd that Nigeria patronises. These Belgian based refineries are owned by ExxonMobil (307,000bpsd), Total (350,000bpsd) and Gunvor (110,000bpsd), and both Mobil and Total are International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria in a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Ltd). 

In Africa, Morocco does not produce oil, but has a 200,000bpsd refinery; same with Zambia with no oil, but has a 12,000bpsd refinery.

Although Egypt is the fifth oil producer, it has nine refineries with 800,000bpsd, being the largest refining capacity on the continent. Algeria, the fourth largest African oil producer has five refineries, refining 671,000bpsd. Libya, the second producer also has five refineries with 380,000bpsd. Angola, the third largest African oil producer has one with refinery capacity of 65,000bpsd.

Niger Republic, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Liberia’s combined oil-producing capacity is less than half of Nigeria’s oil-producing capacity, yet they each have at least an operational refinery.

Dangote’s ‘monopoly’

The accusation often touted by some Nigerians and government officials about Dangote’s monopoly in all his areas of business is not supported by data. In the cement industry, for instance, before the coming on stream of the Dangote Cement, there was Lafarge Holcim.

Lafarge was incorporated on 24th February, 1959, and listed as a publicly quoted company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on the 17th of February, 1979.

There were also Sokoto Cement, Benue Cement Company (BCC) and Ashaka Cement in Gombe State. All three became moribound at some point and were acquired by BUA, Dangote and Lafarge respectively.

The cement manufacturing sub-sector today has three major players: Dangote Cement, which started manufacturing in 2007, has three fully integrated cement plants of 32.3 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) located in Obajana, Ibese and Gboko.

BUA Cement is Nigeria’s second-largest cement producer with a current installed capacity of 11 million mtpa.
With plants in Ewekoro and Sagamu in the South-west, Mfamosing in the South-south and Ashaka in the North-east of Nigeria, Lafarge Africa Plc currently has an installed cement production capacity of 10.5mtpa.

Sugar

The data available in the Sugar space also show that there are three major players namely the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, owners of Sunti Golden Sugar, BUA Sugar Company, Lafiagi, Kwara State and the Dangote Industries Limited, owners of the Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State.

The Dangote refinery conundrum

The commissioning of the Dangote Refinery by the Buhari administration was greeted with a sigh of relief for most Nigerians, especially given that the government-owned refineries have refused to rise from the dead. The wait for the completion has been “forever” for many Nigerians, in view of the desperate desire to have a solution to the punishing fuel queues that often suffocate the economy, causing untold hardship to citizens, as well as the frequent increases in petrol pump price. The refinery project was first announced in 2013 at an estimated cost of $9 billion. By the time major structural construction began in 2017, the cost had ballooned to about $19.5 billion.

The anxiety shown by Nigerians towards the completion of the refinery was understandable. Analysis by experts suggested that the refinery was more than able to meet all of Nigeria’s domestic fuel consumption, which is about 450,000 barrels per day, while the excess production would be available for export.

Reports indicate that the Dangote refinery could earn Nigeria foreign exchange savings of between $25 billion to $30 billion yearly. The impact of such savings would be directly reflected in Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves by reducing the pressure on the country’s balance of payments.

According to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, under the current Bola Tinubu administration, Nigeria will cease importation of petroleum products, fertiliser and petrochemicals that drained the country of over $26 billion in 2022, once the Dangote refinery fully comes on stream. He opined further that the refinery will have an enormous impact on job creation by generating thousands of direct jobs, and millions of indirect ones, with over 135,000 permanent jobs for Nigerians. He also stated that the project will generate up to 12,000MW of electricity.

Thus, Nigeria is on the verge of once again being described as a net exporter of refined petroleum products, courtesy of one individual.

Enters the twist

Ahead of the commencement of refining, on December 8, 2023, Aliko Dangote announced receipt of its inaugural one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from the Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO). The refinery also received four shipments of one million barrels of bonny light crude supplied by the NNPCL.

Not long after, news broke that Dangote had resorted to importing crude from as far as Brazil and the United States, and is also looking to other African countries to source for more feedstock.

The Dangote refinery, according to one of its senior executives, was in talks with Libya to secure crude for the 650,000 barrels per day plant, and was also seeking Angolan oil, to overcome problems with domestic supplies.

That clearly hinted of a major impediment to the operations of the refinery, part of which is largely attributed to suspected sabotage by certain vested interests within the regulatory arm of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

Since Dangote began operations in January, Weekend Trust gathered that it has been unable to get adequate crude supplies in Nigeria.

In May, the company put out a tender for two million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland crude every month for a year starting in July.

Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum 2024, Dangote outlined his strategy, saying the refinery would purchase 24 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, despite ongoing domestic supply. “Twenty-four million barrels is nothing,” Dangote said in an interview with The Africa Report. “It’s roughly about two cargoes [deliveries] in a month, which is about 10% of our demand at full capacity”, he added.

The reliance on imported oil, particularly WTI, is economically prudent for the refinery at present, Dangote explained. “It also makes economic sense for us to tender for crude. If [we could source] 100% Nigerian crude, then fine, but we can’t wait.”

But trouble started when Dangote publicly alleged a conspiracy by the IOCs to deliberately frustrate the refinery’s ability to buy local crude oil by manipulating and increasing the premium price above the market price.

Feelers from behind the scenes

A senior management source from the refinery who prefers to be anonymous said the major impediment is around crude supply, pricing of the crude and lack of institutional support from the regulatory body to compel the IOCs to meet its obligation as required by law. The source also raised concern about the conspiracy theories about who Aliko Dangote supported or did not support during the 2023 presidential elections. “You all reported how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited in Ikoyi, Lagos, earlier in the year in relations to the ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of the foreign exchange allocations by the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

How do you explain the ‘gestapo’ 

invasion and the disruption of the business operations of the company where there was no prior resistance?”, the source queried.

The source also said the refinery has substantially met all globally accepted standards and has commenced exportation to highly regulated regions of the world. “So, how can the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) say we are not ready?

“The accusation that we are trying to create a monopoly was the most laughable. What has happened to the existence of Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna refineries, and the array of modular refineries?,” he asked.

How NMDPRA contemplated ban on diesel

Another senior management source at the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said the agency’s chief executive’s remark that the Dangote refinery was not ready was not out of place. The source said: “Remember that the commissioning was done in May, 2023. There are different levels of completion. Some things were at 90 per cent, others were at 50 or even 30 per cent.

“So, the commissioning was rushed because of the push by the immediate past administration. We had to backdate some of the approvals because some of the fabrications were done without approvals. But we have been walking back to do what is expected of us as a regulator because we know what is at stake for the country.

“But we have been receiving attacks from the refinery with unsubstantiated claims. We have been going to the joint committee of the National Assembly on account of the various accusations in the past weeks”, the source said.

Commenting on the allegations about monopoly, the source said: “We have come under intense pressure to ban importation by marketing companies. We have also received threats from the major marketers that they cannot at this stage completely rely on the (Dangote) refinery for supply.

“Let me shock you; we had already written the circular for the ban of diesel importation. We had to revert after listening to the Major Marketers’ argument, and the need to leave all channels open for now”, the source said.                                                                                                                                

Crude swap agreement impedes NNPCL’s feedstock supply to Dangote refinery

Senior sources at the NNPCL said they have shown absolute faith in the refinery in the interest of the nation and more importantly because Dangote has shown considerable faith in Nigeria, and as such must be supported despite all challenges.

On the inability to supply crude to the refinery, the source said: “The truth, which every major player in this space is aware of, is that these Joint Venture agreements reached years before the coming on stream of the (Dangote) refinery, is constraining on our part to meet Dangote’s request.

“On the failure of the IOCs to also meet their demand, we are not in control of whatever the IOCs will do with their own share of crude in the JV”, the source added.

The NNPCL swapped nine million barrels of oil, valued at $755.74 million under its direct sale, direct purchase arrangement (DSDP) in November 2023.

The way out

Investment Banker, Joseph Edgar, in his intervention said: “Dangote refinery is our only real ‘agbado’ on the fire. It is the only investment of its size that we as a nation have attracted ever and in the foreseeable future. As such, all stakeholders must come together to make it come on stream.

“My suggestions to Dangote are to immediately, as he has said, list a certain percentage of its shares on the (stock) market to ensure that Nigerians would also participate. This will push back harsh regulators who, from their utterances, see a personality instead of a bigger picture in all of these.

“It should also seek to sell its shares to a major IOC whose home government will now be pulled into the fray and whose involvement would weaken its supply issues.

“The Dangote Group is one of Nigeria’s largest employers of labour, its biggest private taxpayer, a major player in infrastructural development, and a powerful forex revenue earner among others, and this is why all hands must be put on deck to ensure that these ‘teething’ problems are resolved in a transparent and professional manner”, he added.

A chief executive officer of a leading company in Nigeria, who prefers anonymity said: “We have elevated public officials who lack the spine, industry and perhaps intellect to create sustainable businesses but slither from one government position to another, freeloading and amassing stupendous wealth, to become too important to the extent that their actions and utterances cripple those who spend their lives taking risks, employing people and creating value.

“The refinery is a mere refinery to many. But in truth, it is a national reference point that proves massive projects can indeed be executed in Nigeria. Killing it simply kills the dreams, aspirations and investment opportunities for countless Nigerians.

“$20 billion (N36 trillion) is the amount we spend on total inflow of refined products coming into the country. This is what the government spends, paying foreign companies, to purchase refined goods. So, the loss of that potential revenue to Dangote is what is fuelling this crisis”, the CEO said.

Warts and all, most Nigerians would stick with Aliko Dangote, for what they see as his patriotism, and would wish, if President Tinubu is not backing those behind the  perceived frustration of the business mogul, that the current heads of the NNPCL, the NUPRC and the NMDPRA are sacked swiftly, for their perceived roles in trying to undermine the Dangote refinery.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote is the heir and successor to his great grandfather, Alhaji Alhassan Dantata (1877-1955), the patriarch of the wealthy Alasawa Family in Kano, widely believed to be the richest man in West Africa in his days. Aliko Dangote also rose to become the richest man in Africa, and the richest black man on planet earth. Though he was born two years after the death of his great grandfather, Dangote’s exploits conquered areas the legendary patriarch had not even explored.

His maternal grandfather, Alhaji Sanusi Dantata, father of Hajiya Mariya, Dangote’s mother, was equally a wealthy businessman until his death on April 15,1997, at about 82 years of age.

Sanusi Dantata began business at the age of seven, initially helping his father before he started his own business of buying and selling of groundnuts. He later established a bottling company, and an industry dealing in building materials. Sanusi Dantata played an important role in the upbringing of Aliko Dangote.

His father, Muhammadu Dangote, who lived at Alfindiki quarters in the ancient city of Kano, was an associate of the Dantatas. But the young Dangote spent most of his adolescent years with his maternal relations in Koki Quarters, where the Alasawas lived.

He was sent to Government College, Birnin Kudu, in present day Jigawa State, for his secondary school education. He met and fraternised with school mates like Abba Rilwanu, Abdulkadir Ahmed and Muhammad Sabo Nakudu. Nakudu’s foray into politics saw him elected as member of the House of Representatives and later senator representing Jigawa Central zone. Nakudu, like Dangote, is a businessman and an industrialist.

Sources said Dangote may have inherited the knack for business from his uncle, Alhaji Usman Amaka Dantata, who was very wealthy, even at a young age. Amaka Dantata first introduced Dangote to the cement business and reportedly gave him N500,000 to start trading in commodities, including cement, rice and sugar.

Aliko’s relocation to Lagos from Kano in 1977, in his early 20s, consolidated the Dangote trading business, dealing largely in bagged cement, which easily began to yield dividends and blossomed for him. Thus, the Dangote Group was established, specialising essentially, in trading of commodities. 

While Dangote built his business empire in Lagos, establishing himself as a manufacturing giant from a commodity trader, his great grandfather lost his fortune to thieves in Ebuta-Metta in Lagos, while on transit from Ghana, at some point. The great grandfather recovered from the loss within a short period of time. He was the first to open an account when the Bank of British West Africa came to Kano in 1929.

Unlike his uncle, Amaka Dantata, who maintained a palm beach residence in the United States and many palatial mansions home and abroad, with fleet of private aircraft, Dangote has no house abroad except in Lagos and Kano. He reportedly sold houses he had earlier acquired abroad to invest the money in his manufacturing firms.

Chairman, Kano Eminent Persons Forum (EPF), Ambassador Mukhtar Gashash, described Aliko Dangote as “a quintessential businessman”, who is always ready to explore opportunities that are financially rewarding.

Gashash said Dangote’s philosophy in business revolves around principles such as hard work, perseverance and innovation.

“Dangote believes in the importance of investing in sectors that have a significant impact on the society such as infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing.

“One of Dangote’s key philosophies is focusing on local production that reduces dependence on imports. This approach not only boosts the economy, but also creates job opportunities, and helps in developing local industries”, he said.

He said by prioritising the growth of businesses, Dangote is contributing to the overall development of the country.

The Kano EPF chairman added: “His company, Dangote Cement, has become a leading player in the cement industry, not only in Nigeria, but across Africa. Dangote’s vision and strategic investments have propelled his company to great heights, making it one of the largest cement producers on the continent,” he said.

According to him, Dangote’s diversified business interests in sectors such as sugar, salt, flour and oil refining further solidify his position as a business leader, noting that his exploits demonstrate his ability to identify opportunities, take calculated risks and drive growth in multiple industries.

For him, Aliko Dangote’s business philosophy combined with his strategic exploits cemented his legacy as a visionary entrepreneur.

Similarly, Chairman, Singer Market Traders Association, Alhaji Junaidu Muhammad Zakari, told Weekend Trust that Aliko Dangote has made significant contributions to the growth of businesses in Kano, particularly in Singer Market, having started his business as a trader over 30 years ago.

Traders of flour, sugar, rice, noodles, he said, received support from him individually and collectively.

“He is ever willing to assist traders whenever we approach him because of his patriotic zeal to support Kano traders, besides giving employment opportunities to truck drivers and factory workers in his company,” he said.

He dismissed the accusation of monopolistic tendencies against Dangote, saying: “When Alhaji ventured into flour, he met other competitors”.

He added that Aliko’s sugar business was not monopolistic as widely claimed. Rather, it helped discourage sugar importation into the country.

Worried by the developments around Dangote and his refinery in Lagos, a project the company invested about $20 billion, the Kano State Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industry and Agriculture (KACCIMA), to which Dangote is patron, decried what it described as an attempt to frustrate Aliko to shelve his plan to establish a steel development plant in the country.

President of the Chamber, Alhaji Garba Imam, was out of the country as at the time of filing this report, but an official of the chamber who preferred anonymity, told Weekend Trust that KACCIMA had written to Dangote to encourage him to persevere and focus on his business plans, irrespective of what he called the attempted “sabotage”, intended to halt the diversification of the African richest man’s business interests.

The Dangote Group, it was gathered, has been a major financier of the Chamber’s annual trade fairs in Kano in the past 45 years.

A retired permanent secretary and Dangote’s senior at Government College, Birnin Kudu, who pleaded anonymity, also expressed worry that “some elements” were trying to frustrate Dangote, who, he said, has been very good to his friends, associates and to the country.

Shehu Alhaji Musa, a professor of Agricultural Economics and former Vice Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology, later renamed Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, had the opportunity of working with the business mogul for nine years.

He said the Dangote Group has been doing a lot, not just in the oil sector, but in food and agriculture value chain, particularly in the area of rice production, tomato and sugarcane production. He said subjecting a $20 billion investment to unnecessary criticism may discourage further investments into the country.

“For me, the controversy is uncalled for and the labelling of Dangote as monopolistic is underserving. Even if you argue about the quality, other countries in Europe and Asia did not reach the pinnacle in one day”, the professor said.

Nigeria, he said, must be seen to be protecting its local industries and providing them with the opportunity to flourish. He said the university named after Aliko has benefitted from the magnanimity of Dangote in many areas, including linking the institution to the National Independent Power Project (NIPP), provision of male and female hostels, employment of foreign professors, supply of generator sets, and settlement of electricity bills, in addition to a pledge to build a six-storey Senate building for it.

Aliko Dangote had built a N1.2 billion building in Bayero University, Kano, to serve as an incubation centre for entrepreneurship and business development in the country.

The project was in fulfillment of a promise he made during a convocation ceremony while Professor Attahiru Jega was the vice chancellor.

Aliko’s activities through the Dangote Foundation are reminiscent of his great grandfather’s humanitarian gestures. Dantata had in 1940/41 sent surplus of food stuff to Sokoto, after a drought- induced famine hit residents, forcing Sultan Hassan Dan Mu’azu to seek help from the then Emir of Kano, Abdullahi Bayero. Dantata also sent 10,000 sacks of grains to Katsina to mitigate sufferings from a famine that was known as “Mai Danbuhu”.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has told the planners of the August 1–10 protests to submit their details to the commissioners of police in their respective states.

He spoke while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday.

IGP Egbetokun’s demand comes hours after human rights activist Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa notified the police and Department of State Services, DSS, requesting protection for a group known as Take It Back Movement.

Egbetokun, however, said it is important for intending protesters to provide their details to the commissioners of police in their respective states to ensure the protest was peaceful.

Egbetokun said: “We acknowledge the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly and protest.

“However, in the interest of public safety and order, we urge all groups planning to protest to provide necessary details to the Commissioner of Police in the state where the protest is intended to take place.

“To facilitate a successful and incident-free protest, they should please provide the following information: state the proposed protest routes and assembly points; expected duration of the protest; and names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers.”

Earlier, DSS, in a statement on Thursday claimed to have uncovered plans by some plotters to hijack the planned protest.

“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments, make them unpopular and pit them against the masses,” DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya said.

[DailyPost]

• Asks police, DSS, NSCDC to enforce directive
• Ousted Rivers LG chairmen accuse govt of disobeying court judgments, orders

A fresh court order has been issued by the Rivers State High Court preventing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from going ahead with its planned congresses in the state.

The court halted the congresses planned by the party to hold in the wards, 23 local government areas and the state on July 27, August 10 and August 31.

The new order dated July 25 was, among series of other injunctions, issued by Justice CN Wali in a suit marked PHC/2400/CS/2024 filed by 21 members of the PDP in Rivers State.

Named as first, second and third sets of defendants in the matter were the PDP; National Chairman, Amb. Iliya Damagum; party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; National Organising Secretary, Umar Nature and the party’s National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyegikuro.

Others were Aaron Chukwuemeka; Dr. Benibo George; Solomon Ogbonna; Lenebari Inaania; Enia Harris; ThankGod Owhorji; Inspector-General of Police; Commissioner of Police, Rivers State; Director-General, State Security Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 

The judge gave the order after hearing a motion ex-parte file by the claimants/applicants.

The court said: “An order of interim injunction is hereby made restraining the 1st, 2nd and 3rd sets of defendants, their agents, servants, privies and hirelings from gathering in the 319 wards of the 23 local government areas in Rivers in howsoever and whatsoever manner for the purpose of conducting, and/or from conducting the PDP ward, local government or state congresses in Rivers State on the 27th July, 10th August and or 31st August 2024 respectively,

“Or on any other date and place in Rivers State or Nigeria or anywhere and/or from conducting any election of the PDP ad-hoc delegates at any forum wheresover or howsoever pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction already filed herein.”

The court further directed the police, DSS and NSCDC to enforce its orders by preventing the PDP and its agents from holding the ward, local government and state congresses in the state or anywhere else pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The court said: “It is further ordered that the motion on notice and the originating summons including this order be served on the respondent forthwith by substituted means, by publication in any national newspaper that is widely read in Rivers State.

“It is further ordered that the applicants are to pay damages to the respondents as will be assessed should this application be found to be frivolous”.

The court adjourned the case to August 1st, 2024 for motion on notice.

Ousted Rivers LG chairmen accuse govt of disobeying court judgments, orders

THE tension that is brewing in Rivers State escalated further yesterday as the ousted local government chairmen, who are still battling for tenure elongation, accused the state government of flagrantly disobeying court orders, including those of the Supreme Court.

The removed chairmen, who spoke to reporters under the auspices of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers chapter, said the government had refused to dissolve the local government caretaker committees and their chairmen despite the recent Supreme Court judgment.

Reading their position, the chairman of the group, Allwell Ihunda, urged President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the judiciary and the security agencies to pay attention to what they described as the ongoing abuse of power and contempt of court that is ongoing in the state.

He particularly said the state government had continued to engage in persistent illegality and crass contempt of judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court delivered on the 4th of July 2024 and July 2024 respectively.

He said: “We are taken aback and saddened by the blunt inclination and rebellious stance of the Governor of Rivers State against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the explicit judgment of the highest courts in Nigeria.

“We believe that it is a major paradox and an aberration for the governor to be the major breaker of the laws of our land. The socio-economic and political consequences of such executive lawlessness are dangerous.

“We make these bold assertions without fear of contradiction and in the overriding long run interest of peace in our dear state.”

Ihunda said going by the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule & 24 others Vs Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo & 5 others, the court held that section 272 (3) of the 1999 Constitution vests on the Federal High Court the power to determine whether the seat of a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly had become vacant or not.

He also recalled that in January, the Federal High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Omotosho clearly nullified all acts of the purported four-man assembly led by Edison Ehie, including Victor Oko Jumbo, and affirmed Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule as the only Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Ihunda, the ousted Chairman of Port Harcourt City, further said that the Court of Appeal in its recent decision also voided all actions earlier taken by Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo before and during the pendency of the matter before the state High Court.

He said such actions of the Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo led Rivers State House of Assembly included the screening and confirmation of commissioners and caretaker committee members for the 23 local government areas in Rivers.

He said: “The governor of Rivers State has intentionally disobeyed this judgment. You all are aware of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Attorney General of the Federation Vs the 36 State Governors delivered on the 11th of July 2024, which legalised and affirmed the autonomy of the 774 local government areas in consonance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

“Among several orders, the Apex Court abolished the powers of the state governors to set up caretaker committees in any guise to govern the local government councils in Nigeria as enshrined in section 7(1) of the 1999 constitution. This order also extricated the local government councils from the suffocating grip of the various state governments.

“In other words, by this judgment, the Local Government Areas are no more departments of the state governments.

“Be that as it may, in sharp contrast to the obvious implications of this historic judgment, which has prompted many state governors to step down caretaker committees across the nation, the situation in Rivers State is totally different.

“Ours is another example of flagrant disobedience of the Supreme Court judgment. What we are seeing is repugnant to the provisions of the Constitution.

“In Rivers State, the state government is busy promoting these illegal caretaker committees by encouraging the illegal caretaker committee chairmen and members to parade themselves as heads of the local government administration in the 23 local government areas.”

Ihunda listed the actions of the caretaker committee chairmen, saying they were involved in a dubious quest to generate internal revenue thereby ravaging the pockets of the citizenry by collecting all sorts of illegal revenue from the unsuspecting public.

He said they were also threatening to dethrone traditional rulers if they failed to subordinate their stools to their whims and caprices.

Ihunda said they had lavished about N40 billion confiscated from the local government councils’ accounts, being moneys due to the councils between April 2024 and June 2024.

He said: “It is sad that this enormous financial resource has been squandered on all sorts of frivolous activities. What a waste!

“To impose themselves without any atom of legitimacy, these illegal caretaker committees are relying on threats to perceived opponents to perpetuate themselves in power in the various local government councils.

“This is increasingly generating tension among competing youth groups in the communities in the state.

“Unfortunately, Governor Sim is also adopting the same ugly tactic of using the apparatus of state power to silence perceived opponents.

“Only recently, he is threatening perceived opponents with sealing their properties, relying on trumped-up charges.

“The illegal caretaker committee chairmen in some local government areas are violently stopping communal projects promoted by the traditional heads of their respective communities and dictating where and what to build on community lands.

“Acts of this nature are already fuelling tension and threatening the peace and sanity of the communities in the local government areas.

“These illegal caretaker committee chairmen and members are busy on a daily basis convoking politically motivated stakeholders’ meeting in the capacity as the administrative heads of the local government areas to legitimise their fraudulent status in the local government areas.”

Ihunda said such meetings were brewing tension and mutual suspicion among members of the communities, adding that the unfavourable environment existed because large sections of the communities questioned the legal basis for the existence of the caretaker committees as heads of their local government areas.

He said: “The Rivers State House of Assembly, in order to be thorough in ensuring stark conformity of the Rivers State Local Government Laws to the Nigerian constitution as amended, had altered the relevant sections of the Rivers State Local Government Law which made provisions for the establishment of the caretaker committees.

“This bold amendment was carried out even before the recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court.

“Instead of obeying this law, the Rivers State governor is doing everything in his power to delegitimise the existence of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“He is still doing so even though the Court of Appeal has declared Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule as the bona fide speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. This is a direct attempt to create lawlessness in the state and dysfunctionality of the local government system in Rivers State.

“The extent to which the governor of Rivers State is disobeying court orders and even tagging decisions of superior judicial bodies as unconstitutional is alarming. To this end, we call on the law enforcement agencies to swing into action and salvage the situation, lest the acts of the Governor and threats of the caretaker committee chairmen tear the state apart.

“The judgment of the Supreme Court is law. It must be obeyed by all and must be enforced timeously. We believe in the power and ability of the Police and the DSS.

“All defaulters of our laws should be brought to book as timely as possible as not to do so will result to citizens sourcing and settling for self help, which would most likely degenerate into chaotic retaliations from interested parties, thus further escalating the already existing tension and threat to the law and order in Rivers State.”

It was, however, observed that all the judgments had continued to elicit different interpretations from the two warring political camps.

The ousted local government chairmen and their supporters have continued to kick against continued operations of caretaker committee chairmen in the 23 local government areas in spite of the Supreme Court judgment.

Recently, the Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly asked the police and other security agencies to arrest the caretaker committee chairmen and withdraw personnel attached to them for violating the judgment of the apex court.

On Wednesday, there were violent clashes between the supporters of the caretaker committee chairmen and those of the ousted elected chairmen over programmes designed to empower residents at the grassroots, especially in Ikwerre and Obio-Akpor local government councils.

The caretaker committee chairman of Obio-Akpor, Chijioke Ihunwo, had accused Amaewhule of sending his thugs to disrupt the programme and unleash violence on residents, who came out to benefit from it.

He called on President Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and call the former chairmen and their supporters to order.

Caretaker committee chairs accuse former chairmen of heightening tension

In their reaction yesterday, the caretaker committee chairmen, who spoke under the auspices of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State Chapter, accused the former local government chairmen of trying to cause anarchy and engineer a climate of lawlessness in the state.

Speaking on their behalf, the Caretaker Committee Mayor of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council, Prince Ichemati Ezebunwo, condemned the rising attacks on CTC chairmen and supporters of the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

They warned those involved in perpetrating acts of violence and intimidation in the state to desist forthwith and toe the path of peace, saying that their desperation was becoming unacceptable to the generality of Rivers people.

They said: “We recall that earlier today, the immediate past local government chairmen made inciting statements bordering on claims to perpetuating themselves in office they had constitutionally ceased to occupy at the effluxion of time on June 17, 2024.

“We hereby warn these impostors to desist forthwith and also call the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu to call them (immediate past LG chairmen) to order.”

The caretaker chairmen urged the police to be professional, apolitical and neutral in the discharge of their duties, and avoid compromising themselves by aligning with some impostors and desperate politicians to destabilise the state.

They also condemned, in strong terms, the dastardly attacks on their members in Ikwerre and Obio/Akpor local government areas, where they alleged that the immediate past chairmen and a former lawmaker led armed thugs to inflict deadly harm on their members and vulnerable people in the communities.

They specifically mentioned the incidents in Omerelu in Ikwerre Local Government Area, and Eliozu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, where they said pregnant women, vulnerable children and people with disabilities were ferociously attacked, tear-gassed and injured while vehicles and valuable medical consumables and hospital equipment were damaged.

They said that it was callous for the past local government chairmen to hire thugs and mindless policemen to attack law-abiding people, who were reportedly responding to a key Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda programme aimed at providing healthcare services to the people at the grassroots.

They wondered why any politician and former elected public office holder would disrupt a Federal Government-sponsored primary healthcare programme designed to improve the health status of rural dwellers, who they had claimed to serve.

They warned that the police must not deliberately create an atmosphere of crisis by openly or clandestinely showing support for and protection to the immediate past chairmen.

They also called on the Inspector General of Police, and the Commissioner for Police, to respect the will and the fundamental rights of the people at the LGAs by allowing legitimate workers at the local governments unfettered access to their offices to perform their lawful duties unhindered.

They argued that by denying the local government workers access to their offices to carry out their legitimate duties, the police were deliberately allowing themselves to be used to deny the people at the grassroots the opportunity to enjoy the dividends of democracy and good governance.

They also dissociated themselves from the planned nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 across the country, saying that they were totally against the planned protest because it was capable of being hijacked by hoodlums to loot and destroy valuable properties and cause breakdown of law and order.

Ezebunwo said that the state had been peaceful and that it was unnecessary to allow agents of destabilisation to plunge it into instability, anarchy and chaos with needless protest and disorganised demonstrations.

Ezebunwo also reiterated the unalloyed support and commitment of the members to the implementation of the key objectives of Mr President’s policies and programmes as enunciated in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.

He said: “Sequel to the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting of June, 2024, where intense deliberations were held and resolutions reached on measures to adopt in improving the lives of our people at the grassroots, and the swift release of allocations due the local government councils, we, the members of ALGON, Rivers State Chapter, state that “we thank Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the timely and unhindered release of allocations for the various local government councils.

“We want to thank our peace-loving Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, who has instructed us to remain peaceful in the face of unwarranted provocation, and to dispense the local government funds in line with the local government laws for the overall benefit of our people.

“ALGON, Rivers State, dissociates itself from the planned protest from August 1, 2024, by faceless individuals against the government and policies of President Tinubu.

“We state categorically that we are committed to cascading the key objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President in our various local government areas.

“We hereby call on the people to discountenance any planned protest as measures are being put in place to cushion the effects of the economic situation in the country today”.

[TheNation]

The EFCC officials, acting on a tip-off about some suspected fraudsters residing in an estate in the Lugbe area, invaded their compound and in the process, caused a commotion that woke the 26-year-old, making his heart pound rapidly.

Confused and disoriented, Marcel peeked through his curtains, saw an EFCC van parked outside and heard the law enforcement officials moving into his neighbour’s apartment.

With a sense of urgency, the Imo State indigene picked up the phone he had been using for over two years to scam unsuspecting people and rushed to the restroom.

“My hands were shaking but my brain was working like a clock. An idea came into my head to wrap my phone in a nylon bag and that’s what I quickly did. A voice in my mind told me to hide the phone in the toilet tank, but another voice told me they would find it and I would be busted.

“I decided to dip the phone in the toilet bowl and shove it in the connecting pipe. That phone is what I used for ‘bombing and grinding’ and if EFCC finds it, I’m done,” Marcel confessed to Saturday PUNCH.

In Nigeria, Internet fraudsters, aka Yahoo boys or G-boys, are known to make a living by defrauding people online and offline.

Two of the slogans used by members of this criminal network are “bombing” which means finding a victim online and “grinding” which refers to chatting with a victim. These victims are often called “clients” or “magas.”

Before Marcel could fully comprehend what was happening to his neighbour – whom he claimed to be a G-boy – the door to his room was flung open with a force that sent it slamming against the wall.

Several EFCC officers stormed in, their flashlights sliced through the darkness that permeated Marcel’s room. One of the officers stepped forward, and with a stern expression, he said, “We are EFCC, stay where you are.”

As the young man sat there, frozen in a mixture of fear and bewilderment, the officers began their meticulous search. They rifled through his drawers, upended his mattress, and scattered his belongings across the floor.

“Show me your phone,” one of the officers shouted, his tone brooking no argument. Marcel told our correspondent that he denied having a phone as he had recently lost it.

He said, “I don’t think they believed my lie. One of them quickly pointed at my charger which was still plugged into an electric socket and told me ‘Is that not the charger to your phone? What are you charging with it?’

“As I tried to lie, I felt a slap across my face which made me see stars and planets. I started to cry, begging them that I was not a Yahoo boy and that I was just a shoemaker. I showed them the set of sandals I recently made, and they took it and flung it to a corner of the room. It was then I knew it was over for me.

“They started to rummage through my room, searched my drawers, and threw down all the boxes on top of my wardrobe. My room looked like a tornado had swept through it. Then one of them went into the restroom. From where I was seated, I could see him looking through the toilet tank and checking the toilet bowl but didn’t see my phone. Eventually, they all left my room.”

After an hour, when the EFCC enforcement officers had left, Marcel borrowed a phone from one of his neighbours and called his mother, Bridget, who resided in Lagos.

Bridget, a fervent member of a popular Pentecostal church is aware of her son’s involvement in Internet fraud. She had been functioning as a spiritual adviser who prayed for Marcel’s protection from the authorities.

Marcel added, “My mother was almost weeping on the phone. She thought I had been arrested because she had a dream earlier that month that EFCC arrested me and she warned me. She prays for me and I believe so much in her prayers. I believe it was what saved me from being arrested on that day.

“Most of the G-guys living in our flat and estate were arrested, they even arrested some innocent people. One teenage boy who came to stay temporarily with his aunt was one of those arrested. I’m very sure that if they had seen my phone, I would have been caught because it is my hustle pack.”

‘Nigerian princes’

In the early 2000s, a phrase known as ‘Yahoo boys’ was coined to describe young, financially driven persons who utilised Yahoo.com’s email accounts to execute phishing scams, also known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ or ‘419 fraud’ in the Nigerian slogan. 

According to Infosecurity Magazine, Internet fraudsters are the original ‘Nigerian Princes,’ who have shifted in recent years to conduct elderly fraud, fake job scams, and romance scams.

Meta clampdown

In its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced that it removed 63,000 accounts associated with the notorious ‘Yahoo boys’ scammers.

The accounts, deleted over the past few weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distribution of blackmail scripts.

Meta reported that a smaller network of 2,500 accounts, linked to around 20 individuals, primarily targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that Nigerian Internet fraudsters operate in different ways ranging from fake job scams to business email compromise and transnational fraudulent schemes.

A notable example is 40-year-old Ramon Abbas, also known by his Instagram handle, Ray Hushpuppi, who was sentenced to 135 months in United States federal prison sometime in November 2022.

A prolific international fraudster, Abbas laundered tens of millions of dollars through a series of online scams and flaunted his luxurious, crime-funded lifestyle on social media till his arrest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in June 2020.

 Tainted luxury life

In Nigeria, G-boys are often known to flaunt their luxurious, crime-funded lifestyles on social media. They often show off their luxury cars, posh houses, sultry mistresses, and dainty feasts in expensive hotels, clubs, or resorts.

They are mostly bejewelled from head to toe, adorned in designer clothes, and spend money lavishly with their friends – an activity that is called “balling” within their circles.

Other slang used by Internet fraudsters include ‘gbenusi,’ a Yoruba word that is used to connote celebrating or throwing a big party after a successful deal, ‘sana wole’ which means beginning a party with fireworks, and ‘picker,’ a code-word for someone who helps in opening foreign bank accounts and receive money, then helps them forward such money to Nigeria.

EFCC incessant raids

Earlier this month, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that several international companies had shut down their Nigerian operations following massive theft of their finances through local wire fraud.

According to a statement by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC chairman noted that in 2022, over $500m was lost due to the activities of Internet fraudsters.

He said, “The alarming statistics continued with Nigerian banks losing over N8bn to electronic transfer fraud in the first nine months of 2022.”

Acting based on intelligence reports of Yahoo boys who lodge in hotels and lavish money at nightclubs, EFCC operatives have been raiding hotels to arrest cybercrime suspects.

In June, EFCC officers, in the early hours of Saturday, raided two hotels and event centres located in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, and arrested over 50 suspects including a soon-to-be groom who was celebrating his bachelor’s eve at one of the targeted clubs.

The anti-corruption agency also allegedly seized numerous vehicles, laptops, high-end smart phones, and other items during the operation.

On March 11, operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of EFCC also arrested 45 suspected Internet fraudsters in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, following an intelligence report on the activities of an organised cybercrime syndicate network, operating in that axis of the state.

Items recovered from them at the point of arrest included exotic vehicles, sophisticated mobile devices, and laptops.

Similarly, in February this year, EFCC operatives arrested 36 suspected Internet fraudsters in the Gbokoniyin and Yetedo areas of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In the same month, officials of the anti-graft agency also arrested 14 suspected fraudsters at a ‘Yahoo Academy’ (believed to be a training centre for soon-to-be Internet fraudsters) in Makurdi, Benue State.

Similarly, in July 2021, about 30 suspects were also arrested by EFCC operatives during a raid on the Parktonian Hotel in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

Concealing identities

However, to hide from the eagle eyes of the anti-cybercrime institution, our correspondent gathered that many suspected Yahoo boys have resorted to adopting different tactics to conceal their illegal professional identities.

Some tactics include modifying their public appearances and living a modest lifestyle, a strategy at variance with the stereotypical ways of affluence funded with the proceeds from their fraudulent activities.

When our correspondent reached out to several suspected G-boys, all except a few vehemently declined to speak about their involvement for fear of being hunted down by the EFCC.

Deceitful tactics

During a conversation with a suspected fraudster, identified simply as Olalekan at an eatery in Ibadan, Oyo State, this reporter observed that he looked nothing like the stereotypical image of a Yahoo boy.

The graduate of a public university in Kwara State, who was dressed in a grey flowing robe known as Jalabiya, sported a punk hairstyle and a full-grown beard, while a silver wristwatch adorned his wrist.

A string of prayer beads hung awkwardly from Olalekan’s pocket, and he clutched an Android phone.

“I have to be careful now,” he told our correspondent as he munched on his food. “I was arrested four years ago whilst still in school. I was in my finals but had joined the G-boys because the peer pressure was too much. EFCC officials raided our off-campus hostels one early morning and I was among the G-boys they arrested.

“They seized all our cars, gadgets, and phones and packed all of us to their station. It wasn’t easy there at all. They looked into all of our phones and e-wallets to see something incriminating to link us with cybercrimes.

“They caught me red-handed and I was charged to court and had my photo posted on the EFCC’s Instagram account. They seized my car and laptops and I paid a fine of N800,000.”

After his release, Olalekan said he stayed away from cyber fraud for a while, but according to him, he could not adjust to living as a common citizen.

“Now I dress like a Muslim cleric and use my clean phone when I go out during the day and that protects me from the watch of suspicious security operatives. They all know how we typically look, so I disguise myself so I don’t end up in their net again,” he said.

Fraudulent doctor

In the case of an Ogun State-based suspected Yahoo boy who preferred to be identified as Isaiah, he was introduced to cyber fraud in 2019.

He said, “The street is not smiling; you hustle so your charger doesn’t blow. Most of my neighbours here are not aware of what I do. I hang a lab coat in my car when I go out and I have an ID card to present, so everyone calls me a doctor. But that is a format and only my guys know the update.”

Narrating the ordeal of one of his friends, Isaiah suggested that some compromised security operatives help them recover their seized property but only under the condition of parting with a humongous sum of money.

Isaiah recounted, “One of my close friends, a confirmed G-guy, came in from Kenya in 2022. He rented an apartment here in Ogun State and the house was furnished with N15m. He lived with his sister and grandmother.

“When these EFCC guys came for him, they dried him up of almost N58m, he was reduced to zero. We had to contribute money for him to return to Kenya. He felt insecure because some policemen also raided his house.

“He did a shady deal with them so they didn’t take him to the office and they released him. He returned to Kenya last year and since then we have not heard from him.”

Isaiah further stated that some cybercrime suspects posed as movie producers and set up foundations, and non-governmental organisations that they used as fronts for money laundering.

“When the EFCC asks for the details, they will point to this and that projects in so and so place and tell them that these are where they make their money, but it’s all a format,” he added.

Hiding in plain sight

An Abuja-based cybercrime suspect who gave his name as Charles, in a voice note sent to Saturday PUNCH, narrated how he was arrested by EFCC operatives in 2022.

He said, “I served here in Abuja and rented an apartment at Lugbe. The choice of this location was deliberate because the word on the streets is that the EFCC usually raids the big areas like Maitama, Asokoro, and Katampe, among other areas where flashy G-boys live.

“The day these guys busted me, they seized my car and everything I had, including all my home gadgets. They asked for the receipt of all these things. I can’t lie to you my brother, a total of N21m was taken from me.

“When I was released, my bank account was reduced to zero, including my Bitcoins wallet. But I found a way to liaise with them to get my vehicle back. They have informants. I know who gave them information about my moves and I was able to track him. It was my landlord’s son who is also a Yahoo guy. They’ve nabbed him too.”

Explaining how Internet fraudsters disguise to evade being detected by the EFCC, Charles said some of the fraudulent suspects secured government employment to conceal their criminal identities.

He said, “Some guys hide under the guise of having government jobs, especially the type of work that enables them to wear uniforms. Some are into big business ventures and some pass them off as family businesses.

“We are in a country where the system doesn’t challenge you for the source of the income you use in starting a business. So you can create a business as a front to protect yourself. Some guys also hide under forex trading and they will tell you they are into crypto.

“Some of these guys parading themselves as tech guys are in our community. And I’m not talking about those boys collecting gift cards or into romance scams, I’m referring to the higher levels like hacking mail, spamming, rendering fake services, and fake investments. They will approach you as investors and insurance gurus and from there they swindle you.

“Some pose as content creators to the public. You will also find big men and children from wealthy homes in the circle too, and there are times you will need their help when you get caught because they have connections. There are different updates involved in this game.”

Cryptocurrency fraudsters

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, a Crypto trader, Damilola Afolayan, lamented how cyber fraudsters adopted crypto trading as a disguise for their illicit activities.

He said, “They pose as legitimate traders of crypto coins on social media, claiming to buy Bitcoins and other coins at attractive rates. This deceptive behaviour is meant to present them not as Yahoo boys but as crypto traders.

“While the allure of quick gains through cybercrime may seem enticing, the risks and consequences associated with such activities can have lasting repercussions on individuals and society.

“Instead of falling prey to the temptations of fraudulent schemes, I urge these individuals to consider redirecting their skills and ingenuity towards the world of cryptocurrency.”

Afolayan said cryptocurrency offers a decentralised and transparent financial ecosystem where innovation and creativity are celebrated.

“By leveraging their technical prowess and entrepreneurial spirit in the crypto space, former Internet fraudsters can find a legitimate outlet for their ambitions and aspirations,” he added.

Rites for protection

Our correspondent, while carrying out discrete investigations, also discovered that many Yahoo boys seek solace in personal prayers, and protection rites performed by their parents, girlfriends, wives, or religious clerics, who are well aware of their source of income.

Several sources who confided in our correspondent revealed that while physical associations of Yahoo boys exist, there are also virtual ones, whose parents created groups on WhatsApp.

“In these groups, you find parents of G-Boys who call themselves Iya awon omo ologo, meaning parents of glorious children, and they all come together to seek spiritual assistance, strategise, and organise parties to support their children involved in cybercrimes,” a source told Saturday PUNCH.

Also speaking, Michael Hassan, who was acquainted with several cyber criminals, pointed out that most of these Yahoo guys are either involved in voodoo themselves or have their mothers or wives performing the rituals for them.

He added, “I used to have a friend who has been a G-boy since 2012 and he shuttles between Malaysia and Nigeria. One day in 2017, he came around and I visited him in his family house.

“That day we held a welcome party for him and I handled the cooking for the party. While in the market, his mother called to inform me that they had bought chicken for him and that I should just get pepper and other things.

“At home, he was called into the room by his mother while gisting with us and after a while, I wanted to ask him for the chicken his mother was talking about and to also charge my phone in his room.

“As I approached the room, I just felt the urge to peek through and I saw his mum circling the chicken around his head while he knelt. I was surprised. His mother killed the chicken and brought it to me in the kitchen. They eventually served everyone except me. I made up an excuse not to eat it.”

An economist, Oluwaseun Wusu, told our correspondent that economic hardship and the desire for a fast life pushed many youths into cybercrime.

Wusu said, “The major reason for the increase in fraudulent practices is unemployment. I know a guy who stayed for three or four years without a job and resorted to becoming a Yahoo boy. Again, there is economic hardship.

“For instance, during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, one dollar was N140, but as of 2022, it was N162. Now we have a dollar at N1,520. Additionally, most of our guys don’t want to start small; they want to use the iPhone 14 Promax. Some celebrities are also involved and they use ladies for money laundering.”

Worship centres fingered

Highlighting the influence of religion, Wusu said, “Many Yahoo boys tend to flock to white garment churches, but it should be pointed out that these churches are owned by individuals and are not often officially registered.

“The same applies to these non-uniformed churches and many of them incorporate African traditional rites into their worship. As a member of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, we have strict rules and regulations and these tend to curb the influx of Yahoo boys into our gatherings.”

A member of a white garment church, Sola Omilani, while speaking with Saturday PUNCH, said the claim that G-boys love attending white garment churches is true.

He said, “Many of our clerics perform certain rituals for these guys. Although I think most of these clerics are simply scamming the scammers. I also believe that these clerics merely exploit the desperation of these G-boys and give them fake soaps. These guys inherently believe in voodoo, so they are easily exploited.

“Many of these G-boys perform rituals for protection, yet they still get arrested by the EFCC. Additionally, some G-boys use fetish soaps and flaunt spiritual objects that they believe would protect them from the authorities. I know this because I have friends who are into Internet fraud.”

However, a Lagos-based white garment prophet, Taiwo Lasisi, told our correspondent that the claim that G-boys frequent the church cannot be substantiated.

He said, “There are different people who come to the church and one can’t easily tell who they are. You can’t be going to each member to start asking their occupation. In the church, we will see good and bad people and we embrace all. Our church is not judgemental.

“What usually influences people to join our church is our white garment; the way we sing, and dance, and how we love to be adorned with jewellery. Some people might not be Yahoo boys but with the way they are attired and spend money to fund God’s work, some people would tend to insinuate that they are Yahoo boys.

“We don’t encourage unethical actions, but we welcome people as long as they are our brothers in the faith. We must not alienate people even if they are not clean because they came to meet God for salvation.”

The EFCC spokesman, Mr Dele Oyewale in a phone interview with Saturday PUNCH, noted that the strategies deployed by Internet fraudsters are well known to the agency.

“These disguising tactics by Yahoo boys are well known. It is impersonation and identity theft. That is why they are charged in court.

“This is why if you read many of the charges against them in court, you will find, impersonation, identity theft, and obtaining money under pretenses as part of the charges levied against them. Some of them will pose as engineers, but they will be secretly involved in cyber fraud,” Oyewale said.

[Punch]

I am in London, hopefully on my way, in the next few days, to Paris, the host city of the 2024 Olympiad. I am very excited about visiting Paris again after two previous experiences that are significant chapters in my life. 

48 years ago, my flight to my first Olympic Games experience started in a city people used to say, in those days, was so beautiful and romantic that after seeing Paris, you can die happily!

It happened in the month of June. I was only a few weeks away from graduating from The Polytechnic, Ibadan. Through the Oyo State Sports Council, the National Sports Commission contacted the office of the Rector of The Polytechnic, seeking my release to come to Lagos and proceed immediately to join the national football team, the Green Eagles, that were on tour of Europe preparing for the 1976 Olympic Games. 

Coming completely from the Blue, it may be the most pleasant shock of my life. It was a quantum leap into uncharted frontiers of fate and fame. The Olympics were for gods, yet here was I, from nowhere, about to become one!

I had to submit an incomplete final project to my supervisor in the Mechanical Engineering department with the offer to return and defend the project after the national assignment. It was a most unusual situation for everyone. 

Meanwhile, the list of Nigeria’s contingent was with the International Olympic Committee, IOC, and had been released to the public. A scintillating performance by me in the quarter-final of that year’s Africa Cup Winners Cup for Shooting Stars FC at the National Stadium, Lagos, made Dr. Isaac Akioye, Director of the National Sports Commission, NSC, in charge of Nigerian sports, to send an urgent request to the IOC to replace the name of an already registered player with mine.

That’s how, as in a dramatic scene straight out of Hollywood, I found myself on a flight to Europe for the first time, to join the Green Eagles, already touring, training and playing international friendly matches in Greece, Germany, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia in final preparation for the Olympic Games. 

At the end of the tour, some 10 days to the opening ceremony of Montreal ’76, the entire Nigerian contingent of athletes in various sports were assembled in Hotel Ibis, in Paris. 

That was my first ‘taste’ of Paris. That’s where my 1976 Olympic story took off. 

Of course, the rest of that story is now unforgettable history highlighted by the boycott of the Games by 28 African countries led by Nigeria and Tanzania, and several other equally historic consequences birthed through the decades till now. 

I never got to visit Paris again until the France ’98 FIFA World Cup. 

I was present when the Super Eagles put up their best performance at the championship, trouncing Spain by 3-2. Some friends and I spent the entire night walking the streets of Paris on a drinking binge. 

A few days later, on the streets of Paris, I also endured the agony that followed Nigeria’s painful loss to Denmark that ended my short-lived second romance with Paris.

That was 26 years ago. 

I have not been back there since then.

It is now Friday July 26, 2024. I am heading back to Paris to witness a new ‘episode’ of the biggest multi-sports event on the planet. I am excited about the prospects of Nigerian athletes at the Games. The country’s 88-athlete contingent is brimming with talent, confidence, determination and a positive spirit. 

I am eager to embed with them, particularly those in athletics where I think more of Nigeria’s haul of medals will likely come from. 

I look forward to playing an unofficial role as an official Sports Ambassador of Nigeria, and sports diplomat of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA. I intend to add my humble voice to encourage, inspire and motivate the athletes to run faster, jump higher, throw farther and fight harder than they have ever done for their Fatherland. 

Beyond that, I shall feed my journalistic impulses, and share personal experiences with audiences on my different platforms (print, radio, and social media) with unique sights and sounds of Paris 

Once again, I have arrived in London. I love the City. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the best destinations for social and cultural interaction in the world, a melting pot of everything. The city accommodates a little bit of every community on earth. 

Interestingly, I have not visited London in almost 5 years, not since the Covid 19 pandemic struck and disturbed the equilibrium of the world. I became one of its victims. I not only contracted it mildly but also lost my UK residential status when I chose to hibernate in the ‘safe’ environment of the secluded hills of Wasimi, rather than be involved in the long, uncertain, expensive and complicated protocols that traveling to the UK during that period required. 

It has been a nightmare since the end of ‘Covid’ trying to get any kind of respite to re-enter the UK. Even the present visit is possible only by the intervention of the top echelon of the British High Commission. 

So, I am here now, at the banks of River Thames, working out the logistics of entering Paris at this time. The city is filled to the brim with visitors – the almost 20,000-strong army of athletes, technical officials, and the media. Plus, of course, the millions of summer-time tourists and sports fans that are descending right now on the city. 

By the next time you are reading or hearing from me, I would have crossed the English Channel in a ‘bullet train’, the Eurostar, that travels at speeds of over 300 km/h deep through the famous underwater tunnels of the Channel. 

I cannot wait to catch up with Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Odunayo Adekuoroye, Aruna Quadri, Esther Onyema, Funke Oshinaike, Opeyori Anuoluwapo, and so on, to share ‘communion’ of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

•They are beneficiaries of subsidy payments and also working against the revival of other refineries so that fuel importation will continue
•Read between the lines and take action

STAKEHOLDERS of the South-South have called on President Bola Tinubu to fish out and penalize the petrol barons operating underground to upset the working of refineries in the country, including the recently established Dangote Refinery. 

They said the showdown between Dangote, and the oil industry regulators was a collusion masterminded by the oil industry mafia, urging the President to read between the lines.

Unmask the saboteurs —Ambakaderimo, South-South leader

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Communities’ Development Committee of the Niger Delta, Joseph Ambakaderimo, said: “The breeze is blowing and the rump of the chicken will be exposed”.
“For some of us, the actions taken so far against the Dangote group are deliberate because certainly, the Dangote Refinery came as a disruption, which some vested interests did not see coming.

“It exposes why our refineries have remained comatose, people are feeding fat from the wrong things going there. The government is encouraged to identify and punish those involved in this sabotage of our refineries.”

Tinubu, NASS, govs should stop the mafia —Inwalomhe, JRC

The Executive Director of Justice Research Centre (JRC), Donald Inwalomhe, who spoke in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, said it was obvious that the beneficiaries of the subsidy regime have ganged up to frustrate the Dangote Refinery’s access to crude oil.

“The subsidy billionaires benefitting from subsidy in Nigeria are the mafia within the Nigerian oil industry working against Dangote. They worked for the refineries in Warri and Port Harcourt to collapse so that they would continue to get billions of naira from the subsidy for imported petroleum products.

“They are the ones equally working against the modular refineries that have been completed, they want subsidy to continue, which is why they are denying Dangote crude oil and telling the federal government to continue to import petroleum products.

“That is the challenge we are facing as we speak today. The petroleum industry in the South-South has collapsed, if you go to Warri, the Warri Refinery is like a ghost town since the refinery is no longer functioning. They are like a drug cartel in the petroleum industry, we can call them petroleum barons, who do not want our refineries to work.

“We call on the state governors, all the members of the state Houses of Assembly across Nigeria, and members of the National Assembly, which is the Senate and the House of Representatives to rally around Dangote, and ensure that the Dangote Refinery works. All other modular refineries should be encouraged to start operations.

“Look at Edo state, for instance, we have two modular refineries that are not working, one is in Ologbo built by the Chinese and Edo State government, and another one in Orhionmwon. Both of them are completed but they are not working, if they go into production and add their output to the one coming from Dangote, it will help to solve the issue of importation of petroleum products.

”Our governors should work with President Tinubu to ensure the Dangote Refinery works. The subsidy mafias have destroyed the economy of the South-South, they are making sure that both Warri and Port Harcourt refineries remain dormant.”

This‘s a conspiracy – Gbemre, NDPC

Coordinator of the Niger Delta Peace Coalition, NDPC, Zik Gbemre, in his reaction, said: “This is another conspiracy to fool Nigerians to accept greedy stakeholders’ trumped-up industry challenges to induce continued hikes in fuel prices.”

“The regulators were involved in approvals through the construction to the hurried commissioning. Why are they having issues at the time that Dangote Refinery is putting out products? Remember that this is a refinery the regulators passed as the best in Africa and beyond.

Mr. President should sort out the issue —Jonjon, ex-IYC president

A former president of the Ijaw Youth Congress, IYC, Dr. Onyienfie Jonjon posited that the misunderstanding between Dangote and the regulators was about economic interest.

His words: “Dangote cannot operate without the NNPCL, and NNPCL cannot do without Dangote. The oil cabal does not want Dangote to succeed, and the government still pays subsidies. If Dangote comes full stream, how will the cabal continue to enjoy the subsidy that they are getting?

He suggested that as the Minister of Petroleum, President Tinubu should summon a meeting of NNPCL, and Dangote Refinery to iron out whatever crisis they are having.

”While we do not support monopoly in any guise and form, knowing the impact the Dangote Refinery would have on the Nigeria economy, certain concessions should be made so that we can have a win-win situation for both the investors and Nigerians.

“We urge both parties to put the interest of the country and its people first, and look for amicable ways to resolve this lingering issue.”

More than meets the eye —Idi, NNYM scribe

The Secretary of the Ndokwa National Youth Movement, NNYM, in Delta State, Presley Idi, said, “We find the outburst by the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) chief executive, Adamu Farouk, against the Dangote Refinery, shocking, surprising and uncalled for.”

“While we believe there is more to the outburst than meets the eye, it was shocking to hear and this has certainly created bad waves for Nigeria globally, which is not needed this time.

“We think that the issues of product quality of the Dangote Refinery made by Farouk could have been resolved without coming to the press. There is power tussle behind the scenes, and it is sad because the common men bear the brunt.”

Diversionary tactic —Saviour, COMPPART

A human rights activist in Akwa Ibom State and executive director of COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building, Mr Saviour Akpan, described the friction between Aliko Dangote and the regulators as a diversionary tactic.

Akpan advised Nigerians to do the right thing by asking questions, instead of pointing fingers or buck-passing.

“They deliberately brought their face-off to the public domain to divert our attention so that Nigerians will not ask questions. So they should keep quiet.

”Unfortunately, we run a system that has failed and one of the outcomes of the failed system is what we see today. So, they should stop disturbing our ears. Let everybody do what is right, let us begin to ask questions and speak truth to power.

”Let all of us, including myself, stop buck-passing and finger-pointing. We have had enough of suffering in this country. It is all diversionary tactics on the part of economics and policymakers. There is something that they do not want us to hear or ask questions about”

Explore dialogue —Wills, Ijaw think-tank group

Co-Convener of Embassara Foundation, an Ijaw think-tank for good governance, Iniruo Wills said: “They should robustly explore and enforce the dispute resolution mechanisms embedded in their various contractual agreements and in the law. Was there no proper business plan? Was there no thorough due diligence and documentation, legal and technical? Were there no feedstock commitments locked in way ahead of the plant completion?

”Even promoters of modular refineries know that one of the preliminary requirements to be in place with legal enforceability is feedstock commitment, let alone a mega refinery like Dangote’s.

”Some would go further to make advance off-taker arrangements, though more as a business safeguard than a regulatory requirement. Nigerians are generally perplexed at the ongoing grand comedy.”

FG should probe operators —Akene, ex-commissioner

A former commissioner in Bayelsa State, Surv Furoebi Akene, asserted: “The Nigerian petroleum industry is a big scam. Some of us have raised these issues of high-level insincerity, fraud, oppression, and economic sabotage amongst the Nigerian oil industry players, and consortium in connivance with external forces and agents over the years.”

“The exchange between the Dangote Refinery, the regulators, and their collaborators is not unexpected. They know that the success of Dangote Refinery will expose their intrigues and deliberate efforts to ensure that the government-owned refineries did not work.

“This will stop their lucrative exploit of enriching themselves over the years at the expense of the Nigerian State. If the Federal Government is not culpable, they should probe the activities of the operators of the nation’s refineries, and other related and regulatory agencies for the past decades, and bring those found wanting to book according to the laws of the land.

“Let the blackmail against Dangote Refinery stop, and genuine regulations made for the refinery to operate effectively and efficiently. The actions of these people should be finally curtailed for the industry to work in this country.”

Brickbat good for the oil industry —Oritsetimeyin, stakeholder

A stakeholder in Warri, Delta State, Festus Oritsetimeyin, said: It is good for the oil and gas business sector. We are getting to know hidden things, we are getting to see that people can kill business initiatives that will profit the nation because of personal interest, and greed.”

“In May last year, we read that former president, Muhammadu Buhari, commissioned the refinery, now, we are hearing that the refinery has not been licensed. So the beef is exposing some many hidden deals.”

[Vanguard]

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied reselling shipments of crude oil from the United States (US) and Nigeria.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported three sources said the Dangote refinery was reselling due to technical problems at the refiner.

When questioned about the offers and talk circulating in the market regarding the refinery’s operational problems impacting the crude distillation unit, the publication said an executive at Dangote refinery said the unit is operating.

According to the sources, among the grades being offered were cargoes of US West Texas Intermediary (WTI) Midland crude and Nigerian Escravos and Forcados crude.

The plant has been importing several crude cargoes a month, traders said, adding that such resale by refineries is rare but not unknown.

However, in a statement addressing the claim, Anthony Chiejina, chief branding and communication officer, Dangote Group, said the report was incorrect.

“Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report on our crude distillation unit and also that we are offering crude for re-sale,” Chiejina said.

“This is outright falsehood as we are not authorised to sell any crude we buy from Nigeria!

“Also, our CDU is working and in perfect condition.

“We advise that you ignore these false narratives being peddled by those bent on the importation of dirty fuels into the country.”

On June 4, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, said some international oil companies (IOCs) were struggling to supply crude to his refinery.

Speaking on Arise TV on July 15, Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), described the claim as “erroneous” as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has provisions that guide willing buyer-willing seller transactions.

On July 17, the management of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) insisted that IOCs are frustrating its request to purchase crude feedstock for the Dangote refinery.

The next day, Farouk Ahmed, CEO of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.

However, on July 20, Dangote refuted claims that petroleum products from his refinery are substandard.

[TheCable]

Geometric Power Ltd, Nigeria’s leading electric power integrated group, has described the death yesterday in Abuja of a foremost elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel C. Iwuanyanwu, as unexpected and shocking.

“He was one of our staunchest supporters”, the company said today in a statement quoting its founder and chairman, Professor Bart Nnaji, as saying.

“Iwuanyanwu, 82, and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), was extremely proud of the work we are doing at Geometric Power Ltd by fellow Nigerian engineers”.

Continued the former Minister of Power who has also been the Minister of Science and Technology:

“Though he planned to attend in person the commissioning last February 26 of the Aba Independent Power Project comprising a 188-megawatt power plant in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba and the Aba Power Electric Company by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, he couldn’t eventually make it due to an unforeseen development.

“Just before the commissioning, Dr Iwuanyanwu had granted a major interview to a team of journalists where he spoke eloquently, persuasively and passionately on the project's significance”.

It is understood that Iwuanyanwu had in the interview pledged to consult the Geometric Power group and the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) that provides power to the five Southeastern states with a view to working out an arrangement on how to make the area attain constant, reliable and affordable electricity.

 “Though he was the president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Iwuanyanwu did not possess a tunnel vision, but rather a national one”, Nnaji declared, adding that the Champion newspaper publisher, a knight of the Anglican Church, had no difficulty giving his daughter to the famous Muslim Aritsekola family of Ibadan in Oyo State because of his broad-mindedness.

Professor Nnaji recalled that Iwuanyanwu was honoured in all parts of the country like “ the late Chief Moshood Abiola with all kinds of titles for his profound contributions to national unity, peace and development, and so justifiably sought to become Nigeria’s president in the Third Republic”.

The former Minister remarked that “Chief Iwuanyanwu excelled in road construction through his Hardel and Enic company, in aviation through his Oriental Airlines, in sports through his Iwuanyanwu Nationale Football Club which won various prestigious competitions, as well as in publishing through the Champion newspapers.

“We are proud that he also excelled in insurance, public relations, property development, philanthropy, and community development.

“No one should forget that Chief Iwuanyanwu was the chairman of the Imo State Airport Committee that raised funds for building Sam Mbakwe Airport, the first airport in Nigeria’s history built by a state government.

“An appreciative nation honoured him with different high national awards, and Nigeria should continue to honour his memory as a foremost nationalist and developer of the Nigerian nation”.

Dr. Nwadiuto Iheakanwa

Group Managing Director

Champion Newspapers

39, Awonoyi Elemo Street,

Ajao Estate

 Lagos

CONDOLENCES

It is with great sadness that we received the news yesterday , of the death of your father, frontline businessman , publisher and an esteemed member of our Association, Chief (Dr.) Emmanuel Iwumanyanwu, the Ahaejiagmba Ndigbo.

He was aged 82.

An engineer by training, Chief Iwunyanwu bestrode the business world leaving an indelible mark in aviation, insurance , road construction, sports and newspapering.

His venture into the newpaper business with the emergence of Champion Newspapers on October 1, 1988, changed the dynamics of newspapering in the country.

The paper pioneered colour printing among Nigerian newspapers and was among the first  to set the stage for simultaneous printing, as the paper rolled out from presses in Lagos and Owerri, giving  readers in the east the experince of reading  same news with their Lagos/western counterparts.

Chief Iwuanyanwu was a sports enthusiast and for a very long time,  his football club Iwuanyanwu Nationale,  rode the crest of competitive  football locally and challenged for thropies on the continent.

A collosus of no mean repute, his passage has created a deep void in the nation's socio-development  landscape.

We are consoled by  the enviable legacies he left as a solid  politician, frontline businessman and a patriot .

On behalf of the Executive Council of our esteemed Association, we commiserate with you  and your  entire family .

We pray that the Almighty God,  will console and uphold each and everyone of you

Once again,  our condolences.

Signed

Kabiru A. Yusuf

President