There are strong indications that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery may not roll out petrol on Monday in line with its earlier schedule.

The President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had last month projected that the refinery would begin the production of petrol between August 10 and 12, 2024.

However, findings by The PUNCH reveal that the 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery might not roll out petrol on Monday (today).

But multiple officials close to the development confirmed to The PUNCH on Sunday that all was set for the refinery to begin the production of the much-awaited Premium Motor Spirit before the end of August.

“All is set. The refinery will roll out petrol this month. However,  its concern is that the refinery cannot stop for one minute, it needs the constant supply of crude to keep going,” one of the top officials close the refinery told The PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Sunday.

However, further findings show that the ongoing crude supply crisis might be a setback to the Dangote oil refinery which is supposed to commence the supply of the much-awaited Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, into the market today.

This is also as PMS marketers await the sale of the commodity by the refinery this week.

The PUNCH reliably gathered that the refinery has put efforts in top gear to roll out petrol this August, even as it awaits 29 million barrels of crude oil from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

Reliable sources privy to the development told our correspondent that the refinery is ready to release petrol this month, regardless of the crude crisis.

The sources, who did not want to be mentioned because of the sensitivity of the matter, disclosed that the company is 100 per cent ready to pump out petrol as planned. However, they said the low supply of crude may impact the process.

“I can confirm to you that we will start the sale of PMS this August, though the low supply of crude oil has always been affecting the process. But from the information at my disposal, we are 100 per cent ready for the supply of PMS,” a source stated.

Another informed person said the refinery is still awaiting 29 million barrels of crude oil from the NUPRC.

“The NUPRC is yet to fulfil the supply of the 29 million barrels promised to Dangote. They are still waiting for that. Surprisingly, the 29 million barrels were allocated on paper, they didn’t get to the refinery, yet the NUPRC told the media on Friday that the crude was supplied.

“Dangote refinery needs 15 cargoes for September, only six cargoes have been supplied. Where do you want him to get the remaining nine cargoes? He will have to import again. Though the President said local refineries should buy in naira, but if it is at the international rate. What is the difference?” she asked.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that though Dangote will roll out the supply of petrol in August, the product may not be sold locally due to price differential.

Experts familiar with the company stated that the current price being offered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for petrol is not competitive for any trader.

“For Dangote to sell to Nigerians, it has to be at a competitive rate. Dangote will source crude at the international rate, how do you expect him to sell at a rate below the cost price? So, it will be better to sell outside the country than to sell in Nigeria at a loss.

“There is a lot of politics in oil and gas, and this is heavily killing Nigeria. Just like former President Olusegun Obasanjo said, those making money from fuel importation are frustrating Dangote,” the expert said anonymously.

Some workers of the refinery who spoke reluctantly to our reporter maintained that all was set for the sale of petrol, but they would not know the exact date and the price.

“I learnt PMS will be out probably by next week, but I don’t know the exact date,” one of the workers disclosed, pleading not to be mentioned because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

29 million barrels

The PUNCH reports that the Dangote refinery engaged in an exchange of words with the NUPRC over the alleged supply of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the refinery.

The Dangote Group Thursday accused the NUPRC of failing to effectively enforce the Domestic Crude Supply Obligations regulations, saying the refinery had yet to get enough crude locally.

Reacting, the NUPRC debunked the claim, stating that it facilitated the supply of over 29 million barrels of crude oil to Dangote from January to June 2024.

The NUPRC argued that it had facilitated the domestic supply of crude oil to Dangote refinery and other refineries using the monthly production curtailment platform.

“A breakdown shows that nine refineries have benefitted from the 32,088,122 barrels of crude as Dangote alone enjoyed 29,047,098 barrels out of the total supply between January to June 2024.”

According to the commission, the Warri refinery reportedly received 949,670 barrels; NDPR refinery got 823,395 barrels of crude; Port Harcourt refinery received 471,123 barrels; Seplat-WPSOL refinery was allocated 419,541 barrels while Waltersmith-WSPOL refinery got 296,353 barrels.

Other beneficiaries listed include the Edo refinery which got 58,504 barrels of crude and Du-port refinery which got 22,438 barrels of crude.

It added that in the pursuit of its mandate, if it became necessary for licences to be withdrawn, the commission would do so, but it would not resort to the ‘presumptuous and arbitrary’ withdrawal of licences because of the ‘sanctity of contract.’

But in a swift response, the Dangote Group also denied receiving 29 million barrels of crude from any source.

Spokesperson of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, had said, “We receive NUPRC’s statement that they have facilitated the allocation of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, we would like to thank them for this allocation but at the same time, we wish to let them know that we are yet to receive these cargoes.

“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.”

Chiejina added that all the refinery was asking for was 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,” Chiejina stated.

In a chat on Sunday, the NUPRC spokesperson, Olaide Shonola, told our correspondent that the commission was looking into the claims by the refinery that the allocated 29 million barrels were not received.

“We are looking into this,” Shonola said, promising to revert later.

As August progresses, Nigerians are beginning to ask whether or not the Dangote refinery will be able to supply petrol this month as promised by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

The worries of many Nigerians stemmed from the crude shortage crisis that has been rocking the facility since it commenced operations a few months ago.

The PUNCH recalls that Dangote had to postpone the supply of PMS like three times since the refinery began the sale of diesel and aviation fuel in April.

In May, Dangote told Nigerians that fuel importation would completely stop in Nigeria the moment the refinery began the sale of petrol in June.

During the Africa CEO Summit in Rwanda, Dangote promised that the refinery would put an end to the monthly importation of an average of one billion litres of PMS in Nigeria from June.

According to him, following the laid-down plans of the Dangote refinery, Nigeria will no longer need to import petrol starting in June.

He said, “Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline (petrol) and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre.

“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa; and diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.

“We have started producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel, and by next month (June), we’ll be producing gasoline. What that will do is that it will be able to take most African crude.”

In June, Dangote informed Nigerians that his plan to release petrol into the market in the sixth month of the year would no longer be possible, sparking reactions from Nigerians.

While on a tour of the facility with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and other dignitaries, he announced, “We had a bit of delay, but PMS will start coming out by 10 to 15 of July. But then, we want to keep it in the tank to make sure that it settles. So, by the third week of July, we’ll be able to come out to take it into the market,” Dangote had said.

However, this could not happen in July as Dangote again told pressmen that the supply of petrol was impacted by a fire incident that broke out at the refinery’s effluent treatment plant on June 26. He said the product would be out between August 12 and 15.

Marketers await Dangote

Meanwhile, petroleum marketers in Nigeria said they are still waiting to hear from the refinery on when it would begin the release of petrol.

Both major and independent marketers showed interest in buying PMS from Dangote, especially after years of depending on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for petrol.

The Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, told The PUNCH on Sunday that the major marketers are waiting to hear from the Dangote Group.

According to him, MEMAN members are currently buying PMS from the NNPC while most of them get diesel and aviation fuel from the Dangote refinery.

“We are still waiting for them. Currently, it is only the NNPC that imports PMS because of the price differential. So, we are waiting (for Dangote refinery).

“Currently, we are all buying AGO (diesel) and ATK (aviation fuel) from the Dangote refinery. To the best of my knowledge, marketers are not buying PMS yet,” Isong stated.

Crude crisis

Recalls that the management of the Dangote Group had alleged that the International Oil Companies were still frustrating crude supply to the 650,000-capacity refinery.

The group said the IOCs insisted on selling crude oil to its refinery through their foreign agents, saying the local price of crude will continue to increase because the trading arms offer cargoes at $2 to $4 per barrel, above NUPRC’s official price.

It also alleged that the foreign oil producers seem to be prioritising Asian countries in selling the crude they produce in Nigeria.

The Vice President of Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Devakumar Edwin, had said, “If the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation guidelines are diligently implemented, this will ensure that we deal directly with the companies producing the crude oil in Nigeria as stipulated by the Petroleum Industry Act.”

Edwin insisted that IOCs operating in Nigeria have consistently frustrated the company’s requests for locally produced crude as feedstock for its refining process.

He highlighted that when cargoes were offered to the oil company by the trading arms, it was sometimes at a $2 to $4 (per barrel) premium above the official price set by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

Edwin was reacting to a statement by the Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, who in an interview on national television said, “It is ‘erroneous’ for one to say that the International Oil Companies are refusing to make crude oil available to domestic refiners, as the Petroleum Industry Act has a stipulation that calls for a willing-buyer, willing-seller relationship.”

The Chief Executive of Nigerian NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, had also debunked the claim by the Dangote official, saying Nigeria could not rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply.

Ahmed had also alleged that Dangote diesel had a higher sulphur content than the ones imported into the country.

But the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had denied the allegation, wondering how he could be a monopoly when the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited was renovating government-owned refineries with $4bn.

President Bola Tinubu has since ordered the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote in naira.

Hasten crude supply

Oil marketers who weighed into the matter called on the NNPC and the International Oil Companies to hasten up the process of crude oil supply to local refineries both in naira and adequate volumes.

Reacting to the claim by Dangote and other domestic refiners that they had yet to get crude both in naira and as required, the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, said, “I think the NNPC is on top of this matter.

“However, I must state that they need to expedite action to ensure that crude oil is sent to the refineries. But you need to understand that the process of getting something from the government does not happen easily, some processes must be followed.

“While we admit that there are processes, we are advising those implementing these processes to hasten it up so that the refineries will start refining as quickly as possible and bring down the costs of these petroleum products which have remained a burden on Nigerians.

“It is not sensible that we are an oil-producing country and refined products are still high in our nation, and we are still importing from other refineries when we have refineries in Nigeria. We have to act and it has to be fast.”

Also speaking on the matter, the National Operations Controller of IPMAN, Mustapha Zarma, called on NNPC and IOCs to strive to supply crude oil to domestic refineries both in naira and the required volumes.

This, he said, was because of the enormous gain that the domestic supply of crude oil would have on the local currency and the Nigerian economy.

“The directive of Mr President on the supply of crude oil to Dangote and other local refineries is a welcome development and will help the naira appreciate. This is because most of the demand for forex comes from the petroleum sector.

“So if the refineries get crude oil in naira, I believe that there won’t be much pressure again on the naira. It is a welcome development that should be implemented by the oil producing companies and NNPC.

“Also, they must strive to ensure the supply. Of course, this may not be immediate considering the processes that it may require but the fact is that it should be given the necessary speed to save our local currency from further depreciation,” Zarma stated.

Several state Police Commands in the northern part of the country have begun the prosecution of arrested protesters during the 10-day #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria nationwide protest.

While the protests were relatively peaceful in the South, it turned violent in the North with several lives lost, property worth billions of naira destroyed, leading to the declaration of curfew in no fewer than five states.

The protests, which held from August 1-10, was against the rising cost of living, which has been fueled by fuel subsidy removal, surging inflation at a 28-year high and government economic policies that pushed the naira to a record low against the dollar.

At least 17 persons were reportedly killed in Abuja, Kano, Niger, Borno, Kaduna and Jigawa, and several others injured on the opening day of the protest with Amnesty International condemning the use of deadly action against the protesters and accusing the security operatives of killing at least 21 protesters.

Police arrested protesters, some of whom waved the Russian flag, in Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno and Jigawa as the demonstrations assumed a violent dimension, announcing that they would be duly prosecuted.

1,135 for trial

Findings by our correspondents show that at least 1,135 arrested persons during the protest would be charged to court beginning from Monday (today).

On Sunday, the Yobe State Command said it would arraign 108 persons, who were arrested for various offences, including violating the imposed curfew during the hunger protest.

DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, Police Public Relations Officer, Yobe Command, stated that the apprehended suspects would be brought before the court to face charges related to their alleged involvements in the protests.

Many of the accused individuals, who were first arraigned August 8, denied the charges against them, setting the stage for further legal proceedings on Monday (today), Abdulkarim added.

“Monday, August 12, 2024 has been earmarked for the continuation of the case, where those facing charges will have the opportunity to either accept or contest the allegations.

“Should they choose to accept the charges, they will undergo a summary trial presided over by a judge at the Magistrate Court in Damaturu, Yobe State.”

In Kano, a total of 632 persons arrested for alleged destruction of property during the anti-hunger protest in the state and were remanded by a Kano State Mobile Court since last Tuesday will appear in court on August 19, The PUNCH learnt.

Several public and private facilities, including the Kano State Printing Press, Nigerian Communications Commission, Kano State High Court and a number of vehicles parked within the premises were vandalised and looted. 

Popular supermarket in the city, Barakat Stores, was among the worst hit with a reported loss of over N5bn to the hoodlums.

The arrested persons were charged with criminal conspiracy, theft, unlawful assembly, inciting disturbance, trespass and mischief by fire.

A mobile court, which sat at the premises of the Kano Police Command Headquarters at Bompai, was presided over by three senior judicial officers, Senior Magistrate Ibrahim Yola, Senior Magistrate Hadiza Bello and Chief Magistrate Abba Dandago respectively.

After the remand order, the court adjourned sitting until August 19 for hearing.

Earlier, the state’s Director Public Prosecution, Salisu Tahir, had informed the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences on August 1, the opening day of the protest.

He alleged that on the same date the defendants, during the protest,  trespassed and vandalised government and public property in the state.

“The defendants broke into people’s shops and looted their goods,” the DPP told the court. 

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened the provision of sections 97, 287, 229, 336, 349 and 247 of the Penal Code.

While some of the defendants pleaded guilty, others pleaded not guilty to the charge.

After the court sitting, the state Attorney General and commissioner of Justice, Haruna Dederi, told journalists that the State Government set up three mobile courts within the premises of the State Police Command to prosecute the defendants.because of their large number.

In Gombe, 14 protesters out of the 111 suspects arrested were freed on Saturday 14 by a special court presided over by the Gombe State Chief Judge Justice Halima Mohammed.

The freed protesters, who were charged for unlawful assembly and other crimes, were initially arraigned within the Gombe Medium Custodial Centre on Friday but subsequently released on grounds of ill health and being underage.

Defence counsel Saidu Muazu-Kumo confirmed this to one of our correspondents on Sunday.

The 97 others still in custody will appear in court on Tuesday and Thursday, Muazu-Kumo stated.

Flag tailor charged

In the same vein, the Kaduna State Police Command announced that 25 protesters arrested on the first day of the protest, who were remanded in a correctional centre in the state, would be charged to court along with an additional 39 others, including the tailor who allegedly sewed the Russian flag, after investigations were completed within the week.

According to the command’s PPRO, ASP Mansir Hassan, the protesters were promptly arraigned in court following their arrest.

Also, the Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the arrest of over 50 protesters in the state.

The state commissioner of police, Auwal Mohammed, stated this while giving an update on the protest in the state.

“More than 50 protesters, including women, have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command following the protest in the state capital,” he said.

Mohammed confirmed that the protesters were arrested following their violent behavior during the protest. He said that they were arrested for breaches of law and order and for not getting police permission before embarking on the demonstration.

According to him, 45 protesters had been charged to court while the minors among those arrested would be counseled to avoid jeopardising their future of becoming better citizens.

The Katsina State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, told one of our correspondents that that first batch of protestesters – 64 of them – have been charged to court.

 “Yes, we have charged them to court and the first batch was 64. They were all charged between Monday and Friday last week,” he said.

The Niger State Police command has revealed that 23 protesters, who were arrested in the state, were taken to the Niger State Criminal Investigation Department.

“All suspects were transferred to SCID Minna for further investigation and they will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the ongoing investigation is concluded,” Abiodun Wasiu, the Niger command PPRO, stated.

He added that several stolen items were recovered from the persons arrested.

“The following items were recovered from the suspects: wooden bench/office chairs, car side mirror, extension wire, reflective jacket, ceiling fan, table calculator, laptop and generator, ceiling sheets and office television. The items were returned to the LGA secretariat.” 

The protest turned violent in Suleja and Tafa Local Government Areas in the state, leading to the reported killing of six protesters and the partial burning of Tafa LGA secretariat.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed that it arrested 97 individuals in the Maiduguri metropolises during the nationwide protest, which left four people and scores injured in the state.

The Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, who confirmed this to The PUNCH, said they are yet to fix a date for the suspects to be tried.

Of the 97 arrested protesters, seven include social media influencers who were arrested for inciting violence and insulting government officials, religious leaders, and traditional figures, while another seven individuals were apprehended for displaying foreign flags, which posed a perceived threat to national security.

Daso added that the remaining 83 suspects were arrested across various locations in Maiduguri for vandalism, theft, arson and rioting.

“They were arrested for vandalism and theft at the WFP Warehouse on Baga Road, including office supplies and food items,  removal of interlocks, flower vessels, streetlights and pedestrian bridge barricades at Bulumkutu, Lagos Street, Gwange and Baga Road, damage to vehicle windows and burning of tyres on major roads, vandalism of offices and vehicles at Mechanical Village and looting at the UNHRC facility on Baga Road,” Daso stated.

Daso said police recovered several items from the suspects, including two packs of Hilltop tea, one air conditioner, two office chairs, seven foreign flags, three bags of NPK fertilizer, half bag of cannabis, one sewing machine, 30 blankets, one water dispenser, one control switch set, ashes of tires, one office table, and iron rods. 

In the FCT, the police did not announce the number of protesters arrested during the End Bad Governance protest, but Amnesty International and a Civil Society Organisation, Enough is Enough, said over 50 protesters were arrested across the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT command spokesperson Josephine Adeh could not be reached on the matter as calls to her line indicated it was not reachable. She was yet to respond to a message sent to her while filing this.

However, a police source said those arrested with no involvement in any criminal activity during the protest were being released after being profiled.

Meanwhile, human rights activist and National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, condemned the trial of the protesters, noting that they would equally challenge the police in court and ensure the release of everyone arrested.

Sanyaolu said the Tinubu-led administration had outdone former President Muhammadu Buhari in areas of rights violation and in clamping down freedom of expression and free press.

“No doubt, the Tinubu government has now outdone former President Buhari in the areas of rights violation, having nothing but hatred for freedom of expression, and free press. We do not only condemn the actions of the police as an unfortunate ploy to criminalise dissent, we are also prepared to challenge the police in court, and ensure everyone who is arrested on the account of protests are released. No one will be left behind.”

Similarly, Omole Ibukun, Initiator, Creative Change Centre, under the Network of Abuja Left Groups, condemned the trials, stating that any attempt to try the protesters would result in a resumption of the protests. 

He added that spates of violence during the #EndBadGovernance protests were in response to repression by security agencies, noting that such response to the agencies’ repression was understandable.

“Any attempt to try protesters will only mean a resumption of the protests very soon. No protester should be tried for protesting. Any violence or vandalism that occurred during the #EndBadGovernance protest was triggered as a response to the violent repression of the protests by the Nigerian government, using the police, Army and other paramilitary forces. Such response in self-defence or in defiance to an unconstitutional repression by the state is very understandable.

“Any country that understands patriotism and wishes to imbibe it in the citizens will not try those protesters. The trial stands condemned. If the government tries peaceful protesters, the government is simply calling for the next round of protests to be violent enough to match the state violence that the masses have experienced this time,” he said.

No fewer than seven persons from the same family in the Runjin Barmo village of Kajiji District in the Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto have reportedly died as a result of consumption of contaminated cassava delicacy.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Information Officer, Sokoto State Ministry of Health, Nura Bello, on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Asabe Balarabe, on Sunday evening.

The statement revealed that the village head of the community, Malam Muhammadu Modi while narrating the incident to the Balarabe who led a powerful delegation to the area, said the victims consumed the cassava meal during their dinner.

According to him, “The victims comprised the father, Malam Abubakar, his wife, A’ishatu Abubakar and their five children.

How We Spent 24 Years In Prison For A Murder We Didn’t Commit - Ex-inmates0:01 / 1:01

“The incident happened last Wednesday and the cause of the death is actually yet to be confirmed.

“He said this was because the suspected cassava had been used by about four houses in the village and no case of illness was recorded in those houses.”

The statement further said the village head on behalf of the residents thanked the state governor, Dr Ahmed Aliyu, for showing his concern to them in that direction.

In her remarks, Balarabe said they were in the village to assess the cause of the incident for onward communication to the state government for necessary action.

The commissioner said the ministry would take samples from one teenager who happened to be alive after eating the suspected cassava meal.

On behalf of the state governor, she condoled with the people over the incident and prayed to Allah to forgive those who lost their lives.

She used the opportunity to call on people to ensure prompt reporting of any strange disease in their domains for the ministry’s intervention.

In his remarks, the Director of Health for Shagari Local Government Area, Sani Bello Tambuwal, thanked the commissioner for her concern and hoped the effort would be sustained.

The commissioner was accompanied on the visit by the Executive Director, the State Hospital Services Management Board, Dr Bello Abubakar Attahiru, some directors and other staff members of the ministry.

The family of one of the tailors accused of mass-production of the Russian flag in Kano, Ahmad Yusuf Muhammad, has said Muhammad was not involved in the act he was arrested over.

Naija News recalls that the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested some tailors suspected to be mass-producing the Russian flag in Kano State.

The agency posted on its X handle, that the “Service has apprehended some tailors in Kano State responsible for making Russian flags being distributed in the area. Some of their sponsors have also been picked. An investigation is ongoing.”

However, Ahmad’s brother, Nasiru Yusuf Muhammad, in a chat with Daily Trust, said his brother was never a tailor and has never handled a sewing machine.

He said, “He is my biological brother, he was arrested because they said he was the one sewing the Russian flag. I want to clarify that he was never a tailor, he had never been and doesn’t even know how to handle a sewing machine.

“He just became a victim because he was never arrested by any security operative, we (the family) are suspecting because of trauma or being frightened he has said something that implicates himself.

“He is a used water sachet recycling dealer, we are all into it, he directly works under me, that’s our business. He was never a tailor. Even the sewing machine that was said to be his was not his own and was not picked in our house. It was in a neighbour’s house and the owner has since run away.

“The flag was not even in his custody. Ahmad had not participated in protest and did not raise any flag. We had cautioned him and he listened.”

He, therefore, called on the security agencies and concerned authorities to investigate the case carefully and do justice to everyone.

“We are appealing to the concerned authorities to please look critically into this issue and release him. He was not a tailor and has not committed the offense he is being held for,” he said.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Champion Zonal Headquarters, located along Federal College of Education (FCE) Road in Kontagora, Niger State, was set ablaze by unidentified persons in the early hours of Saturday.

The incident marks a tragic recurrence, as the same church was similarly attacked and burnt down by unknown arsonists ten years ago.

At that time, the attackers had warned that the church building should not be completed.

Condemning the latest attack, the state Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, described the incident as “barbaric and uncalled for.”

He emphasized the importance of freedom of worship in Niger State and called for prompt action by the government and security agencies to prevent any escalation of tension.

According to Daily Post, Rev Yohanna said, “There is freedom of worship in Niger State.

“I am sure by the time the government and security agencies take action, it will go a long way to address any form of tension that may want to escalate beyond control. We are hoping that the law will take its course. To be frank, issues like this must be tamed, and people who have done this should be fished out and made to face the law.”

Pastor Samson Ogbebor, an Assistant Pastor of the church, recounted the events leading up to the fire.

According to him, the incident occurred around 3:00 am on Saturday.

“I received a distress call that the church was on fire. On getting there, I met a church that has been in existence for the past 20 years now burnt down and properties looted by hoodlums,” Pastor Ogbebor said.

He also highlighted the long-standing challenges faced by the church.

He said, “About 10 years ago, hoodlums came and burnt it down completely, and with self-efforts, we were able to erect it again. They have made several unsuccessful attempts and have refused us permission to roof it properly, so we decided to use it like that for worship, but look at what they have done again.”

Despite the repeated attacks, members of the RCCG congregation remain resolute. Mr. John Aboje, an Elder in the church, expressed the community’s determination to continue their worship and maintain their faith.

“We will not be discouraged by the incident but will continue to be good Christians and good citizens of the country,” Aboje affirmed.

He also called on Governor Umaru Bago, the Emir of Kontagora, Alh. Muhammadu Barau Mu’azu II, and relevant security agencies to take the incident seriously.

“The incident has been reported to the Division ‘A’ Police Station in Kontagora for investigation, and we urge the authorities to bring the perpetrators to book,” he added.

The National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, has described the eight years in office by former President Muhammadu Buhari as a waste for the northern region and the entire country.

He submitted that the North has been neglected for so long by the previous leaders and the people of the region have been pushed to the wall.

Shetimma made the submission in an interview with Vanguard which was published on Sunday.

He described the eight years of the Buhari government as a waste, adding that the decision of the northern people to join the recent #EndBadGovernance protest provoked the people and if the leaders do not do the needful, worse protests may happen in the future which will consume everybody.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu only inherited the challenges in the country and the frustrations of the people.

“It is a clear indication that, over time, the North has been neglected by its previous leaders, who didn’t do the needful. They left the people frustrated. Already, there is poverty and we have said it countless times that the governors are supposed to be doing better than they are doing. We were privileged to be at the helm of affairs in this country, but our leaders have not done enough.

“They planted what we are reaping today. The eight years of Buhari was just a waste for the region and the country. Tinubu inherited the problem. And this is the consequence of the wasteful leadership of the Buhari era. That is what provoked our people to be deeply involved in the demonstrations.

“If the leaders cannot do the needful, they will see the worst protests shortly where everybody will be consumed,” Shettima said.

The AYCF president, during the interview, also debunked reports in certain quarters that the reason for anger in the North is because appointments by the government do not favour the region.

He said while the north is suffering injustice from the appointments by the Tinubu government, the problems in the region are more than the issue of appointments.

He said: “It is not about appointments. It is about poverty and hunger in the land compared to the South. This is in addition to the recent policies by (the Tinubu) government.

“Even when the government tried to provide succour, some people among the northern elites ensured it didn’t get to the people. Only recently, we learnt that money was given to the governors by the Federal Government to give to the people, but nothing was disbursed until the Federal Government opened up.

“There should be synergy between the Federal Government and states. And if anything for the people comes to the state, it must get to the people. This is the implication of not allowing the people to feel the impact of any government at any level and not the appointments.

“Of course, the appointments do not do justice to the North, and we have raised the issue. What baffles some of us is that most of the appointments are given to people who are not in touch with the people. They give appointments to the elites, who have no track record of having anything to do with the masses. They never believed in the masses and had nothing to do with them.

“How do you expect the masses to feel the impact when such people are given appointments? The government has to look inward. There are people who, if you want to give appointments, you will look at their track record – they should be people who live with the masses.

“You don’t have to give appointments to people who are far from the masses. They shouldn’t be people who have nothing to do with the people and expect governance to get to the people. This is part of the mistakes this administration is making.

“The same thing happened during the administration of Buhari. The same mistake is happening again. Can people endure this hunger in the next three years? It is impossible. That is why we have seen this level of reaction in the North.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has confirmed that it sold foreign exchange (FX) to banks worth $876.26 million at ₦1,495 per dollar.
According to a statement dated August 7, signed by Omolara Omotunde Duke, CBN’s director of the financial markets department, the apex bank said the auction aimed to reduce demand pressure in the FX market and promote price discovery.

The CBN said the transaction was conducted through a retail Dutch auction system (rDAS).

According to the apex bank, while bids valued at $876.26 million from 26 banks qualified, bids from six banks were disqualified.

The CBN said four banks missed the deadline and two did not provide bids in their submitted templates.

Below is the full list of successful and unsuccessful bids.

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

1. Access 79,092,862.79

2. Citi 12,001,875.89

3. Coronation 4,474,753.38

4. Ecobank 5,320,365.25

5. FBN 228,994,949.57

6. FBN Quest 5,089,359.92

7 Fidelity 43,616,742.68

8. FSDH 1,999,399.52

9. Globus 11,070,395.30

10. Greenwich 17,21.40

11. GTB 29,543,429.06

12. Jaiz 16,708,748.35

13. Keystone 4,635,899

14. Lotus 4,024,818.31

15. Nova 2,098,539.51

16. Parallex 548,052.17

17. Polaris 10,440,523.75

18. Providus 11,453,580.97

19. Signature 551,753

20. Stanchart 28,429,525.73

21. Sterling 14,397,359.41

22. Taj 19,107,550.88

23. Titan 790.78

24. Union 13,268,519.66

25. Unity 616,138.33

26. Zenith 267,862,855.69

Total 815,362,006.30

DISQUALIFIED BANKS

1 UBA 13,213,785.91 Late submission

2 FCMB 178,652,316.84 Late submission

3 Stanbic 57,857,408.12 Late submission

4 Wema 21,940,547.84 Late submission

5 Suntrust 7,379,787.50 No bid rates

6 Rand 0 No bid received

Total 279,043,846.21

A Senior Special Adviser on Digital and New Media to the president, O’tega Ogra has claimed that naira redesign policy introduced by former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele is the cause of hunger and economic hardship in the country.
The presidential aide made the claim on Arise TV.

Ogra argued that the naira redesign policy stopped a lot of farmers from going to farm to plant, hence the reason for limited food output.

In October 2022, the former CBN boss, Emefiele introduced the naira redesign policy where ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1,000 old notes were replaced with new notes. The CBN also announced a plan to end the use of the old notes by January 31, 2023.

Speaking on the policy Ogra said, “The most important thing is to realise what it takes to end hunger and guarantee food security in Nigeria. It is not a magic wand. The president has said on countless occasions that he does not want to look behind and lay blames.

“But let us situate things properly. At the beginning of last year, we had the naira redesign. That Niara redesign ensured that a lot of farmers did not go to farms to plant and all that.

“It simply meant we had limited food output at the end of last year.”

Ogra said the president is importing equipment from Belarus, Brazil and the US for mechanized farming.

“We cannot use short-term solutions for long-term problems and you know the problem of food security has bedeviled this country for a very long time.

“Nigerians need to understand that this is a process. The president has also opened the borders for the importation of food items for six months in the first instance and from grains to other staples that Nigerians eat. We do hope that this will bear fruit,” he added.

Poland has denied that its nationals who were arrested by security operatives in Kano, Nigeria, waved the Russian flag.

The detained Poles were arrested on August 6 in Kano for allegedly displaying Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protest held by some Nigerians against economic hardship in the country. Also arrested were six Spanish nationals.

The spokesperson for the Department of State Services, Peter Afunanya, at a meeting of diplomats in Abuja, said the Poles were arrested “because of where they were found during the protests and for displaying foreign flags.”

However, the Polish foreign ministry denied the allegation.

The ministry, according to a Polish international news network, TVP World, said the six students and their lecturer did not participate in the protest but “merely took photos.”

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the students and their lecturer were on an exchange programme at the Bayero University, Kano.

The Poles were said to be students of African Studies at the Oriental Studies Faculty, University of Warsaw.

They left Poland for Nigeria on August 1 and were scheduled to return to their country early September.

The University of Warsaw Press Officer, Anna Modzelewska, said getting the students released was the top priority of the institution.

Modzelewska was quoted by TVP World as saying, “Freeing the UW [University of Warsaw] students is our priority. “We must do everything in our power for that to happen as quickly as possible.”

She added that information was being gathered on the charges against the Poles, disclosing that the University’s Rector, Alojzy Nowak, was in contact with the detainees.

The Polish government, through its Deputy Foreign Minister, Jakub Wisniewski, had on Friday pleaded with Nigeria to release the detainees.

On if they waved the Russian flag, he said, “I personally find this claim hard to believe. We are urging for their safe return home, where their loved ones are anxiously waiting for them.”

Efforts by our correspondents to speak with the Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching of the university, Professor Sławomir Żółtek, proved abortive. Calls put across to his phone number were not answered.

A former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Professor Bola Akinterinwa, asked the Polish authorities to be patient.

He said, “The Polish government has to be patient and allow the investigation to be completed. The fact is that the security forces did not go to the school to arrest the students; they were picked up along the street during the protest and it is in the right place for the Nigerian government to investigate. It is only after investigation and they (Polish government) feel that the students didn’t get justice that they can intervene. Will they release the foreign students and not release Nigerians arrested?”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Poland, Omooba Ayoola, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to release the six students and their lecturer.

Ayoola, who is based in Warsaw, begged Tinubu to use his good offices to facilitate the release of the students and their lecturer in the spirit of deepening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

In a statement on Saturday, Ayoola said, ‘’It is regretted that the Polish nationals were found at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

“However, these students are said to be in the country for academic exchange programmes and we should guide against what can hinder deeper academic cooperation in between the two countries.

“I, therefore, plead that in the spirit of deeper bilateral cooperation, President Tinubu should please passionately look into this disturbing issue and help these students to regain their freedom so that they can focus on their primary purpose of coming to Nigeria”.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, says replacing or repairing bad electricity transformers is not that of customers but squarely that of power distribution companies, DisCos.

Mrs Aisha Mamoud, Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, NERC, stated this on Saturday during a three-day Problem-Solving session between customers in Cross River and PHEDC from Thursday to Saturday, Aug. 10 tagged “Customer Complaints Resolution Meeting” 

She said consumers payment of electricity bills is for services which should be rendered and not to be made to pay for replacement or repairs of transformers or cables.

Mamoud said the meeting became necessary because of customers complaints on metering, excessive billing and transformer vandalism.

She explained that the idea behind the meeting was to educate and enlightened consumers about the electricity industry and their rights as a consumers.

“In regards to our duties and responsibilities as a Regulatory body,, the consumer act says we should try to maximize access to electricity giving that all consumers in this country have access to electricity irrespective of where they live. It is their fundmental right to have access to electricity

“Another reason we are here is to resolve all your complaints . We have done it in several parts of the country and it was a very huge success. All your complaints will be solve on the spot.” She assured.

She stressed that it is the responsibility of DisCos to provide metres to avoid estimated billing and that the federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Discos on provision of metres.

On her part, Mrs Olubukola Ilevbare, Head, Corporate Communication PHED, said the company is having challenges meeting the demands of vandalism in the state.

She noted that most of the transformers issues are caused by vandalism noting that on several occasions, the PHED had replaced transformers vandalized by criminals.

“I now there are times that we don’t respond to our customers as we should, maybe as a result of demands; our goal is to do our best to ensure that whenever there are genuine complaints, we attend to them.

“On the issue of metres, it is the responsibility of DisCos to provide metres, but when a customer cannot wait for the DisCo to provide the mitre, which is done in phases, he can pay for his own metre and within 10 days, it will be installed,” she said

Ilebare explained that though, there are cases where transformers are genuinely spoilt and it is the responsibility of PHED to fix them stressing that the company has been doing its best to meet customer needs.
In his speech, the House of Representatives member, representing Bakassi, Calabar South and Akpabuyo, Mr Joseph Bassey frowned at the issue of vandalism, excessive billing of customers and called for proper billing of consumers in the state

“Today’s meeting is a welcome development for the people in Cross River, electricity issue if address, it will help reduce the level of hardship and this will boost the economy.

“PHED has failed in various ways , they only get money from consumers and refuse to do maintenance. The issue of grading, I don’t feel good about it, everybody has the right to electricity, so why create bands to categorize where a particular area belongs.”