A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, yesterday, dismissed the applications by two Indian nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg and a Briton, Marcus Wade, to quash a bench warrant issued for their arrest and extradition, issued against them on alleged of $42.485million fraud, for lacking in merit.

The two Indians, and the Briton who is the Chairman of Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, and their companies, Agrico Agbe Limited, Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, are being charged before the court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, for allegedly defraud Ecobank Plc of the sum of $42,485,900, with the pretence of using the of money to purchase and import into India parboiled rice Nigeria.

Counts one and four against the defendants in the charge marked FHC/L/562C/2022, dated October 7, 2022, reads, “That you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015, at Ecobank Plc, Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 422 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“That you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015 at Eco Bank Plc., Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence to wit: Cheating in that you caused Ecobank Plc to deliver monies to the tune of $42,485,900, which was intended by contract for the purchase and import into Nigeria India Parboiled rice but never utilized the sum of money for the contract and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap, C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

However, while the charge is pending, the defendants did not appear in court to take their pleas on the charges.

The development made the office AGF, through its lawyer, Dr. Pius Akutah, now Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Nigerian Shippers Council, to file applications before the court for issuance of bench warrant and possible extradition against them.

The application was granted by Justice Akintayo Aluko, sometimes in November 2023.

But the defendants, through their lawyers, Dele Belgore and Dr. Dada Awosika, SANs, filed applications to quash the orders for their arrest and extradition.

The application was countered by the AGF through its lawyer, Mrs. Kehinde Bode-Ayeni, who inherit the case file from Dr. Pius Akutah.

Justice Aluko in a delivering, said that the proceedings before Magistrate Court in Delhi, Indian can not operate as a stay in criminal proceedings in Nigeria because its not purely a criminal proceedings, moreso, it a proceedings in Nigerian court as constituted by the Nigerian constitution.

The second issue is that an order of status quo granted by another court can not viciate the criminal charge pending in this court.

The position of the administration of Criminal Justice Act which regulate criminal proceedings in Nigeria have stipulated that the criminal and civil proceedings can be going simultaneously.

On the final note, Justice Aluko held, “There is no merit in the applications filed by the defendants.” The judge held that the two applications lack merit and same are dismissed.
Consequently, Justice Aluko the case to October 24, for report on bench warrant and further proceedings.

…80% others in low-capacity utilization

…Labour begs FG to intervene

Over 50 firms in the chemical and non-metallic products sub-sector of the nation’s economy are in a dilemma as multinationals, medium and small-scale enterprises, SMEs, and member companies are either exiting, on the verge of shutting down or operating at low-capacity utilisation.

It will be recalled that the employers, under the umbrella of the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Employers Federation, CANMPEF, had a membership strength of no fewer than 100 firms,, comprising multinationals, medium, and small businesses, which employ about 350,000 people across the country.

But presently, Vanguard checks revealed that while over 50 of such companies have closed down, four are on the verge of shutting down, while 80 per cent of the remaining companies are operating at low-capacity utilization.

Industry sources told Vanguard that over 100,000 workers have lost their jobs directly and indirectly in the last year.

The firms in this sector produce medicals, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries, soaps, detergents and vegetable oil, hydraulics, cement, asbestos cement and concrete.

Other products include glass, ceramic, earthenware, clay products, basic industrial organic and inorganic chemicals, fertilizers, explosives, fireworks, footwear, leather, and rubber.

According to Vanguard’s checks, among the companies that have shut down are Glaxo SmithKline Beecham, Procter & Gamble, Mega Plastic Nig limited, Twinstar Nig limited, and Femina Hygienical Products Nig. Limited and Linda Manufacturing Company.

Those on the verge of shutting down include Unilever, PZ Industries, Prime Pack, and Reckitt & Benckiser.

One of the companies about to shut operations in Nigeria is Kimberly-Clark because of high energy costs, expensive raw materials, and reduced customer demand.

The company, it was gathered, has reduced shifts and implemented other cost-cutting measures in a bid to remain afloat.

The company’s $100 million factory, located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, was commissioned two years ago by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to produce diapers and sanitary pads, among others.

Firms lament

Lamenting the plight of the sector, Executive Secretary of CANMPEF, Mr Olorunfemi Oke, said the exits were painful, saying more worrying is the fact that challenges faced in the sector were inflicted by government policies.

According to him, the challenges confronting the sector are floating of the naira, depreciating currency and volatile exchange rate, fuel subsidy removal, high exchange rate for computation of import duty, high interest rate, epileptic power supply with the recent increase in tariff that has tripled electricity bills and made it unsustainable for businesses; and inadequate gas supply for firms, and high cost of diesel.

He also named poor road conditions, multiple taxations, a high inflation rate of over 34 per cent, weak consumer purchasing power, and insecurity across the country.

The executive secretary said: “The effects of the socio-economic challenges on the manufacturing companies are enormous. Most of our member companies are just managing to survive. We cannot access forex for purchase of raw materials and machinery.

“High import duty cost is discouraging importation of raw materials and machinery. High energy costs have resulted in high production costs. Unreliable power and gas supply disrupts production schedules and increases operation costs.

“We are experiencing high reduction in capacity utilization and increased production slowdowns, huge foreign exchange losses suffered by many member companies, especially the multinationals, and reduction of profit. Majority are recording losses.

“There is also declining market share and growth potential and inability to compete with imported products. High interest rates discourages business expansion. There is growing weakness in consumer purchasing power. Companies are shutting down some of their operations. This has led to retrenchment of employees. The hyperinflation has led to an increase in the cost of living of employees and an adversarial industrial relations climate in the sector.

Shutdown

“While I don’t want to sound alarmist, tens of member companies from the multinationals, medium and small scale companies have shut down. Some of the companies that have closed down are Glaxo SmithKline Beecham, Procter & Gamble, Mega Plastic Nig Limited, Twinstar Nig Limited, Femina Hygienical Products Nig Limited, and Linda Manufacturing Company. Similarly, among those on the verge of shutting down include Unilever and PZ industries.
‘’We are very pained by these developments. Let us take for example the case of Linda Manufacturing Company and Kimberly-Clark.

Linda Manufacturing Company which was producing synthetic hair attachments and other accessories was employing and keeping our young girls off the streets and criminality. Only God knows what these young girls will turn to now that they are out of jobs. And for Kimberley Clark which produces Huggies diapers, and sanitary pads, with the imminent shutdown of its Ikorodu production facility two years after investing $100 million in Nigeria. Remember that the former Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo commissioned the factory two years ago.

The company has been producing below-installed capacity since late 2023 because of the harsh economic environment in the country. If this company is allowed to exit Nigeria, it will add to the sad story of the worsening crisis in our sector. The pathetic situation of this firm is that in 2022, the company commissioned a $100 million production factory in Ikorodu, Lagos State which was inaugurated by then vice president to resume operations after an earlier closure of operations in 2019 following a review of its business. Apart from these woes, 80 per cent of the remaining member companies are operating at low-capacity utilization.

Job losses

While Mr Oke was not forthcoming on the number of job losses, Vanguard, however, gathered that no fewer than 100,000 Nigerians have lost their jobs in the sector.

Speaking further, he said: “As a Nigerian, it is sad and frustrating for me to talk about my fellow countrymen and women losing their means of livelihood in this manner.

‘’A lot of people have been thrown into the job market. The figure is huge. We are talking about direct and indirect employment, comprising suppliers, distributors, drivers, contractors, and traders among others. I do not want to give a figure. But I can tell you without mincing words that it is huge.”

Way forward

The CANMPEF scribe called on government to address challenges facing the sector by “giving concessions on the allocation of forex to the manufacturing companies, reduction of import duties for raw materials for an essential sector like the pharmaceutical industry, reduction in import duty charges, improving supply of energy and gas to manufacturers, reduction of the rate of energy charges by power distribution companies, DISCOs, stopping multiple taxes by the local, states and federal government agencies, signing and implementing the new national minimum wage bill to improve consumers’ purchasing power, focusing on rehabilitating selected roads to reduce logistics costs and fixing the nation’s refineries to enable access to petroleum bi-products that serves as raw materials for the chemical industries.

“The industry is import- dependent because of the nature of its products and its raw materials are chemicals majorly from the petro- chemical industries. ‘’The Federal Government should take urgent action to stop manufacturing companies from shutting down.

Government should support the companies to thrive and increase employment and reduce insecurity challenges in the country.

“The only member companies that seem to be doing well today are the cement manufacturing firms because of road constructions and other related businesses.”

Voda Paint MD reacts

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Voda Paints Limited, Mr Rotimi Aluko, blamed unreliable power, unstable currency, difficulty doing business, steadily rising inflation, insecurity, multiple taxation, and poor infrastructure, among others.

Aluko, who is also the Vice President of CANMPEF, said: “Like most of the sectors making up the Nigerian industrial landscape, the chemical, leather, food sectors are all struggling to survive economic hardship that, looking back now, has actually been long coming.

‘’It is, indeed, very hard to find any one sector of the economy that is not impacted by the numerous issues which those doing business in Nigeria have really been enduring, starting with unreliable power, unstable currency, difficulty doing business, steadily rising inflation, insecurity, multiple taxation, poor infrastructure, etc.

“Currency tweaking and the associated policies in concert with the removal of petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira, have helped to compound the pressure on industrial operations generally.

“The consequence on the consumers is depletion of disposable income, such that most households are in tight adjustment as their income is hardly coping with necessities.

“Most industries rely on bountiful discretionary income to survive. That is the crux of the pain in the sector. Demand has significantly dropped and so goes production and ultimately income.

“It is, indeed, very tough, especially for sectors outside of households’ eessential or committed expenses.

‘’Even those in essential expenses column are grappling with the consequences of reduced demand, owing to downward adjustments by consumers of quantities and quality of their purchases as a result of inflation-driven loss of purchasing power.

Survival mode

“I think how the sectors have been coping can easily be deduced from all the aforesaid; we are in survival mode. Sacrifice, cost-cutting as much as feasible, mounting bills, income stagnation, abandonment of key projects, reduced hours of operation/attendance rotation, etc. Everyone is scratching the ground as well as their heads for whatever will aid to keep them afloat.

Way forward

On ways out of the challenges, Aluko said: “Government action. It is all down to what the government chooses to do and not do. The truth starts with how the government views and treats manufacturing. If manufacturing is taken as the most strategic value-adding local content economic weapon that it is, Nigeria will transform into the league of leading nations of the world!

“Not even crude oil can come close. Why? It is manufacturing that can harness our immense reservoir of human talents to serve as an engine for the conversion of the bountiful contents atop and beneath our God-given land and those beyond our shores into products capable of becoming the biggest foreign exchange earners as experienced by China and several other Asian economies.

“Government just has to step forward to help get the necessary building blocks in place and put right the business environment, such that Nigeria will rank high among nations having very attractive level of ease of doing business.

“For this to be, the government has to make these investments and protect local manufacturing. This is non-negotiable. All advanced nations and those who have climbed up to join the top league did it at one point or another and are still doing it.

“The most powerful economic and military power in the world is currently engaged with China openly as an example.

“We have done it before with huge success when in 2007, Nigeria clamped down on the importation of cement by companies without local cement manufacturing investment. The result is huge.

“Before the implementation of the smart act of protection, Nigeria in 48 years of cement manufacturing preceding the protective action, only grew to about seven million metric tonnes of cement production per annum and in the 15 years succeeding the policy, has grown to over 60 million metric tonnes production/per annum.

“Do that across several sectors integrating farm produce conversion, petrochemicals, basic chemicals, natural resources, basic tools, electronics, etc, Nigeria will be an unstoppable giant. It has potentials.

“The government should declare a clear form of emergency in the manufacturing sector. It should subsidise consumption via manufacturing subsidy by way of tax relief, duty/tariff removal on agricultural and manufacturing inputs. The gains will come in many folds.

“First of all, our youths will be gainfully employed and stop idling away their lives or hawking things they should be producing in the first instance. Savings on social and security costs cannot be estimated.

“Government should put in place necessary administrative and legal firewalls against those who might truncate gains of the strive towards the achievement of good level ease of doing business across the country and sectors.”

Labour begs FG to intervene

On his part, the National Secretary, National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, Joseph Dada, pleaded with the government to intervene immediately to save the sector from imminent collapse. He said: “Our industrial sector has been finding it extremely difficult to operate smoothly and effectively for the past two years.

‘’Bad government policies have negatively affected the running of our sector. Many of the industries have relocated to other African countries where they can do their business with ease and maximise profit.

“Our government, through the Central Bank, has increased the lending rate to over 30 per cent, which is not good for manufacturing and chemical industries to break even as most raw materials are imported. We cannot do backward integration.

Economic distortions

“The industries are groaning under the outrageous tariffs imposed by DISCOs and others responsible for the supply and distribution of electricity to the industries in Nigeria.

The tariffs are doing nothing other than kill the industries. This is compounded by the removal of the petrol subsidy that has turned the country upside down since last year. The consequences are part of the socio-economic distortions plaguing the nation.

“Some of the companies that have relocated to other African countries are multinationals, such as Procter & Gamble and GSK Pharma, Femina Hygiene, and Twinstar. Many others are on the verge of closing down any moment from now because of the unfavourable economic policies of our government.

“Hundreds of workers have lost their jobs as a result of management’s inability to provide raw materials in their various companies. Those that are managing to produce are producing below 20 to 25 per cent of installed capacities.

‘’We are still compiling the list of job losses. I can tell you it is mind-boggling in a country with very high unemployment figure.

Enabling environment

“We are pleading with the Federal Government to urgently halt this alarming trend and create enabling environment for industries to have access to foreign exchange from Central Bank of Nigeria for manufacturers to get forex to import raw material for industries to produce.

“The issue of unsustainable tariffs as well high cost of fuel regime must be addressed immediately to save our industries from total collapse. We are not equally unaware of the issues of excessive and multiple taxation from all levels of government, insecurity, poor state of our roads and very low purchasing power of most Nigerians. The government should come to our aid as renewed hope is gradually turning to sustained despair.”

A 45-year-old Indonesian man has allegedly killed his 60-year-old neighbour after being repeatedly asked why he wasn’t married.

The incident occurred on July 29 in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, as reported by the Straits Times.

Assistant Police Commissioner Maria Marpaung identified the victim as Asgim Irianto.

The alleged attacker, Parlindungan Siregar, reportedly grew increasingly frustrated with Irianto’s persistent questioning regarding his single status.

According to statements provided by Irianto’s wife, Siregar arrived at their home armed with a piece of wood and launched a sudden assault on Irianto.

The victim fled into the street, but Siregar pursued him and delivered a fatal blow to his head. Despite Irianto falling to the ground, Siregar continued the assault until other residents intervened.

Emergency responders rushed Irianto to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries en route.

Siregar was arrested shortly after the attack. Authorities suspect that the motive behind the violence was linked to Siregar’s irritation over Irianto’s repeated inquiries about his marital status.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Nigerian artistes Tems and Rema have earned spots on Barack Obama’s highly anticipated 2024 summer playlist.

Curated by the former U.S. president, the playlist features a diverse mix of international and domestic artists.

Obama announced the playlist via his X handle, stating, “With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately – and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix. I hope you find something new to listen to!”

The playlist includes Tems’ track “Love Me Jeje” from her debut album, showcasing her soulful style and emotional depth.

Rema’s “Yayo” from his sophomore album “HEIS” also makes the cut, having topped the charts in Greece and amassed over 60 million streams on Spotify.

Obama’s playlist also features Charli XCX’s “365,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” “Wanna Be” by Glorilla & Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish’s “CHIHIRO,” as well as classic tracks like 2Pac’s “How Do U Want It” featuring K-Ci & JoJo and Bob Dylan’s “Silvio.”

Recall during a recent interview with influencer Carter Gregory (thecarterb), Obama revealed that his daughters, Sasha and Malia, play a key role in keeping his musical tastes current and broadening his musical horizons.

“I get referrals from my daughters — which keeps me not stuck in the ’80s,” the former president told Mr Gregory.

Dangote refinery and other local refineries have raised their crude oil requirements from Nigeria’s oil producing companies to 597,000 for the next five months.   

This is according to a statement from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and reported by Reuters on Monday. 

Crude oil-producing companies in Nigeria are expected to supply the Dangote refinery and other local refineries with about 597,700 barrels per day (bpd) of crude in the next five months to meet local demands.

This is according to a statement from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and reported by Reuters on Monday.

According to the report, Nigeria’s refineries have increased their domestic crude requirements for the second half of 2024 to 597,700 barrels per day, up from 483,000 barrels per day in the first half.


NUPRC also confirmed that the oil companies were only able to provide 177,777 bpd to the refineries in the first six months of the year, way below the requirements of the refineries.

The increasing crude requirements of local refineries, coupled with the challenges oil producers face in meeting demand, have created tensions between the 650,000-bpd Dangote Refinery and the regulator.


NURPC’s failure to enforce PIA

Nairametrics earlier reported that the Dangote Refinery accused the NUPRC of failing to enforce the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in relation to the domestic supply of crude oil to local refineries.

In a statement released on Friday, the refinery’s spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, stated that NUPRC has only facilitated the sale of a single cargo between the refinery and crude oil producers.

Chiejina further noted that the regulatory body cited the “sanctity of a contract” as the reason for its inability to enforce its own Act.


“Aside from the term supply we bilaterally negotiated with NNPCL, so far NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer. The rest of the cargoes we have processed were purchased from international traders.

“All we are asking for is for refineries in Nigeria to buy crude directly from the companies that produce it in Nigeria rather than from international middlemen.

“Unfortunately, the NUPRC has effectively admitted in their statement, that they will be unable to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as specified in the PIA citing “sanctity of contracts” as an excuse,” the statement read.

President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the first set of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The buses numbering 20 were said to be the first batch produced locally by local manufacturer, Innoson Motors.

Some of the CNG buses were driven to the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, where the President took a break from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting to commission them.

The provision of the CNG buses were part of the Federal government efforts to reduce the pains caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

Recall that the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, met with President Tinubu last week at the State House.

While speaking to journalists, the Innoson Motors boss promised that very soon, CNG vehicles will be on the road in many cities of the federation to ease the transport problem being experienced in the country.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said if by now, the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration hasn’t realised the enormity of the sufferings of Nigerians it means it wasn’t ready for governance from the start.

Atiku who spoke through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe , explained that it was disappointing that the administration had to wait for Nigerians to take to the streets to draw its attention to what has become the desperate times we’ve been forced to live in.

He said, “There were certainly challenges before now, that’s why you were given the mandate. We know so many things were done wrong under Buhari.

“The economy went into recession twice under the last APC administration because it knows nothing about economics, nopotism , corruption were at a high.

“Whatever Buhari did wrong we are seeing a higher dimension under Tinubu. What we are worness today is Buhari pro-max. Divisions under Buhari have become craters under this government.

“How can the cost of basic food items come down when farmers can still no go back to their farms due to insecurity?

“Look at all the drama over the Dangote Refinery, this is one refinery that the last administration inspite of its failings invested $20bn tax payers money in.

We had thought by now our domestic needs will be met and exports will generate the much needed foreign exchange for our development but here we are asking questions.

“What is going on? Did this administration enter into any partnership with foreign interests to ruin this investment?

“Sadly, there is nothing in the horizon to show that this government is ready to solve our nation’s problems. “ end

The Paris Olympics Games, July 26 – August 11 began on a tentative note, but it has turned out to be a memorable, successful, sensational event, which not only lived up to the billing, but was also a masterpiece showcase of French history, culture and hospitality. The French have every reason to congratulate themselves, history was made, there were emotional moments, records were broken, marriage proposals took place in the city of love and lights in what Thomas Bach, the retiring International Olympic Committee (IOC) Chairman calls “Seine-sational” - in obvious reference to the fact that the Paris Olympics, after 100 years since France last hosted it, began in the open, along the Seine River which courses through Paris. Athletes from 184 countries marched on the Seine in 90 boats, across 3.7 miles, surrounded by dancers and serenaded by singers (French Pop star Aya Nakamura and legendary Celine Dion). Ahead of the Olympics, France had just concluded its snap parliamentary elections with fears that the febrile politics of the elections could affect the Olympics but that didn’t happen as both the far-right and the far-left in French politics buried their ideologies to receive and host the world. There were also fears about security after the attack on targets across Europe and the rising threat of terrorism and extremism. France deployed 75, 000 police officers around Paris, and also got friendly countries to send troops in support. The United Kingdom contributed 50 special constables, Spain sent 142 civil guards, 171 police officers, 10 horses and dogs; the United States sent 94 police officers and the FBI; in total, 40 countries including Qatar, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Morocco and 31 European countries contributed a support force of about 2,000 police officers in what was a statement about the value of international security operation. In the end, security did not constitute a problem. It was bon. It was magnifique.

There were a few hitches though. During the opening ceremony, there was an embarrassing mix up with the national anthems of North Korea and South Korea, the drag queen sequence and the parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” which drew the ire of the Catholic Church, Christians and which in other quarters led to death threats. During the group stage men’s basketball game between South Sudan and Puerto Rico the wrong national anthem was played for South Sudan, a gaffe that the South Sudanese did not find funny at all. At the athletics Olympics village, there were complaints about substandard food, hot accommodation and cardboard beds. Team Great Britain ended up hiring a chef, many of the American superstars relocated to hotels. Transportation to the event venues was also inconvenient for the most part. River Seine gave the organizers grave concerns, as the heavy rain showers on opening day further polluted the water, raising the level of E-coli, making it difficult for the river to be used for the men’s and women’s triathlon. The planned games on River Seine were rescheduled, all the same, three German athletes reported that they had been infected, athletes from Belgium and Switzerland also fell ill.

But we witnessed, nonetheless, the triumph of the human spirit, the defining characteristic of the Olympics since its Athenian beginnings, and its re-invention in modern times in 1896 by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Memories of the Paris Olympics will linger and endure in terms of the drama, the colourful, history-laden displays and the use of the cityscape of France, with the Eiffel Tower looming large in the background.  Andy Murray, the British tennis star, announced his retirement during the Olympics. Novak Djokovic, won the men’s tennis singles final, a gold medal at last at the Olympics, practically fulfilling a dream. Simon Biles who had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, due to a condition called “twisties” made a remarkable comeback, to win three gold medals and a silver in gymnastics and in the process, became the most decorated gymnast in American history. Suni Lee, a former Olympic all-round champion and US gymnast was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease in 2023. In Paris, she won gold at the all-round team finals, a bronze in uneven bars and yet another bronze at the all-round competition.  She did all that while battling two types of incurable kidney disease. Julien Alfred, 23, won the women’s 100 m race to claim St. Lucia’s first Olympics medal. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 200 metres. The tiny Caribbean-island of St. Lucia, and her home town of Ciceron broke out in joyous ecstasy. Juju as she is known is now a national hero in St. Lucia. Adriana Ruano, 29, won the first ever gold medal in the shooting women’s trap final for Guatemala. Kaylia Nemour, 17, made history for her country, Algeria and for Africa by being the first from the continent to win a medal in gymnastics. Carlos Yulo, 24, of the Philippines won two gold medals in men’s floor exercise and vault- the first also for his country. Sifan Hassan became the first athlete in 72 years to win medals in the women’s 5,000, 10, 000 and marathon races; a haul of gold and two bronze medals within the space of five days, with a total distance of 62,195 km covered. History was made in the women’s floor final with the first all-black gymnastics podium ever in the Olympics with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (gold), Simon Biles (silver) and Jordan Chiles (bronze). Chiles has reportedly been stripped of the bronze medal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and replaced with Romania’s Anna Barbosa who was upgraded from 4^th to 3^rd but she remains a most worthy Olympian. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won Africa’s first ever 200m gold at the Olympics and was the anchor of Botswana’s 4 x 400 relay team which took silver. The Government of Botswana was so excited, the President declared a half-day public holiday in celebration On August 9. Similarly, Leon Marchand became an instant hero in France having won four individual gold medals in swimming. Emma Hayes, who spent 12 years managing the women Chelsea football team, winning seven WSL titles, five FA Cups, and the League Cup twice. She has just led the US Women’s football team to golden victory barely two months after she took over the US National team. The Olympics has always been about individual heroism. But it is also about national pride. 

There were many special moments as well: Simon Biles and Jordan Chiles paying homage to Rebeca Andrade in a gracious and humble manner; North Korea and South Korea athletes taking a selfie together in a gesture that showed sports transcend politics. Romance blossomed too: Brazilian triple jumper Almir Dos Santos proposed to his girlfriend Talita Ramos, Massimo Bertelloni proposed to Alessia Maurelli, Liu Yuchen to Huang Yaqiong, Paton Otterdahl to Maddy Nilles, Alice Finot to Bruno Martinez, Pablo Simonet to Maria Campoy, Jean-Emmanuel Mestre to Charline Picon, Kathryn Treder to Alev Kelter, Justin Best to Lainey Duncan and so on and so forth - a firm confirmation that love is indeed in Paris. Many others who may not have won a medal found love. There were pregnant athletes in attendance too: Alysia Montano, 38, American, in the 800m race, Amber Jo Rutter of Team GB, a mum that shoots and got a silver medal in women’s Skeet and Yaylagul Ramazanova of Azerbaijan who said she felt her baby kicking as she competed in the archery event. These women athletes pushed the boundaries of possibilities at the Paris Olympics. And there were delightful moments of laughter. French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s penis knocked off the crossbar during the semi-final heat in pole vault becoming a trending sensation as a result. He did not make it to any podium but he ended up getting a $250, 000 offer from an adult entertainment company which thought his bulge could be an asset beyond the Olympics.! Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, 25, caused quite a stir with her gender appearance, only to go on to win the gold medal in the women’s boxing welterweight category.  Yusuf Dikec, 51, won a silver in the mixed team 10 m air pistol event but he became a popular character in Paris, because of his steeze. While other shooters wore high tech gear, Dikec was non-challant, he wore regular eye glasses, kept his left hand in his pocket and yet got a silver medal. Other athletes thought this was some form of magic and they started putting their hands in their pockets too. Yet another star attraction in Paris was Snoop Dogg, 52, American rapper and actor, (real name Calvin Broadus Jnr.) who carried the Olympic torch and also worked as a broadcaster for US host, the NBC Channel. Snoop Dogg was all over the place, having fun and being himself. NBC paid him US$ 500, 000 per day. Some people are in this world just to catch cruise and enjoy. God, when? 

On Sunday, August 11, the Olympics ended on a note of great excitement, grace, pomp and satisfaction on the part of the organizers after 16 days, 329 events and 32 different sports. Tom Cruise, in a “Mission Impossible” kind of stunt abselled from the top of the Stade de France, for the closing ceremony, giving it a feel of the surreal. He took the flag from Simon Biles and the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, jumped onto a motorcycle and rode out of the arena. The next Olympics in 2028, will be hosted in Los Angeles, the home town of Snoop Dogg. In this Olympics, the United States led the medals table with a total of 126 medals, followed by China with 91, Australia, 53, France 64 and Great Britain, 65. How did Nigeria fare? We were present for the 16 days that the event lasted but we won nothing. We participated in 12 sports. We sent 88 athletes. Nigeria spent N9 billion. We came home empty-handed. We, however, made little history that may be useful for the future. Our female basketball team, D’Tigress managed by Rena Wakama, fought valiantly and got to the quarter-finals, the first time any African team would go to that far in Olympics basketball. Ms. Wakama, 32, has since been named the Best Female Basketball Coach at the 2024 Olympics by the International Basketball Federation. Samuel Ogazi made it to the 400 m Olympics final, the first athlete to do so since Innocent Egbunike did so 36 years ago.  And for the first time in a long while, something very unusual, the Minister of Sports, John Enoh could boast that all the athletes representing Nigeria got their training allowances and bonuses. This is something we are supposed to celebrate. But Nigeria’s participation was generally marred by the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Olympics Committee to submit Favour Ofili’s name for the 100 m race. The sheer incompetence of both bodies is not new: they did the same thing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 denying 14 athletes the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. They have repeated the same offence this year in Paris, and the best they can do is to trade blames. Nigeria’s men’s 4 x 400 relay team was disqualified for a lane violation in the semi-final. While no Nigerian made it to the podium in Paris, it has been reported that our athletes despite not winning any medal, partied hard and ate to their heart’s content. 

But the big shame was seeing Nigerians carrying the flag of other countries. Yemisi Ogunleye who won gold for Germany in shot put is from Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Samu Omorodion was part of the Spanish football team that won gold in the men’s category. He is a Nigerian. Rasheedat Adeleke, the fastest female athlete in Ireland is a Nigerian too. She was part of Ireland’s 4x4 women’s relay that came fourth. She holds Ireland’s national record in 60m, 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m. Annette Nneka Echikunwoke who won silver in Hammer Throw for the United States represented Nigeria at the Tokyo Olympics but she switched to the United States because of the incompetence and corruption of Nigerian officials, and now she is described as the first American woman to win a medal in Hammer Throw. There is also Antoinette Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu (can any name be more Nigerian than that?) but she competed at the Olympics and got a silver medal not for Nigeria but Bahrain. In her case, she not only abandoned Nigeria, she even changed her name to Salwa Eid Naser to identify fully with her chosen country and new religion. There may well be other Africans who have switched loyalty to other countries. Winfred Yavi, who previously represented Kenya, but is also now a Bharain athlete in 3,000 m steeplechase won gold in Paris, setting the new Olympic record in that event. 

Most African countries are guilty of underinvestment in sports facilities. Nigeria is worse. Those who lead the various sports Federations are corrupt and incompetent. Many of the athletes on the continent prefer to switch to other countries because there are better training facilities abroad and better rewards for talent. At the Paris Olympics, Hong Kong promised its gold medalists - $768,000, Kazahkstan offered $250, 000 for gold, France - $87,00; Singapore - $745,000; Indonesia - $300,000. Sports has become big business. In a globalized world, athletes are entrepreneurs and they would, like everyone else, migrate to where they can gain the best comparative advantage for their talent. In Atlanta 1996, Nigeria won two gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals. But we have since lost the magic due to years of indolence, rascality, and the failure to treat sports as a strategic vehicle for diplomacy and national development.  Sports Minister, John Enoh says there would be consequences for the failure of the AFN and Nigeria’s IOC at the Paris Olympics. What consequences, if we may ask?  The least that we can ask for is that Nigeria should begin to prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and not wait till the very last minute. We can also probably expect that the Nigerian athletes going for the Paralympics also in Paris, from August 28 – September 8, will do much better. Nigeria does not care enough for the physically challenged among its people, but ironically, this much neglected compatriots have historically done better at the Olympics: a pungent, bitter irony of a country where the blind see better than those with eyesight, and the lame are faster than those who can walk. While Nigeria deals with its multiple dilemmas, let us tell the people and government of France: merci!  

The management of AIPCC Energy Limited, operators of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited (ERPCL), says it lacks crude oil supply despite being a fully functional 1,000 barrels per day crude oil refinery.

The company said the Edo refinery is yet to get any supply from the relevant authorities — despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil supply to local refineries.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City on Sunday, the management of the refinery said the firm is facing significant challenges due to the persistent lack of crude supply.

Segun Okeni, a representative of the company, said the refinery can barely function at full capacity.

Okeni said although the company has existing crude oil supply agreements with Seplat Energy and ND Western since 2022, bureaucratic bottlenecks have prevented the refinery from accessing the much-needed crude feedstock.

“On 18th August 2021, our team led by our chairman, met with the NNPCL CEO and its top management team to discuss our intention to buy crude oil from NNPCL and we immediately wrote seeking crude supply, the letter was dated 22 July 2022,” he said.

“In July 2022, the representatives of NNPC (from HQ Abuja and NPDC Benin) visited our facility for site inspection and to confirm the mechanical completion of the Edo refinery.

“In September 2022, we were invited for a commercial negotiation meeting with the NNPC Head of terms, after which we sent a follow-up letter identifying the oil fields from which we can offtake crude oil.

“In March 2022, we also wrote to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, informing it of our refinery status, future projects and our challenges of lack of crude oil supply to our refinery.

“We had also written and had a meeting with the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) between November 2022 and March 2023, indicating our severe need for crude oil supply from oil fields where NEPL has equity stakes.”

However, the Edo refinery official said despite these meetings, correspondences, and communications with the NNPC over the past three years on the issues of crude oil supply, nothing was done.

On the way forward, the ERPCL said the NNPC and other crude oil suppliers need to put loading infrastructure in place to allow for truck loading.

On August 9, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery said it had not received the 29 million barrels of crude allocated to it by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).