Fuel scarcity is gradually surfacing in Lagos and other parts of the country as private depot owners hiked the ex-depot price of petrol from N630 to N720 per litre.

This came as fuel scarcity deepened in Abuja and the adjoining states on Sunday with some filling stations dispensing PMS as high as N900/litre.

Our correspondents report that a number of filling stations in Lagos, Ogun and some states have run out of stock as they refused to buy high-priced fuel from the private depots.

Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, said many filling stations did not open for business because they had no fuel in their tanks.

“Those that shut their stations do not have fuel to sell. When you don’t have fuel, you cannot open your station. That is the problem. You know the NNPC is the sole importer of this product. I think it is in the best position to tell us what is actually going on.

“Currently, independent marketers cannot buy what the private depots are selling. They are selling fuel between N715 and N720 per litre. How much will marketers sell the product? Look at the cost of bringing it to their depots; with transportation and other depot expenses, it will be too costly for them. That is why the stations are shut down. Some marketers refuse to go and buy because they know the masses cannot afford high-priced petrol in this economy. That is the situation for now,” the IPMAN leader stated.

Our correspondents learnt that the third parties, who are private depot owners, used to sell PMS to independent marketers at the rate of N630-650/litre before now, while the NNPC sells petrol to major marketers at a price below or around N600.

On many occasions, leaders of IPMAN have appealed to the NNPC to supply them with petrol directly like they do to major marketers, but the NNPC has yet to yield to that call.

Fashola appealed to Nigerians to avoid panic buying, saying they should buy what they need so that the fuel in circulation could go round.

It was gathered that the major marketers sold petrol below N650 while the independent marketers sold between N750/litre and N800 /litre.

Multiple officials confirmed to one of our correspondents that officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited stormed the various depots in Apapa on Friday, mandating depot owners to prioritise fuel supply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where the fuel queues were initially noticed on Friday.

Abuja prioritised

On Saturday and Sunday, many trucks were reportedly directed to Abuja to reduce the queues in the FCT, leaving Lagos and other places with little supply.

One of the officials disclosed that the NNPC was rationing PMS to depots due to the fuel supply gap.

This is coming barely three days after a report by Reuters claimed that Nigeria’s debt to suppliers of Premium Motor Spirit had surpassed $6bn, doubling what it was since early April, as the NNPC struggled to cover the gap between fixed pump prices and international fuel costs.

Although this was denied by the NNPC, the Reuters report stated that the national oil company began struggling early this year when late PMS payments surpassed $3bn.

The company, it said, had yet to pay for some January imports which traders put between $4bn and $5bn.

“The only reason traders are putting up with it is the $250,000 a month (per cargo) for late payment compensation,” one industry source said.

At least two suppliers were said to have stopped participating in recent tenders after hitting self-imposed debt exposure limits to Nigeria, meaning they will not send more PMS until they receive payments.

It was reported that Nigeria’s tenders to buy gasoline in June and July were smaller, traders told Reuters. NNPC will import via tender about 850,000 tonnes in July, according to the Reuters report quoting sources, down from the typical one million tonnes in previous months.

Meanwhile, PUNCH findings show some marketers have refused to supply petrol to independent marketers, who own the larger percentage of the filling stations in Nigeria. This, it was gathered, was because the depots/marketers were getting limited supplies from the NNPC.

“Currently, we focus on our filling stations. We get less than 50 per cent of what we usually get from the NNPC now. So, we make sure we feed our stations first before we consider selling to independent marketers. That is why most of them are out of stock. You know they don’t have access to the NNPC and the little we get is not even enough for our stations,” one of the depot operators told The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because was not authorised to speak on the matter.

The operator mentioned that the few depots selling to IPMAN members sell at higher prices as demand overshoots supply.

Our correspondents report that queues were returning to Lagos as of Sunday, creating fears among residents, who have yet to forget the fuel scarcity that almost grounded the economy in May.

When our correspondent visited some fuel stations across the state, it was observed that some fuel stations had adjusted the prices of PMS upward.

The PUNCH reported that fresh queues for the product surfaced in Abuja, parts of Niger and Nasarawa states on Friday, following the closure of many filling stations operated by independent marketers.

Dealers closed their retail outlets due to their inability to access petrol as a result of the hike in the ex-depot price of the commodity to N710/litre by private depot owners.

Motorists besieged the few stations that dispensed petrol on Friday; particularly those operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and some major oil marketers in Abuja and neighbouring states.

It was noted that the situation was extending to Lagos. Out of about 10 fuel stations along the Ikotun to Egbeda axis, only about two stations were dispensing at the time of filing this report.

At Ikotun, one of the outlets belonging to the NNPC that was selling for N568 per litre had long queues while others were not dispensing. At the Igando-Ikotun axis, only an outlet belonging to Petrocam sold at N820 per litre.

Long queues

The PUNCH also observed that an outlet belonging to TotalEnergies along Mushin Road, in Isolo, sold fuel at N615 per litre with a long queue of waiting buyers.

Meanwhile, a Technoil filling station at Isolo Bustop was not selling fuel at the time of filing this report. Also, the NNPC filling station on the same axis that sold for N568 per litre was crowded with cars.

Our correspondent further observed that there were no fuel attendants at an AP filling located along Okota Road, as the outlet was closed at the time of filing this report.

Al Morouf filling located along Ilasa Road only sold to a few customers.

 A motorist who simply gave his name as Mr Emmanuel Anyebe, said, “They said they have removed fuel subsidy and by that, we assumed that what happened in the telecommunication industry would happen to the oil and gas sector, but it didn’t. It is not as if there is scarcity, there is no scarcity anywhere. I asked at the fuel station why the queue all they could say was that they had not been able to get the product. He said that about six tankers they ordered in the last two weeks were only able to get one tanker delivered to their station. This is just unnecessary suffering that is how I see it, they suffer people and waste people’s time unnecessarily.”

The PUNCH gathered that the AP Fuel Station at Ilasamaja experienced intermittent fuel sales on Sunday.

The station sold fuel in the morning but stopped operations in the afternoon, resuming sales later in the evening. Customers willing to pay a premium could purchase five litres of fuel at a rate of N4,000.

“We sold at N615 per litre today but we have stopped for now. However, if you are desperate, we can sell to you at a higher rate,” a customer attendant at the AP Fuel Station revealed.

Meanwhile, the General Fuel Station in Sadiku had no fuel available when visited by our correspondent, exacerbating the fuel scarcity crisis in Lagos.

A motorist simply identified as Segun in Nepal, Akowonjo, Lagos State, told our correspondent that he purchased fuel at the rate of N650, adding that the queue was becoming unbearable.

 “I paid N650 per litre, and it is annoying because I have been buying it like this for the longest time, and I think the government needs to do something about it, but then again, we have no choice.

A commercial driver, Timothy stated that he purchased fuel at Petrocam in Ikeja for N670.

He said, “Things keep increasing, the dollar is high, and all these producers are storing the fuel somewhere. They even mentioned that the prices might be higher.”

In Ogun State, checks by our correspondent revealed that petrol was sold between N700 to N800 amid long queues.

Our correspondent learnt from a resident, Emmanuel Ogbonna, that Ebefem fuel station in Abeokuta dispensed petrol at the rate of N720.

Emmanuel decried the difficulties experienced in getting petrol as there seems to be a return of fuel scarcity.

Emmanuel said, “I bought fuel at N720 in Ebefem filling station. There was no queue at the time I visited the station but major fuel stations like NNPC were not dispensing fuel when I visited yesterday (Saturday) evening. It seems petrol is scarce.”

A fashion designer in Abeokuta who identified himself as Ibrahim told our correspondent that he purchased the product at the rate of N750 at a private fuel station.

“My apprentice got the fuel at N750 at Oyinkansola. This is affecting my business.”

Further checks in the Oloka area of Imeko-Afon revealed that petrol was dispensed at N850 per litre.

A resident, Ade Akinola, told our correspondent that petrol was dispensed at the rate of N850. He blamed the Federal Government’s decision to ban the supply of petroleum products within 20 kilometres of the nation’s borders.

Akinola said, “Over the years, petroleum products have been expensive in border communities because of the 20km ban on the supply of crude to the nation’s border.

“As of today (Sunday), the last filling station permitted to dispense petroleum products sells fuel at N850. In places like Ilara which is the border town, petrol sells for N1,500 per litre. This is making life tough for residents of border communities.”

Ado-Ekiti stations

Our correspondent reports that many of the petrol stations in Ekiti State, particularly in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, have not been dispensing fuel to customers in the past few days.

At the few stations where the product is sold, there are long queues of vehicles especially where the price per litre is a bit low.

On Saturday and Sunday, the filling stations sold for between N650 and N760 per litre.

A motorist, Olaniyi Olaogun, said, “We have been in this fuel situation for some days now and nobody is ready to give an explanation. I bought fuel on Saturday at N650 per litre at a filling station in the Adebayo area of Ado-Ekiti. The queue there was unbelievable at that amount.

“It is only NNPC that sells at N580 per litre, others are above N600 per litre. I know NNPC along Iworoko Road sold at N580 per litre on Friday,” he said.

Another car owner, Mrs Lydia Igbala, said she bought fuel at N750 per litre and N760 per litre at different locations in the state capital on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

In Kwara, The PUNCH gathered that there was availability of PMS in Ilorin, on Sunday as most of the stations were selling fuel to motorists. However, the prices ranged from N600 to N750 per litre in most of the petrol outlets.

The AP filling station at Murtala Mohammed Road, a major commercial area in Ilorin, dispensed fuel at N620 per litre while MJK in the same area sold at N750. The MRS located on Unity Road sold at N600 per litre while Abanik at Sawmill sold at N660.

Shafa station sold at N700 per litre; Rain Oil at Asa Dam road and Lao area respectively were selling at N720 per litre; Tigress at Odota sold at N750 per litre, while Bovas sold at N670 per litre in all its stations located in various parts of the metropolis.

However,  the price of diesel at stations that have supply ranged from N1,450 to N1,700 per litre while kerosene was sold at N1,650 per litre.

In Benin, Edo State, independent marketers sold PMS between N700 and N730 per litre, while the major marketers sold between N660 and N680.

Our correspondent reports that the prices were higher in Edo North with a litre going for between N730 and N900 by the Independent marketers who are mostly in that area. In Edo Central, a litre sold for between N750 and N850 on Sunday.

The NNPCL fuel station sold PMS at N591 per litre, but motorists had to queue for long hours to buy the product.

It was learnt that the NNPC filling stations in Rivers State were selling fuel for N591. However, others sold between N750 and N760 as of Sunday.

Sokoto

Long queues of motorists resurfaced at the mega station of the NNPC in Sokoto State as fuel scarcity hit the state. Our correspondent who monitored the development gathered that only the NNPC station sold the product at N620 naira per litre.

Other fuel stations that sold fuel between N720 and N750 before now sell between N850 and N900, depending on the filling stations.

In Kaduna, fuel is sold between N720 and N800 along the Sabon-Tasha expressway by Command Junction, in the southern part of the state.

At the NNPC Mega stations along Stadium Roundabout and Aliyu Makama Road by Living Faith Church, Barnawa, fuel was being sold at N620 per litre but with a long queue.

At the black-market rate, motorists buy a gallon of petrol at N4,000 and N4,500 depending on the locations within the Kaduna metropolis and its environs.

NNPC spokesperson did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking reaction on the developments on Sunday

Abuja scarcity lingers

Meanwhile, some filling stations in locations far from the city centre of the FCT dispensed Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, at N900/litre on Sunday, as the scarcity of the commodity lingered in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states.

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Hundreds of motorists besieged the outlets operated by big dealers such as Nipco, Salbas, and Conoil, among others, to get the product at between N660/litre to N690/litre, whereas smaller stations operated by independent marketers sold the product at higher rates.

One of the remote stations along the Kubwa Village market road dispensed its product at N900/litre and had fewer queues compared to those at the few outlets of major dealers that sold petrol on Sunday.

Attendants at the Kubwa facility confirmed the position that was earlier stated by the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, that the ex-depot price of petrol had been increased to N710/litre at depots.

“The price of petrol at depots is now more than N710/litre. You have to pay for transportation to bring it from Lagos, Port Harcourt or Warri to Abuja, That cost has to be factored in. There are other operational costs to include too.

“When you add all this, there is no way you will sell at even N800/litre and be able to get a sensible margin. This applies mainly to independent marketers who operate smaller stations.

“For the major marketers, some of them have their private depots, so they can afford to sell at lower prices,” an attendant who simply identified himself as Austin, stated.

The IPMAN president had earlier told our correspondent that some dealers closed their retail outlets due to their inability to access petrol as a result of the hike in the ex-depot price of the commodity to N710/litre by private depot owners.

He said private depot owners had raised the ex-depot price of PMS to N710/litre, whereas the pump price of the commodity at NNPC retail stations was N617/litre.

Maigandi said, “The current situation is a result of the way private depot owners have been selling their products. It has been very difficult for independent petroleum marketers to get the product and sell it in Abuja and neighbouring states, as well as in other states in the North.

“So the queues you are seeing now are because of the cost of PMS by private depots. The private depots are selling at N710/litre, but if you check the price of the same product at NNPC retail outlets, it is N617/litre.

“Therefore, by the time we independent marketers buy from private depots and bring it to our filling stations, we will not be able to sell our product because our cost price is already so high, while the cost at NNPC retail outlets is far lower.

“And you know that when we buy it at the rate of N710/litre we have to add transportation cost again because there is no equalisation. And when we add the cost of transportation, the pump price is going to be higher than the N710/litre ex-depot price, whereas NNPC stations sell at N617/litre.”

Maigandi explained that because of the widespread number of stations operated by IPMAN, any distortion in the supply of products to members of the group would eventually lead to fuel queues because major marketers and NNPC stations are fewer in number.

On whether IPMAN members cannot get direct PMS supply from NNPC, instead of buying the product from private depots, he replied, “That is what we have been negotiating with them (NNPC), and they promised us that they will start giving us our allocation.

“They have started but the quantity is small compared to the number of retail outlets operated by IPMAN nationwide. We are getting products from NNPC, but the volume is too small for our members.

“So we are requesting additional volumes because in Abuja alone we have over 250 retail outlets belonging to IPMAN members. This is just for Abuja, we’ve not talked about Niger, Kaduna, and other states in the North, not to talk of the number nationwide.”

Maigandi, however, stated that the queues for petrol were not pronounced in remote villages, adding that “when you go to the villages you will see that there are no queues.”

[Punch]

JUNE 2024. Festivity was in the air. Professors and students, staff and high class visitors were in attendance. The highlight was a first class dinner. Africa’s book factory, Professor Toyin Falola, flew into the country to deliver the farewell lecture. It was all in honour of Professor Abd-Rasheed Na’Allah, out-going Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, UNIABUJA. But, trust spoilers.

They are never far away from festivities. As the wining and dining went on with fine speeches seeing off the VC at month end, students of the university were lamenting the N500 daily they pay to charge their cell phones. It was the second week the university had been plunged into darkness. It was not that the university is new to power outages, but this particular one had lengthened to pay farewell to Professor Na’Allah.

 UNIABUJA claims it is “the model University in Nigeria (and) a pride of Nigerians and in the provision of higher education”. I am amazed it achieved these and attained such lofty heights while enveloped in darkness.

UNIABUJA students are quite measured: they can live under any condition. But not so the students of the University of Benin, UNIBEN. Confronted with the same circumstances, they took to the streets, blocking the busy Benin-Ore Highway to protest weeks of electricity cut. The students were two weeks away from their examinations, yet had no electricity to study after lectures. They demanded a 24-hour electricity supply. The authorities could not meet the demand, so they shut down the university.

While professors in other countries are professing and advancing the frontiers of knowledge, their counterparts in the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, are lamenting the lack of electricity to do basic work. So, 40 of them signed a petition last week asking the Visitor, President Bola Tinubu, to intervene given the centrality of electricity supply to the operations of the university. They stated what appears to be the obvious. That a university with an average total annual budgetary overhead grant of N150 million, cannot pay an electricity bill of N3.6 billion. The egg heads calculated that if the bill were to be transferred to the 50,000 students of the institution, charges would need to be hiked by over 500 per cent.

The professors suggested alternatives. Government could pay for the cost of electricity as part of its overhead grant or, use its 49 per cent shareholding in the electricity companies to direct them to supply universities uninterrupted power supply in exchange for tax credits. A third suggestion is to mandate the electricity companies to introduce a dedicated social tariff band with rates the universities can afford.

The government’s response is uncertain, but I assume that the university still has many moons to go: producing first class materials without the benefit of electricity supply. Is it for nothing our national anthem proclaims ‘Nigeria, we hail thee’?

The University College Hospital, Ibadan, founded in 1952, is the pioneer teaching hospital in the country. Its 1,000 beds makes it one of the biggest hospitals in the country.

The legendary UCH proclaims, like Ozymandias: “We are the flagship tertiary healthcare institution in Nigeria, offering world-class Training, Research and Services.” It even has a Department of Nuclear Medicine, that branch involved in the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, including nuclear imaging. Short of witchcraft, how can the UCH perform all these, including blood storage and endless operations, with power outages and even conscious power disconnections? The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company had for several days, disconnected UCH from the electricity system for owing N400 million.

Six years ago, the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba decided to check power cuts by imposing an N11,000 electricity levy on each student. When the students refused to pay, the tertiary health institution reduced power supply to four hours daily. But mass protests led the authorities to seek other ways of reducing the power outages.

The first generation University of Nigeria, UNN, was by 2018 producing about 10,000 first degree graduates and 3,000 higher degrees. But its power outages were between 48 and 120 hours weekly. Sometimes, power cuts lasted a whole week. So, small or micro generators began to pollute the campus.

The Federal University Kashere, FUK, Gombe State is in an area with sweltering temperatures. So, the authorities supply the hostels two hours of electricity daily. The students in most cases pay commercial centres to charge their phones and laptops.

But these power cuts to universities, lasting weeks at a stretch, is like child’s play when compared to the case of the Kaduna State University, KASU. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, branch Chairperson, Peter Adamu, who made a diagnostic analysis, said the situation, like advancing cancer, had gone from intermittent and epileptic to a total blackout. It became so bad that the Kafanchan campus had no electricity supply for over seven months! Adamu described the atmosphere in the university: “There is a feeling of pessimism, hopelessness, despair, despondency and dissent premonition that if the management of the university did not redouble their efforts, the end to this ugly situation might not be palatable.”

The miracle is that KASU, which is like a patient on life support, is still breathing and giving birth to new graduates and post- graduates!

Power failures, I must say, is not just a disease of public universities, the private ones also suffer it. For instance, the students of the American University of Nigeria, AUN, on April 24, 2024 staged peaceful demonstrations against persistent power cuts. To assuage the students anger, school authorities gave an assurance of a minimum five-hour power supply daily until public power supply is restored. They also shifted the commencement of examinations and, agreed to halt regular teaching to give the students more time to study.

Anybody who does not believe academics, staff and students can perform miracles, should visit Nigerian universities.

Electricity is central to the operation of universities, polytechnics and technical institutions. It is necessary for the running or functioning of equipment. It is fundamental to learning, industrialisation and development. So, running tertiary institutions with little, epileptic or no electricity, is nothing short of the miraculous . But it is not a lesson other institutions outside Nigeria want to learn from or experiment.

Do our universities deserve what they are getting having failed to find solutions to the country’s problems, including electricity generation and distribution? Or, does the country deserve the universities it has for not providing even the most basic needs like electricity? On the other hand, do they deserve themselves? But this is no time to trade blames. Rather, it is the time to put our hands on the plough and let there be light.

The brewery industry is now facing severe cost pressure as prices of local raw materials rise astronomically undermining their backward integration strategy.

Industry stakeholders said the cost pressures coming from sorghum, wheat and others would remain elevated, driven by the impact of rising inflation, insecurity across agricultural belts in the country as well as other macroeconomic challenges.

The brewers had embraced a backward integration strategy to help them save money against imports due to exchange rate volatility.

However, the strategy has now started failing with local raw materials expenses by leading brewers increasing 113.6 per cent to N188.0 billion at the end first quarter of 2024, Q1’24, from N88.0 billion a year earlier, Q1’23, and the industry interim reports have indicated further rises in Q2’24 with no respite projected for this year.

Industry experts are now worried that the failure of the policy would lead to a return of massive importation of raw materials despite the foreign exchange implication.
This development, they also believe, amounts to another blow to Nigeria’s industrialization and employment generation.

Meanwhile, Vanguard findings have also shown that under the rising cost pressures, the top four leading Nigeria’s breweries resorted to bank loans to support cash-flow thereby accumulating credits amounting to N812.7 billion in the first quarter of the year, Q1’24.

The amount indicates almost 29 percent increase in borrowing quarter-on-quarter.

Financial information from the four leading manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, shows that the finance cost (interest on borrowing) jumped by 191.2 percent to N125.5 billion in Q1’24 from N 43.1 billion in the corresponding period of 2023, Q1’23.

The affected companies are Nigerian Breweries Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, International Breweries Plc, and Champion Breweries Plc.

Commenting on the challenges facing the manufacturing sector in general, Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote raised the alarm over the latest interest rate of 30 percent which came at the backdrop of the hike in Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, as announced by the nation’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, saying that it is detrimental to businesses in the country, adding that manufacturers cannot cope with it.

According to him, “But as all of us can testify, our manufacturing sector has declined over the years, and has largely failed to provide the jobs it was expected to create for our teaming youths. It has also increasingly lost the strong linkages it once had with our agricultural and mining sectors which, if it had continued would have resulted in increasing food security, and energy self-sufficiency.”

However, despite the hike in the price of their products, there has not been respite yet for the industry as cost of sales and economic hardship escalates resulting in huge losses recorded by major brewers both in the full year 2023 and in the Q1’24.

The rising inflation, declining purchasing power, naira depreciation coming along with scarcity of foreign exchange, hike in petrol prices, and higher tariff for electricity, among others, have compelled the brewery industry to increase the prices of their products to remain afloat.
But the industry analysts fear that the product price hikes imposed by the breweries may further reduce the demand for the products.

Losses

Meanwhile, the challenges have led the brewers to a combined loss after tax amounting N169.7 billion in the Q1’24, a massive 1034 percent rise from N14.9 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2023, Q1’23.

In the Q1’24, the brewery industry recorded a combined Foreign Exchange, FX, loss of N272.9 billion, indicating a mind-blowing 1342 percent rise from the N18.9 billion they recorded in Q1’23, largely induced by the impact of the devaluation of the naira on their foreign exchange transactions from raw materials among others.

Also the industry’s cost of sales soared by 250.9 percent to N278.5 billion from N79.3 billion in Q1’23, while the net finance cost soared by 616.1 percent to N191.2 billion from N22.7 billion in Q1’23.

Increase in price of products

Nigeria’s inflation as of May this year stands at 33.95% according to National Bureau of Statistics, NBS. The brewery sector players are responding to this, by raising the price of their products.

Vanguard’s finding has shown that major brewery companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX have raised prices of their products either directly or indirectly more than three times in one year and some twice in the first half of this year.

For instance, International Breweries Plc has raised the price of its products two times this year. Just, in April this year, the company announced that its product price would increase with effect from June 1, 2024.

The notice, which was signed by its District Manager, West, Mr Hans Darfour, noted: “All orders created in the system before 23:59 hours of February 29, 2024, will be charged at the current prices.

“All invoices issued by (or after) 00:00 hours of March 1, 2024, will have the new prices, without any exceptions.

“The price on the invoice will depend only on the time and date of invoicing, regardless of when the order was placed. “We urge all our business partners to follow this price chain to keep up with the excellent sales growth in past months and, at the same time, maximise your profits.”

Guinness announced a notice for its increment titled, “Price increase by Guinness Nigeria Plc – Selected Brands,” signed by its Commercial Director, Mr. Olusanya Adesanya, stating: “Following the prevailing economic realities which have impacted significantly on the costs of our production materials and cost of doing business, this is to inform you that we plan to take a price increase on selected Stock Keeping Units, SKUs in our Beer and MSS category.

“This new price structure will be effective from Wednesday, March 13, 2024, and further details will be communicated subsequently.”

Nigerian Breweries Plc approved a second price change in February, 2024 according to information from sources close to the firm.

International Breweries said it has increased prices of its various product offerings in Nigeria. The brewer said in a statement that reviewing prices in its portfolio has become necessary due to current market realities, and was done to serve its customers better.
Head of Sales of the company, Olaleye Abimbola, disclosed that it is confident that the decision to review the prices benefits all its partners.

Fallouts

In response to the difficult operating environment, Nigerian Breweries indicated plans for a company-wide re-organisation as part of a strategic recovery measure.

A letter signed by Nigerian Breweries’ Human Resources Director, Grace Omo-Lamai, and sent to the leadership of the National Union of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) and the Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), stated that its proposed plan would include a temporary suspension of operations in two of its nine breweries. As a result, and by labour requirements, the company invited the unions to discussions on the implications of the proposed measures.

Commenting, Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Hans Essaadi said: “We recognise and regret the impact that the suspension of brewery operations in the two affected locations may have on our employees. We are committed to limiting the impact on our people as much as possible by exhausting all options available including the relocation and redistribution of employees to our other seven breweries, and providing strong support and severance packages to all those that become unavoidably affected. We are also committed to supporting our host communities in ways that ensure they continue to feel our presence.”

Guinness Nigeria Plc, in Q1’24 recorded a loss after tax of N56.4 billion, and FX loss of N 37.0 billion.

Analysts’ comments

Analysts at Cardinalstone Research, while commenting on Guinness’s performance said: “We expect cost pressures to remain elevated, driven by the impact of rising inflation on locally sourced raw materials (e.g. sorghum) and foreign exchange volatility on imported products, notably the international premium spirits portfolio. Given that raw materials make up over 50.0% of the cost of sales, we envisage a compression in gross profit margin to 32.0% in full-year 2023/24 as against 34.1% in full-year 2022/23.”

Reacting to the development in the brewery industry, Clifford Egbomeade, Economy and Communications expert, said: “The poor performance and losses in the brewery industry in Nigeria can be attributed to various factors. One major challenge is the intense competition in the market, with several local and international players vying for a share of the market.

“The industry has also been affected by the harsh economic climate in Nigeria, which has led to a decline in consumer purchasing power and a shift towards affordable alternatives. Moreover, the industry has been impacted by the increase in excise duties and taxes, which has raised production costs and forced some brewers to increase prices. The industry has also been affected by the ongoing forex crisis, which has made it difficult for brewers to access foreign exchange to import raw materials and equipment.

“Unfortunately, some brewery companies in Nigeria might face closure or consolidation due to the challenging market conditions. Already, some breweries have begun to downsize or halt production, leading to job losses and economic hardship for affected communities and citizens alike.

Commenting also, David Adonri, analyst and Executive Vice Chairman, High Cap Securities Limited, said: “Their fortunes worsened after the government floated the Naira last year as many of them suffered FX losses that caused their balance sheets to become negative. Also, due to galloping inflation that had eroded the purchasing power of consumers and the high cost of production which has priced their products out of the reach of many consumers, the profitability of brewing companies has evaporated.

“Many consumers can no longer afford drinks manufactured by breweries. Due to consumer resistance, many traders in brewed drinks are suffering from loss of income. The quantum of tax that the government usually collects from breweries can no longer be assured. Many direct and indirect jobs have been lost due to the crisis in the brewery industry. The overall impact on the economy is the decline of the contribution of the industry to GDP.”

In his recommendation, he said: “ To avoid shutting down, many breweries are trying to re-capitalize to boost their working capital and extinguish short-term liabilities. IB Plc is currently running a Rights Issue while NB Plc is expected to hit the capital market very soon to raise capital. The breweries understand the huge potential of the Nigerian market and are determined to weather the storm. They know that the challenges are temporary and that their businesses will boom again when the economy rises to the new price level.”

 [Vanguard]

Forty-eight students from 16 higher institutions in Nigeria have qualified for the finals of the maiden edition of University Duel. 

University Duel is a competition for undergraduates to test their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges.

The 48 students were selected from 167 applicants from over 50 higher institutions — public and private — across Nigeria who participated in a series of tests.

The qualified schools earned their qualifications after presenting their top students in science, technology and innovation. The students competed for the four available spots per category.

According to the results, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), represented by Ogunyemi Oluwatobi, Mulero Raphael, and Okeke John-Paul, took the overall top spot with an average score of 93.3 percent. Covenant University, represented by Chukwuma Gift, Kayode Toluwani and Afinotan Alero, placed second with an average score of 91.3 percent.

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) scored 84 percent, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) earned 82.7 percent, the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) gathered 82 percent, while the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) had 80.7 percent.

Other qualified schools are the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Lagos State University (LASU), Kaduna State University, Achievers University, Bells University of Technology and Veritas University, Abuja.

Oladapo Ojo, chief content developer at DM Holdings and executive producer of University Duel, said television stations nationwide will air the finals.

“We are incredibly proud of the performances of the students on the University Duel 2024-25 who have demonstrated outstanding intellectual prowess and hard work to reach the finals, which will be filled with a great learning experience for all as this will be beamed live on TV/Digital,” he said.

“University Duel is a platform that celebrates the passion, ingenuity, and dedication of Nigeria’s future STEM leaders. This competition will not only highlight the academic excellence within our universities but also foster a spirit of camaraderie and prepare students towards a great career after graduation. University Duel will also connect with the alumni and the general public, thereby producing the next generation of scientists, engineers and Innovators.”

The date for the commencement of the competition is yet to be announced.

[TheCable]

The year 2023 will likely be remembered as a tumultuous one for Nigeria’s economy, with companies facing challenges such as exchange rate depreciation, rampant inflation, and weakening purchasing power.

Despite these obstacles, corporate Nigeria continued to provide services, pay salaries, contribute taxes, support local communities, and reward shareholders with dividends.

In navigating these economic challenges, the Managing Directors (MDs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Nigeria’s listed companies played a crucial role. These executives were responsible for steering their organizations through both successes and difficulties, making decisions that often led to either praise or scrutiny.

Nairametrics’ research reveals that the highest-earning MDs and CEOs amassed a combined total of N7.9 billion in 2023. This represents a significant increase from the N4.227 billion combined salaries in 2022, reflecting a notable rise of N3.749 billion.

Whilst some of the companies they oversee reported massive losses due to exchange rate depreciation, they did deliver higher revenue growth leveraging on adaptive marketing and operational strategies.

A review of revenue figures shows that around 30 leading Nigerian companies reported a combined revenue of N11.4 trillion in 2023, up from N9.1 trillion in 2022. This growth spans multiple industries, including consumer goods, industrials, technology, oil and gas, and agriculture.

Commercial banks also performed well, with the top 10 listed banks, including the FUGAZ group, reporting N11.6 trillion in gross earnings, driven largely by significant forex gains.

In the following sections, we explore the profiles and earnings of the highest-paid MDs and CEOs in Nigeria for 2023, offering insights into the strategies and achievements that contributed to their impressive remuneration.

A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has accused the ruling party of failing to deliver its campaign promises to Nigerians.

According to Lukman, the failure of the APC has surpassed that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was ousted in 2015.

Recall that former President, Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP lost the 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari and has continued to govern the country.

However, amid the numerous challenges facing the country at the moment, Lukman, in a press release handed to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, expressed concern over the current state of affairs in the country.

The former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) criticized the APC for failing to fulfil its promise of leading the fight against corruption, instead allowing corruption to thrive and endorsing the concept of ‘state capture’ across various levels.

“What were the failings of the PDP? The failings of the PDP are reflected in the same way today’s challenges are manifesting. If the truth is to be told, whatever the failings of the PDP in 2015, it was less grievous than what it has become under APC in 2024,” Lukman noted in the press release.

He said: “What is the future of democracy in Nigeria? Is there any prospect that it can produce leaders who are responsive to national challenges? Being responsive is basically about ensuring that public expenditures are oriented to tackle challenges facing citizens. What are the challenges facing Nigerians today? Poverty, unemployment, insecurity, drugs and substance abuse, millions of out-of-school children in the North, etc. Not to mention the additional problems of inflation and the crash of the value of incomes, especially in the last year under the leadership of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Although some officials of the government of President Asiwaju Tinubu have attempted to explain the current hardship Nigerians are facing with reference to the bad economy inherited from the previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the reality is that both are APC Governments. If anything, APC became very popular in Nigeria on account of the failings of the PDP. What were the failings of the PDP? The failings of the PDP are reflected in the same way today’s challenges are manifesting. If the truth is to be told, whatever the failings of the PDP in 2015, it was less grievous than what it has become under APC in 2024.

“No doubt, former President Buhari had his problems as a leader. However, whatever was estimated to be his failure should be the shared responsibility of APC leaders in varying degrees, including President Asiwaju Tinubu. No leader of APC should attempt to distance himself/herself from the failure of the Buhari era, certainly, not President Asiwaju Tinubu. In one way or the other, APC leaders, without exception, are ‘beneficiaries’ of the Buhari era, just as some of them could claim to be victims. On balance however, APC leaders benefited more from the Buhari era than being victims. At least electorally, former President Buhari made it possible for APC to defeat the PDP. Without former President Buhari, the defeat of the PDP in 2015 would have been almost impossible, and by extension, arguably, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for President Asiwaju Tinubu to become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Unfortunately, having defeated the PDP in 2015, the APC failed to produce the needed collective leadership required to manage the machinery of governments produced by the party at all levels. Gradually, APC succeeded in turning democracy on its head. Instead of producing democratic leaders, elected leaders increasingly became emperors and overlords. State machinery became captured and privatised to almost exclusively only serve the interests of elected representatives.”

[NaijaNews]

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that students enrolled in 36 state-owned tertiary institutions can now apply for student loan effective from Sunday, July 7, 2024.

NELFUND said the management of the institutions had successfully submitted their student data to the NELFUND Student Verification System (SVS).

This was contained in a post made at the Fund’s X handle on Sunday.

Recall that the management of the Fund has postponed the application for the loan by two weeks for state-owned institutions on the ground that many of them failed to upload the required student data and fees information to the NELFUND Student Verification System (SVS).

The Fund however urged all other state-owned tertiary institutions to submit their complete student data to the NELFUND Student Verification System timely to enable their students benefit from the scheme.

Meanwhile, students from the following  state institutions can now apply for the loan: Adamawa State University, Mubi; Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri; Borno State University; Mohammed Lawan College of Agriculture, Borno State; Edo State University, Uzairue; Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti; Gombe State University; Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Imo State; Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo; Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria; Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano; Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina; Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management; Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero; and Confluence University of Science and Technology, Kogi State.

Others are Lagos State University of Education; Lagos State University; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; Osun State University; University of Ilesa, Osun State; GTC, ARA Osun State; Taraba State University, Jalingo; Umar Suleiman College of Education, Gashua Yobe State; Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara and few other GTC institutions in Osun State.

[DailyTrust]

Chelsea, on Sunday, announced that academy graduate, Michael Golding, has completed a permanent transfer to Premier League club Leicester City.

The Blues disclosed this in a statement on their website.

“We wish Michael the best of luck in the next chapter of his career and thank him for all his efforts during his time as Blue,” Chelsea’s statement partly read.

Golding joined Chelsea as an Under-12 and represented the youth teams.

His performances for Chelsea also earned him international recognition between the Under-15 and Under-18 age groups.

He captained the England side that competed in the Under-17 European Championship in the summer of 2023 and later that year played three times at the Under-17 World Cup.

Golding recently featured for England Under-18s.

[DailyPost]

WHAT you are about to read was written by me and was published in The PUNCH edition of Monday, July 7, 1998; which is 26 years ago, the very day the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Basorun MKO Abiola, died in incarceration in Abuja. I must have scribbled the piece a day or two before Abiola’s death; it is titled “Abiola: Coming home empty-handed?” Enjoy it:

Once again, we are living in interesting times! Events are happening in rapid successions. Last week as Nigerians feverishly debated the way forward, all manner of rumour was agog. Kites of various colours, sizes and shapes were flown. When former President Ibrahim Babangida, the greatest disaster to have befallen this country, visited General Olusegun Obasanjo, recently released from jail on trumped-up charges, tongues were set wagging. A few days later when Obasanjo told journalists he was not available for anything except where he was (Ota farm), not a few people tried to add up the equation. Did IBB go to Ota with any proposal for Obasanjo’s consideration? Softly, softly, Aremu! Once bitten, twice shy!

If this suggestion by the New Millennium is silly, its reasons for tipping Obasanjo shows a willingness to distort contemporary history. According to the group, Obasanjo is acceptable “to both the June 12 protagonists and antagonists alike…” Lies! Obasanjo was not acceptable to June 12 protagonists in 1993; he will be more stridently opposed by them today if he falls for this New Millennium deceit. Space constraints will not allow me to take up the group item by item, but let’s take a look at one of its suggestions for the way forward. We are to “groom credible persons to take over the politics of the Fourth Republic, preferably those with military background, so as to achieve stability in the praxis of politics and democratization” What a gratuitous insult!

So there are no credible persons in civil society to be groomed for the democratization project? Only in the armed forces will you find them, serving or retired? Pray, which armed forces are they talking about? The one rubbished by IBB and laid waste by Abacha? The Millennium people wouldn’t end their treatise until they had taught the press its job: “Very important, journalists should be responsible and re-orientate themselves towards the truth. It has been said that journalism is the first rough draft of history. This duty is onerous” That is right, but if I may ask, what is the truth of our situation? Isn’t it that a man won an election but has been prevented from assuming his mandate? Isn’t it the cause of all the subterfuge, rigmarole, somersault, beating about the bush, speaking from both sides of the mouth, inconsistencies, confusion, the way forward, the way backward, stepping aside, illegal ING, brutal dictatorship, Viagra and the ‘last supper’, Abdulsalami Abubakar, etc. Yet, this group of Nigerians gleefully announced that they are ‘committed to a new Nigeria’! I am not surprised, though! Two organizations that I know which mouth the same ‘New Nigeria’ slogan – one, a bank; the other, a newspaper, are both not doing well at all!

If one can excuse a faceless group (like the New Millennium Collective), what does one make of Tony Lloyd, deputy foreign affairs minister of Britain, and Koffi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General? The two, together with Nigeria’s Emeka Anyaoku, the Commonwealth’s Secretary-General, were in the country last week to help us seek ‘the way forward’. Of the three, only Anyaoku proved his calling. For Lloyd, some are suggesting that his comments on June 12 are a confirmation of the rumoured ‘agreement’ between the British Empire and the Sokoto Caliphate that only Northerners would forever rule over Nigeria. Says (one-time Senegalese president) Leopold Sedar Senghor in his poem titled ‘Pain’: Lord, God, forgive white Europe! But there is a recent precedent that should have guided the international community on Abiola’s case.

In April 1985, Nelson Mandela, the world’s then most famous prisoner (of conscience), found himself in the same position that Chief MKO Abiola (at the moment one of the world’s most famous prisoners of conscience), finds himself today. The racist regime of PW Botha had offered to release Mandela from Pollsmoor prison on stringent conditions. Mandela demanded to consult with his comrades in the ANC and with the people of South Africa. The racist regime refused.  Unfolding events in this country (Nigeria) today bear striking resemblance to those in racist South Africa in 1985, except in one very significant sense. Mandela, incarcerated under white minority rulers, enjoyed more freedom than Abiola, who was detained under black majority rule. Mandela was met in prison by his lawyer and wife, Winnie, and was able to send out messages from prison, later read to the people by his daughter, Zindzi, stating why he was refusing conditional release. In 1998, Abiola, held by his own (Black) people, was not allowed visits by his wives. He is not allowed to consult with his comrades; neither has he a statement to be read to the people by his daughter. In short, Abiola is treated worse in a free, independent Black-ruled Nigeria than Mandela was treated under the racist, white minority apartheid regime of Botha. And to think that the UN Secretary-General could be a party to this charade!

When I compare the two situations – a free Nigeria under self-rule and a racist South Africa under white minority rule, I feel like crying! I reproduce here, today, in an abridged form, the statement by Mandela as read to the people of South Africa by his daughter, Zindzi. It goes thus: ‘On Friday, my mother and our attorney saw my father at Pollsmoor prison to obtain his answer to Botha’s offer of conditional release. The prison authorities attempted to stop this statement from being made but he (Mandela) would have none of this and made it clear that he would make the statement to you, the people. Strangers like Bethell from England and Professor Dash from the United States have in recent weeks been authorised to see my father without restriction; yet, Pretoria cannot allow you, the people, to hear what he has to say directly. He should be here himself to tell you what he thinks of this statement by Botha.  He is not allowed to do so. My father and his comrades wish to make this statement to you, the people, first. They are clear that they are accountable to you and to you alone. And that you should hear their views directly and not through others. My father says: I am surprised at the conditions that the government wants to impose on me. I am not a violent man. I cherish my own freedom dearly but I care even more for your own freedom. Too many have died since I went to prison. Too many have suffered for the love of freedom. I owe it to their widows, to their orphans, to their mothers and to their fathers who have grieved and wept for them. Not only have I suffered during these long, lonely, wasted years, I am not less life-loving than you are. But I cannot sell my birthright nor am I prepared to sell the birthright of the people to be free. I am in prison as the representative of the people…Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts. My father says: I cannot and will not give any undertaking at a time when I and you are not free. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated. I will return!”

If Nigeria were as liberal as racist South Africa where political prisoners like Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others could spend nearly three decades in prison and still come out of it sane and sound, I would have encouraged Abiola to persevere and reject out of hand any offer of conditional release; but from what I have seen of recently-released detainees like Chief Frank Kokori, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, General Olusegun Obasanjo and the recent photographs of (a thoroughly emaciated) Abiola himself as released by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Abiola should say whatever they want him to say, sign whatever they want him to sign, even allow himself to be videotaped by Aso Villa video experts – just anything – to regain his freedom. Concerning his mandate, leave that for God and the people to determine! Leave all those who seek to bury the truth to contend with God. Let those who want to build the ‘new Nigeria’ of their dream contend with Thomas Hobbes when he said, ‘When men build on false grounds, the more they build, the greater is the ruin’…

The most reasonable and enduring way forward for Nigeria is not to impose an unjust peace, a diktat, on Abiola and the army of June 12 loyalists. But if the powers-that-be insist that they must have a diktat, I will advise Abiola to take it and go home. The ultimate loser will be Nigeria”

When The PUNCH chairman, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, read the piece in the early parts of the day, he wrote this comment on top of the page and sent it to the MD/Editor-in-Chief, Ademola Osinubi: “MD, the weight of his argument is totally contrary to his conclusion. It is curious. Please bring these my remarks to Bola’s attention. 7/7/97” I was the Deputy Editor-in-Chief at the time. For those in the know, the chairman’s language was coded. Bolawole must have compromised on June 12! But before the end of the day, when news of Abiola’s death broke, Chief Ogunshola rushed down from his  Lagos Island office to the PUNCH office at Kudeti to ask me questions. But it’s too late! I was a Foreign Affairs correspondent for many years and kept my sources, usually impeccable, even after I became editor. So much more to say about those years of the jackals!

On this day, the 26th anniversary of Abiola’s death, may his blood and the sacrifice of other martyrs continue to water Nigeria’s tree of liberty!

The Samoa agreement focuses on economic development, security, environment, migration, mobility, and climate change other areas include investment opportunities, sustainable development, and mutually beneficial cooperation, among others.

The Samoa agreement has been signed by 79 countries across the world to address various aspects of the economy.

The objective of the Samoa agreement is to serve as the legal framework for EU relations with these 79 countries. These include 48 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific countries.

The agreement covers 2 billion people and aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and the ACP (African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries) to address global challenges together.

Here are the full list of countries to benefit from the Samoa Agreement:

African Countries:

1. Algeria

2. Angola

3. Benin

4. Botswana

5. Burkina Faso

6. Burundi

7. Cameroon

8. Cape Verde

9. Central African Republic

10. Chad

11. Comoros

12. Congo

13. Côte d’Ivoire

14.Democratic Republic of the Congo

15. Djibouti

16. Egypt

17. Equatorial Guinea

18. Eritrea

19. Eswatini

20. Ethiopia

20. Ethiopia

21. Gabon

22. Gambia

23. Ghana

24. Guinea

25. Guinea-Bissau

26. Kenya

27. Lesotho

28. Liberia

29. Libya

30. Madagascar

31. Malawi

32. Mali

33. Mauritania

34. Mauritius

35. Morocco

36. Mozambique

37. Namibia

38. Niger

39. Nigeria

40. Republic of the Congo
41. Rwanda
42.São Tomé and Principe

43. Senegal

44. Seychelles

45. Sierra Leone

46. Somalia

47. South Africa

48. South Sudan

49. Sudan

50. Tanzania

51.Togo

52. Tunisia

53. Uganda

54. Zambia

55. Zimbabwe

Caribbean Countries:

1. Antigua and Barbuda

2. The Bahamas

3. Barbados

4. Belize

5. Dominica

6. Dominican Republic

7. Grenada

8. Guyana

9. Haiti

10. Jamaica

11. Saint Kitts and Nevis

12. Saint Lucia

13. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

14. Suriname

15. Trinidad and Tobago

Pacific Countries:

1. Cook Islands

2. Fiji

3. Kiribati

4. Marshall Islands

5. Micronesia

6. Nauru

7. Niue

8. Palau

9. Papua New Guinea

10. Samoa

11. Solomon Islands

12. Tonga

13. Tuvalu

14. Vanuatu

The SAMOA AGREEMENT

-The objectives
-The countries involved
-The priority areas

Here is a breakdown of the newly signed $150bn deal that Nigeria is expected to benefit from. pic.twitter.com/LyEfQwcEF5

— President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre (@PBATMediaCentre) July 7, 2024

[Nigerian Tribune]