The Sokoto police command says an armed group identified as ‘Lakurawas’ is operating in five LGAs of the state.

Ahmed Rufai, police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the development to Punch.

Rufai said members of the group wield sophisticated weapons and operate in Gudu, Tangaza, Binji, Illeila, and one other LGA.

“They have been in those areas for some years now. They are armed with weapons and part of their agenda is to impose their own kind of religious practice on the people,” he said.

“They even attack suspected bandits in the areas, according to information available to us. They claim to be working against illegalities.”

On November 5, Idris Gobir, the deputy governor of the state, raised concerns over the emergence of a criminal group in the state.

Gobir said the group is a faith-based one, adding that security agencies were working to address the threats.

“An assessment carried out indicated that the group possessed sophisticated weapons and their criminal activities were observed in about five local government areas in the state,” Gobir said.

“The sad development is happening at a time the state is grappling with banditry.

“The state government has been working closely with federal security agencies to address numerous security threats to lives and properties of the people of the state.”

Olufemi Oluyede, acting chief of army staff, says President Bola Tinubu did everything possible to save Taoreed Lagbaja, late chief of army staff.

Lagbaja died after battling an undisclosed ailment. He was 56.

While Lagbaja was away on medical treatment, Tinubu promoted Oluyede to the rank of lieutenant-general.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, the entire army is in a sorrowful mood after losing its leader.

“It’s (Lagbaja’s death) highly regrettable,” Oluyede said.

“I mean the country as a whole under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, did the very best for him to be alive with us today.

“But as we all know, we all belong to God and He takes when He feels necessary for him to do so.

“He was someone that gave his all to Nigeria. He was a selfless leader, very passionate about Nigeria and he led the Nigerian Army very well.

“He was courageous, he was known to be thorough and a professional to the core. So, it’s a big loss to us. And all we can say at this moment is that we pray that the good Lord will find a place for him to rest.”

The acting army chief said Lagbaja needs to be celebrated for giving his all to the country.

“I want Nigerians to actually celebrate him for the good work he did,” he said.

Oluyede prayed for the repose of the soul of the late army chief.

The Federal Government has revealed that a poor maintenance culture and inadequate and aged equipment, among other challenges, are the underlying reasons for the incessant multiple collapses of the national power grid witnessed in recent months.

It also stated that the high voltage of electricity surpassing the capacity of its equipment caused the blackout witnessed on October 14 and 19, 2024.

The Chairman of the investigative committee probing reasons for grid collapse, Nafisatu Asabe Ali, revealed this during the report presentation at ministry headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.

This came barely 24 hours after the latest collapse that occurred on Tuesday, making it the 10th time the national grid would collapse in 2024 alone.

According to her, the investigative team observed similar challenges and problems affecting all stations during its probe.

She said the investigative team examined the grid collapse incident that occurred on October 14 and 19 and found out that the shattering of lightning arrestors in Jebba and Oshogbo transmission stations and the explosion of a CT also in Jebba Station were reasons for both incidents.

According to her, “For the event on the 14th, lightning arrestors in Jebba and Oshogbo shattered. The one in Jebba was for the shunt reactor and this was caused by high voltage. Subsequently, we had the tripping of multiple 330kV lines. It kept going until it became major.

“The remote cause of that is the unavailability of the second reactor in Jebba, and that is because Jebba, by the design of the network and sometimes the topology of the network at a particular time is very prone to high voltage.”

 We had two shunt reactors in Jebba before this event, however, one packed up. It is faulty, and so the voltage rose to about 400KV, which is beyond the threshold. High voltage degrades equipment insulation.

“If you expose equipment to high voltages for a long time, it degrades the insulation. And, of course, there’s a risk of failure. So, that was a remote cause for that. But the underlying causes are aged equipment. In our findings, we confirmed that Jebba was commissioned in 1968. Some of the equipment was commissioned alongside the substation. So, aged equipment. And maintenance culture is also an issue.”

The committee listed several factors affecting the management including vandalism of power infrastructures, lack of free governors at power generation plants, uncoordinated maintenance schedules, and lack of adequate human capacity.

Responding to this, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the ministry would push for additional funding from the 2024 Supplementary Budget and the 2025 Appropriation Bill to resolve the financial implications of strategies needed to curb the incessant grid collapse.

He expressed optimism that the frequent collapses of the Nigerian power grid system could be curbed with the implementation of far-reaching reforms, stating that “this incessant grid collapse, which is quite unfortunate and is worrisome to me personally as the Honorable Minister of Power overseeing this sector.”

Adelabu added that he would present an amended report to aid his submission to Tinubu owing to the financial implications.

He said, “Today’s meeting is to receive a report on the agency committee set up about two and a half weeks ago, to reveal the root cause of the incessant grid disturbances that we have experienced in the past few months. This is not good for us as a country. It is not good for us as a power sector. It is not good for us as a ministry of power and other agencies.”

The committee also listed recommendations for the audit and tests of existing equipment and improvement in maintenance of the transmission equipment and lines, installation of harmonics filters by Disco and Genco customers, decentralisation of TCN central store, enforcement of Free Governor Mode of Operation and removal of ad-lash taped optic fibre for Optical Ground Wires.

Three oil marketers, AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.

The marketers, in a joint counter affidavit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, and dated November 5, 2024, a response to an originating summon filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, argued that granting the application of refinery would spell doom for the country’s oil sector.

They emphasised that the plan to monopolise the oil sector is a recipe for disaster in the country.

Dangote refinery in its originating summon dated September 6, 2024, had sued Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited as 1st to 7th defendants respectively.

The refinery prayed the court to declare that NMDPRA was in violation of Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing licenses for the importation of petroleum products.

It stated that such licenses should only be issued in circumstances where there is a petroleum product shortfall.

It also urged the court to declare that NMDPRA is in violation of its statutory responsibilities under the PIA for not encouraging local refineries such as the company.

Shafa, A. A. Rano, and Matrix Petroleum, however, responded that Dangote refinery does not produce adequate petroleum products for the daily consumption of Nigerians.

They noted that the plaintiff had not placed anything before the court to prove the contrary.

They argued that they are well qualified and entitled to be issued an import licence by NMDPRA to import petroleum products in Nigeria within the meaning of Section 317(9) of the PIA.

They also noted that they are fully qualified for the issuance of the import licences issued to them by the 1st defendant, as they duly met all the legal requirements for the issuance of such import licences, before the same were issued to them.

“The import licences lawfully and validly issued to the defendants did not in any way whatsoever, cripple the plaintiff’s business or its refinery.

“The import licenses issued to the defendants by the 1st defendant are in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, and other relevant laws,” they contended.

They insisted that giving Dangote Refinery the power of monopoly in Nigeria’s petroleum industry as it sought in the instant suit, would kill competitive pricing of petroleum products in the country.

Stressing that such an act would further deteriorate the country’s critically ailing economy.

They also added that it would “unleash untold hardship on Nigerians, all of which constitute a recipe for disaster in the polity”.

The marketers explained that if Nigeria puts all her energy eggs in one basket by stopping the importation of petroleum products and allowing the plaintiff to be the sole producer and supplier of petroleum products in Nigeria, with liberty to determine the prices at which it supplies the products, the prices of petroleum products will continue to rise and energy security will elude Nigeria.

They also noted that should the refinery break down being a monopolized sector, the country will be plunged into a hot mess of energy crisis.

“That in the event of any breakdown in or obstruction to the production chain of the plaintiff which stops it from producing Nigeria will be thrown into energy crises because it does not have the reserves that would last it for at least 30 days that it would need to order, pay for, freight and import refined products into tanks in Nigeria.

“That amidst the glaring absence of any credible and demonstrable proof that the plaintiff refines and supplies adequate petroleum products for the daily use/consumption of Nigerians, is a recipe for disaster in Nigeria’s energy sector.”

They further told the court that granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiff was a design to leave Nigeria and Nigerians at the mercy of the plaintiff with respect to the availability and cost of purchasing petroleum products in the country.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed January 20, 2025, for a report of settlement or service.

Dangote exports products

Meanwhile, three foreign firms have accounted for about 75 per cent of what’s being lifted from the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote refinery, a new report has stated.

A report by Bloomberg on Wednesday said Vitol Group, Trafigura Group, and BP Plc are the dominant buyers of fuels from the oil refinery that’s reshaping petroleum trading in Africa and Europe.

The trio has accounted for the vast majority of the plant’s shipments since flows began ratcheting up around the middle of this year, according to data from Precise Intelligence, a new oil-and-gas trading analytics firm based in Geneva.

The report quotes products offtake from February 27 to October 10 with other customers including the local market taking 25 per cent of total fuel purchases from the company.

Earlier this year, Dangote began operations and kick-started the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).

Once it’s fully up and running, Dangote should be able to process about 650,000 barrels a day of crude into products including gasoline and diesel.

That will far exceed the fuel making capacity of any single plant in Europe or Africa, helping to reshape the regions’ oil and fuel trading.

The emergence of Dangote has already trimmed a glut of Nigerian crude.

Analysis of the report showed that the refinery has loaded almost 6 million tons of fuel since starting up.

This is equivalent to almost 45 million barrels, loading rates averaged about 35,000 tonnes a day in October, its data showed.

Dangote itself said late last month that the refinery had reached processing rates of about 420,000 barrels a day of crude.

The plant is also selling into the Nigerian market.

The composition of fuel cargoes loading from Dangote is closely watched because it offers clues into where the refinery is at in terms of starting up different processing units.

On the products sold, the figures show that automotive gas oil — commonly known as diesel — is the largest cargo type being lifted, accounting for the highest proportion of shipments. This is followed by fuel oil, which ranks second in terms of volume.

Together, these two products make up more than 60 per cent of the total output being collected from the plant.

Other significant fuel types being processed include gasoline, which is used for cars and other light vehicles, and jet fuel, primarily utilised by the aviation industry for aircraft.

Nigeria’s former military and democratic leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, shared his story on Wednesday about how his late wife, Stella Obasanjo, reached out to numerous global leaders in her efforts to secure his release from jail.

Obasanjo was detained on March 17, 1995, by the military regime led by General Sani Abacha and found guilty of being involved in a plot to topple the military government.

Naija News recalls that despite this, Obasanjo became the elected civilian President in 1999.

The former President reflected on his political journey today while delivering a speech in Benin City during the inauguration of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, which had been expanded and renovated by the government of Edo State.

The hospital, which was built and dedicated to Stella Obasanjo by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s government, was named in her honour.

In his speech as a special guest, Obasanjo expressed his admiration for his wife’s relentless efforts to secure his freedom.

Late Stella Obasanjo

He said: “When I was in prison, that woman left no stone unturned. She went all over the world to seek my release. She went to Japan, she went to the entire Europe, she went to the Vatican, she went to Latin America, she went through Africa, she left no stone unturned for my release and God answered her prayers and the prayers of all those praying for me, and I came out of prison alive.

“What could I do? I thought, coming out of prison, I’ve had it all. When we were planning for my wife’s 60th birthday anniversary, we never had that birthday anniversary before she died.

“It was very painful to me in particular and to all of us in my family. You can appreciate how thankful I am to you for doing this in her honour.

“I thank all the people of Edo State because I had a woman who made tremendous contributions to the achievements of my government.”

Obasanjo portrayed his late spouse as a woman of significant substance whose contributions were pivotal to the successes of his administration.

He declared that Stella was entitled to any recognition possible, whether during her lifetime or after her passing.

Continuing, the ex-president urged those holding political positions to focus on developing the skills and abilities of their people, emphasizing that a government’s success is inextricably linked to the development of its human resources.

He mentioned that ensuring food and nutrition security is critical to human capital development.

He pointed out that without adequate nutrition, people would not be able to fully benefit from the development of their infrastructure.

“Whatever we do in our responsibility as chief executives, either at the national level, at the state level or even at the local government level, one thing that is very, very important is human capital development.

“I will take three essentials of human capital development. First is food and nutrition security. You can’t do much on an empty stomach.

“The second, of course, is health, and food and nutrition security has something to do with that. Health is wealth, they say. A healthy people is a wealthy nation, because if you are dead, you can no longer be counted among those who are healthy.

“And, I dare to say that health is everything. You must have health to be able to be alive and do other things. And the third, of course, is education,” Obasanjo added.

Former President Obasanjo commended Governor Obaseki for his efforts in reconstructing and enhancing the hospital, which initially began as a mother-and-child hospital and has now been transformed into a specialist facility boasting cutting-edge technology.

In her address prior to the hospital’s inauguration, former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, expressed her gratitude towards Governor Obaseki and the administration led by him for preserving the legacy of Stella Obasanjo through the reconstruction and modernization of the hospital. She emphasized that the hospital’s expansion would benefit not only the citizens of Edo State but also the nation at large.

Governor Obaseki highlighted that the decision to elevate the hospital to a world-class standard was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which it served as an isolation center for patients. He mentioned that the hospital evolved into a critical 300-bed isolation facility, complemented by an additional 20-bed emergency isolation unit.

He further stated that the hospital is now furnished with state-of-the-art modern medical facilities capable of addressing a wide range of health issues.

The Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has stated that her office reached out to newly elected UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, but received no response.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that Nigeria would not compel Badenoch to embrace her Nigerian roots if she chooses otherwise.

“It depends on whether she embraces her Nigerian identity. We reached out to her once or twice, but there was no response. We don’t force anyone to acknowledge being Nigerian,” Dabiri-Erewa explained.

The NiDCOM chief noted the commission’s openness to engaging with Nigerians abroad who actively choose to celebrate their heritage.

She cited the example of a former Miss Universe Nigeria who reconnected with her Nigerian roots after facing challenges in South Africa.

“She then identified with Nigeria, came to Nigeria, and we hosted her. If the Nigerian blood is in you, you’re always a Nigerian,” she added.

Badenoch, born in London in 1980, spent part of her childhood in Lagos and later in the United States, where her mother worked as a lecturer.

Concluding her remarks, Dabiri-Erewa stressed that the choice to identify with Nigeria remains with Badenoch, affirming NiDCOM’s readiness to engage with anyone who identifies with Nigeria.

“We are open to working with anyone who sees themselves as Nigerian, but it’s not something we can force,” she concluded.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, approved a minimum wage of ₦80,000 for the state workforce.

In a statement released by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, in Ibadan, the state capital, it was revealed that the Technical Committee set up by the state government had recommended and obtained approval from Makinde for the implementation of the new salary scale.

Oyelade said, “This new scale will be implemented as soon as the consequential adjustments process is completed by the committee, which comprises both government and Labour top officials.”

Oyelade recalled that, only last month, a federal government agency, the National Bureau of Statistics, in its latest employment statistics published for 2024, rated the state as the most worker-friendly in the whole of Southern Nigeria due to a significant decline in the state’s unemployment rate, following the high-pitched employment of workers into various sectors of the state.

“The Oyo State Government has been paying workers’ salaries on the 25th of every month since Governor Makinde took office in 2019.

“The governor began paying the previous ₦30,000 minimum wage from the start of his tenure over four years ago, including consistent payments of pensions, gratuities, and a 13th-month salary for both workers and pensioners alike.

“Since November 2023, Governor Makinde has been paying ₦25,000 to workers and ₦15,000 to pensioners as a welfare wage award. The Makinde administration introduced the wage award to cushion the effects of the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy removal and has remained consistent with these payments for over a year, even to this day.”

The commissioner reiterated that the governor has paid the backlog of gratuities from 2008 to 2015 for pensioners, with an increase in gratuity payments for those under both the Local Government Staff Pensions Board and those paid by the Ministry of Establishment and Training.

He added that the governor has also reinstated pensioners whose names were removed by the previous administration and continues to provide all pensioners with an annual Christmas/New Year chicken bonus.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), saw his fortune surge by around $13 billion just hours after his ally, Donald Trump, won the U.S. presidential election.

Investors were quick to predict that Trump’s victory could bring favorable conditions for Musk’s primary venture, Tesla (TSLA), causing shares to jump by 13% at Wednesday’s market open, according to CNN.

This market response significantly boosted the value of Musk’s 411 million Tesla shares by over $13 billion, yielding an astronomical return on the $119 million he has reportedly donated to Trump’s campaign efforts.

Musk has shown strong support for Trump throughout the election, donating heavily and even interviewing the former president on X. The Federal Election Commission notes that Musk has contributed close to $119 million through a
political action committee aimed at backing Trump, making him one of Trump’s most high- profile supporters in the tech sector.

While Musk has historically benefited from government support for his ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX, some speculate Trump’s stance on electric vehicles (EVs) could create a more challenging environment. Trump has
expressed skepticism about EVs, calling them costly and job threatening to the traditional auto industry. His pledge to repeal what he terms "Biden’s EV mandate," despite no formal
mandate existing, adds uncertainty.

Though Trump’s policies could impact federal incentives for EVs, analysts say Tesla might weather the changes, possibly even finding competitive advantage in a reduced-subsidy
market.

Democratic candidate and Vice President, Kamala Harris has called President-elect Donald Trump, who contested the 2024 US election as the Republican candidate.

According to Associated Press, Harris called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory.

Recall Donald Trump was elected US 47th president, four years after he was voted out of power.

Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the race in July due to age-related issues and a poor election debate.

Trump will be sworn in as president after an inauguration on Monday, 20 January 2025.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has stated that it has no immediate plans to congratulate Donald Trump on his recent election victory in the United States, amid ongoing hostilities between Russia and U.S.-supported Ukraine.

The Kremlin, through President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, emphasized that the U.S. remains an “unfriendly” nation in Russia’s view.

Peskov highlighted the historically low level of U.S.-Russia relations, noting that it is difficult to imagine them deteriorating further.

According to Peskov, Moscow is observing developments and carefully analyzing statements from American politicians regarding Russia, signalling a cautious approach.

Russia’s response comes as global leaders have been extending their congratulations to Trump, who defeated Kamala Harris to secure a second non-consecutive term as U.S. President.

However, the Russian government cautioned its citizens to remember the U.S.’s “direct and indirect involvement in a war against our state,” underscoring the severe tensions between the two nations.

The Kremlin’s stance leaves open questions about how Trump’s return to office may impact the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a situation that remains unresolved.