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We’re not preventing Dangote from fixing lower petrol price – NNPCL
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has denied the allegation that it is preventing Dangote Refinery from selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol and that the coming on stream of the entity is the reason for the current hike in the pump price of the product.
Hours after Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group Limited, the conglomerate that birthed the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL), announced the commencement of the production of PMS for commercial purposes in Nigeria, the NNPCL, increased the price of the commodity from N617 to N897 per litre, while other filling stations began to sell at between N1,000 to N1,200 per litre.
The development, which came despite the long queues that had persisted for weeks across the country, due to the scarcity of the product, was seen as a function of the manipulative hands of the NNPCL, the alpha and omega in the petroleum industry in Nigeria, especially with the dimension that it is going to be the sole offtaker of the product from DRL.
Dangote, himself, had while addressing the issue of pricing before opening the ceremony to announce the commencement of the public sale of the product, told anxious Nigerians, who had hoped that he it would be followed with the concomitant announcement of a lower price regime that the issue of how much the product was the sole business of the Federal Government, through the NNPCL, the sole authority of fixing prices of petroleum products in the country.
On the heels of the development, many Nigerians had condemned the outcome with the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a pressure group of Muslim faithful in Nigeria, lampooning the petroleum company, which transformed to a public institution owned by the Nigerian government to a private concern, for the ugly turnaround in the people’s expectation.
The organisation, has claimed that the DRL, was being undermined by actions of the NNPCL, by preventing it from offering lower prices, using its powers as the sole offtaker of all products from the refinery, with Ishaq Akintola, MURIC convener, wondering why the sudden announcement of an upward review of petrol from N617 to N897 just 24 hours to the commencement of full operations.
The group, which argued that the current parlous situation came as a result of NNPCL making itself the sole marketer and fixing outrageous prices at the same time. said in a statement: “By taking these two actions, NNPC has effectively taken control of Dangote’s fuel and the real owner cannot determine the price of its own product. This is an ambush, a punch below the belt.
“NNPC Ltd must not allow fifth columnists whose wish is to bring down Tinubu-Shettima administration to have their way. NNPC should know that frustrating Nigerians is one of the fastest ways to bring a regime to a premature end. If NNPC had not increased the price of its own fuel, the decision to monopolise Dangote’s fuel would have favoured the hoi polloi, but by increasing the price and restricting the supply of Dangote’s fuel to itself alone, NNPC has rendered Dangote Refinery helpless.
“MURIC finds NNPC’s action to be anti-people, immoral and lacking in conscience. It is an open secret that the prices of most products, particularly food items, are tied to the umbilical cords of petroleum and its price. The latter is the engine room that moves the economy. But NNPC Ltd has shattered the hope of the jamaahiir (masses) by raising the price of petrol and disallowing other marketers from buying from Dangote Refinery.
“This is against the spirit of free economy. It contravenes natural law of justice. It is not fair. What was the contribution of NNPC Ltd to the new refinery? How can NNPC suddenly take full control of Dangote Refinery, the hope of the masses to whose process it contributed virtually nothing? We charge NNPC to retrace its steps on this matter. It is too sensitive. Nigerians had placed their hopes on a fait accompli status of Dangote’s fuel to reduce hardship. This refinery must not be strangulated.”
But in a swift riposte, the NNPCL, in a statement by Sola Soneye, its spokesman, by way of “putting the records straight, said: “The pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd (DRL), is determined by global market forces. The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market. In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.
“Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL. The NNPC Ltd will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria. The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products. NNPC Ltd has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise.
“The NNPC Ltd cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion-dollar stake. As an advocacy group for fair and just treatment, MURIC should have verified the facts before making statements that are entirely flawed and has the potential to incite ordinary Nigerians against the NNPC Ltd.”
“Over the past year, the ICPC has made significant progress in discharging its mandate; for example, we recovered over ₦13 billion in diverted public funds in September 2024 alone. This is just one of the many ways we have worked tirelessly to fulfil our mandate.”
These were the words with which Musa Aliyu, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), summed up the immensity of the work the anti-graft agency has been doing in the country towards dealing with official graft in the Nigerian system.
Though he was not definite on those involved in the various scams from which the moneys were recovered from Aliyu, who made the disclosure during the launch of the commission’s 2024-2028 strategic action plan in Abuja on Wednesday, emphasised that the feat resulted from the relentlessness of the agency towards fulfilling its mandate.
It was also a day the ICPC boss disclosed the body’s new focus on digitalising its operations, which he said will position it as a leader in leveraging technology to combat corruption, adding: “We are also embarking on ICT reforms that will digitalise our operations and enable more efficient investigations, case management, and internal processes.
“This transformation will position the Commission as a leader in leveraging technology to combat corruption, keeping us one step ahead of criminal activities in the digital age. The commission is developing a specialised curriculum aimed at enhancing the enforcement capacity of its personnel.
“This initiative equips our officers with the skills and expertise needed to address the complexities of corruption cases with the highest standards of professionalism and efficiency.
“Additionally, we are decentralising the anti-corruption effort by empowering state governments through the mobilisation of State Attorneys General. This approach ensures that state governments are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and resources necessary to effectively combat corruption at the local level.
“Because we believe prevention is better than cure, we have intensified efforts to identify institutional and administrative vulnerabilities through System Studies and Corruption Risk Assessments. We have also continued to engage with the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), reinforcing our grassroots monitoring mechanisms.”
Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command are combing around to ascertain whether Abayomi Oshoke, a 45-year-old, a resident of Mango Oke-Ata, actually took his own life because he could no longer continue with the present hardship in Nigeria or there are other factors to it.
This was after confirming the incident, which reportedly took place around 6:00am on September in the suburb of Abeokuta, the state capital, through Omolola Odutola, the command’s spokesman, on Tuesday.
Odutola, who confirmed that the deceased consumed an insecticide to end it all due to the hardship he was allegedly facing, explained that his sister, identified as Funmilayo, reported the incident to the Lafenwa Police Division after discovering her brother’s lifeless body in his room, with a bottle of insecticide found beside him.
She said: “A friend of the deceased visited his home and asked to see him. Upon entering the room, he discovered the victim’s body on the floor and raised the alarm after finding that the victim had ingested a mixture of insecticide and herbal concoction.
“He left a note written in Yoruba language, explaining the reasons behind his decision. In the note, he expressed frustration with his life and stated that he felt he had no choice but to end it. A discreet investigation is currently underway.”
António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, has been caught in the web of the ongoing internecine conflict in the Middle East, with Israel, one of the major actors slamming a ban on him, which forbids him from entering their country, for allegedly siding with Iran, another major actor on the opposite side.
Israel Katz, stopping short at calling the UN boss as a collaborator, had declared in a statement via X on Wednesday: “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil. This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers.”
The reaction came hours after Iran fired about 180 missiles into Israel, with Guterres, calling for cessation of hostilities from both sides, saying: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”
Indicating that the statement did not sit well with his country Katz, while declaring the UN boss persona non grata, criticised him for “his anti-Israel policy since the beginning of the war,” marking a fresh chapter in the series of escalations, that saw Israel’s heavy bombardment of parts of Lebanon in what they said was a campaign to flush out Hezbollah, the militant group, with headquarters in Beirut.
Reports say, since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, more than 41,689 people, have been killed in the operation, quoting Hamas-run health ministry.
Katz’s reaction is consistent with the consistent position of Jerusalem against the global body on the conflict, especially on Gaza and the West Bank, particularly on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, with Israel alleging that a number of the agency’s staff members had been involved in the 7 October attacks.
This resulted in the dismissal of nine staff of the UN body, after officials launched investigations on the claim, which saw some of the funders withdrawing their support and later reinstating same, found them culpable of probable guilt.
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