Nearly 2,000 petrol outlets were shut in Nigeria's northeast to protest against an anti-smuggling operation that targeted some operators, the local head of the petroleum marketers association said on Monday, forcing motorists to buy from the black market.

Dahiru Buba, the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for Adamawa and Taraba states, said petrol stations stopped operations after the Nigeria Customs Service impounded tanker trucks and shut some fuel outlets on suspicion they were smuggling petrol to neighbouring Cameroon.

Black market fuel vendors in Cameroon, Benin and Togo have for years relied on cheap gasoline smuggled from Nigeria.

When Nigeria scrapped a petrol subsidy last year, that black market trade collapsed, but the product has become cheaper again after Nigeria capped the price since June 2023 despite its currency sharply weakening.

Under "Operation Whirlwind", Customs initially impounded some tanker trucks belonging to IPMAN members and released them after the association protested. But more trucks were seized and several fuel stations were shut, forcing fuel station operators to close outlets en-masse in protest, said Buba.

"We wrote to them (Nigeria Customs) again but there were no responses that is why we decided to go on strike," he said, adding that over 1,800 outlets had ceased to operate.

"This is our business and we cannot be quiet when our members are treated this way."

Mangsi Lazarus, Customs spokesperson for Adamawa and Taraba said tanker trucks were seized because they were being used to smuggle petrol.

In Adamawa capital Yola, black market traders quickly took advantage of the shortages to sell petrol for 1,400 naira ($0.9459) a litre, compared to between 650 and 750 naira at the pump.

($1 = 1,480.0000 naira)

Reuters

The recent allegations made by Dangote Refinery against International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Nigerian government demand serious attention. As Nigeria's first private refinery of its magnitude and a potential game-changer for the country's petroleum sector, Dangote's concerns should not be taken lightly.

For decades, Nigeria has grappled with a paradoxical situation: being a major oil producer yet heavily dependent on imported refined products. This has drained the nation's foreign exchange reserves and stunted economic growth. The successful operation of Dangote Refinery could mark a turning point, potentially ending this cycle of dependence and creating substantial economic benefits.

The accusations leveled by Devakumar Edwin, vice-president of oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited, are troubling. Claims that IOCs are deliberately inflating crude oil prices for the refinery and that regulatory bodies are issuing import licenses for substandard products merit thorough investigation. If true, these practices not only threaten the viability of the Dangote Refinery but also undermine Nigeria's broader economic interests.

The government must act swiftly to address these issues. Ensuring fair access to local crude oil for domestic refineries should be a priority. Similarly, regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) must be held accountable for their licensing practices, particularly concerning the importation of potentially harmful petroleum products.

However, while supporting Dangote Refinery is crucial, it's equally important to maintain a balanced perspective. Aliko Dangote, the driving force behind this project, has faced criticism in the past for leveraging government concessions and support to dominate markets, sometimes at the expense of fair competition. As we rally behind this vital infrastructure project, we must also call for ethical business practices that foster a competitive and diverse economic landscape.

The government should strive to create an environment where the Dangote Refinery can thrive without resorting to monopolistic practices or undue advantages. This means implementing transparent policies, ensuring fair access to resources for all players in the sector, and maintaining rigorous oversight to prevent market manipulation.

In conclusion, the success of Dangote Refinery is undoubtedly in Nigeria's national interest. The government must take decisive action to address the concerns raised and provide the necessary support for its operation. Simultaneously, all stakeholders, including Dangote Group, must commit to fair competition and ethical business practices. Only through this balanced approach can Nigeria truly harness the full potential of its oil sector, create a thriving domestic refining industry, and pave the way for sustainable economic growth.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, says it will take decades for the north-west to be free from the menacing security challenge.

The Sultan spoke in Katsina on Monday at the ‘Inaugural north west peace and security summit’.

“What we must do is challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives,” the Sultan said.

“But it will take decades to get out of it if at all we get out of it. We all know the consequences and the problems.

The monarch expressed the readiness of traditional rulers in the region to collaborate with security agencies and northern governors to combat banditry and insurgency.

“I believe that at the end of the summit, proposals to bring insurgency to the barest minimum for people to go about their lives and businesses would be arrived at.”

The event was attended by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari, governors of the seven states in the north-west geopolitical zone, service chiefs, and Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector general of police (IGP).

On February 14, the Sultan said insecurity and poverty were the major issues causing trouble for the people of the north.

He said traditional rulers owe it a duty to Nigerians, who believe in the traditional institution, to bring solutions to the various problems facing the country.

The Cable

Some suspected bandits have killed the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Yusuf Saidu.

This was revealed in a post shared by a senior staff of the university, Mohammed Sajo, on his social media handle on Monday.

Sajo said, “He was attacked and killed by the suspected Bandits today (Monday) on his way to Kaduna from Sokoto State.

“May Allah accept his soul and forgive his sin.

“A man of integrity, religion, dedication and courage,” the post added.

Saidu of Biochemistry, until his death, was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research Innovation and Development Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto.

When our correspondent contacted the Police Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police, Sokoto State Command, Ahmed Rufai, he said the incident happened in Zamfara State, not Sokoto.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the Zamfara State Police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, were not successful as the PPRO did not respond to his phone call and text messages sent to his phone at the time of publication.

Punch

Boko Haram insurgents have abducted Haruna Mshelia, a High Court judge, alongside his wife, driver and police orderly.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday afternoon along the Buratai-Buni-gari road as Mshelia was returning to Maiduguri, where he serves at the Borno State High Court.

Sources reveal that the judge’s vehicle was intercepted by armed men who emerged from the bush, and then barricaded the road.

One of the sources said despite an attempt to manoeuvre and escape, the vehicle was stopped by another group of insurgents. “The abductees were subsequently taken into the Sambisa Forest,” he said.

This road is currently the only link between the southern part of Borno and other parts of the state.

Such incidents are unfortunately common in the area, with the most recent attack before this involving a Boko Haram ambush on military vehicles, resulting in the death of a lieutenant and injuries to other soldiers. The Borno State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of Mshelia, his wife, police orderly and driver.

The police spokesman, Nahum Daso, stated that they received a report from Sani Audu through the Divisional Officer of Biu about the abduction which occurred on June 21, 2024, at about 9am along Biu-Maiduguri Road, specifically at Jiba town.

He said despite no contact with the terrorists yet, the police are implementing all necessary security measures to ensure the successful rescue of the kidnapped individuals.

Netanyahu says he won't agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal

The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza has been cast into doubt after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a “partial” cease-fire deal that would not end the war, comments that sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas.

In an interview broadcast late Sunday on Israeli Channel 14, a conservative, pro-Netanyahu station, the Israeli leader said he was “prepared to make a partial deal — this is no secret — that will return to us some of the people,” referring to the roughly 120 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. “But we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas. I’m not willing to give up on that.”

Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time, as Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over the latest cease-fire proposal, and they could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.

Netanyahu’s comments stood in sharp contrast to the outlines of the dealdetailed late last month by U.S. President Joe Biden, who framed the plan as an Israeli one and which some in Israel refer to as “Netanyahu’s deal.” His remarks could further strain Israel’s ties to the U.S., its top ally, which launched a major diplomatic push for the latest cease-fire proposal.

The three-phased plan would bring about the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But disputes and mistrust persist between Israel and Hamas over how the deal plays out.

Hamas has insisted it will not release the remaining hostages unless there’s a permanent cease-fire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. When Biden announced the latest proposal, he said it included both.

But Netanyahu says Israel is still committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, and ensuring it can never again carry out an Oct. 7-style assault. A full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, where Hamas’ top leadership and much of its forces are still intact, would almost certainly leave the group in control of the territory and able to rearm.

In the interview, Netanyahu said the current phase of fighting is ending, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in what could open up a new war front. But he said that didn’t mean the war in Gaza was over.

On Monday, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant discussed tensions on the border with Lebanon during his trip to Washington with Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden. He echoed Netanyahu’s comments that the war in Gaza is transitioning to a new phase, which could impact other conflicts, including with Hezbollah.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Gallant that it was critical to avoid escalating the conflict in the Middle East and find a resolution that “allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes.”

Israel is close to dismantling the Hamas military brigades in the southern city of Rafah, and maintains “full control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic buffer zone along Gaza’s border with Egypt, Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said. Israel says the corridor is awash with tunnels that Hamas uses to smuggle weapons and other goods. Halevi said Israel’s control over the buffer zone will bring an end to that.

During the initial six-week phase of the proposed cease-fire, the sides are supposed to negotiate an agreement on the second phase, which Biden said would include the release of all remaining living hostages including male soldiers and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza. The temporary cease-fire would become permanent.

Hamas appears concerned that Israel will resume the war once its most vulnerable hostages are returned. And even if it doesn’t, Israel could make demands in that stage of negotiations that were not part of the initial deal and are unacceptable to Hamas — and then resume the war when Hamas refuses them.

Netanyahu’s remarks reinforced that concern. After they were aired, Hamas said they represented “unmistakable confirmation of his rejection” of the U.S.-supported deal, which also received the backing of the United Nations’ Security Council.

In a statement late Sunday after Netanyahu’s lengthy TV interview, the Palestinian militant group said his position was “in contrast” to what the U.S. administration said Israel had approved. The group said its insistence that any deal should include a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip “was an inevitable necessity to block Netanyahu’s attempts of evasion, deception, and perpetuation of aggression and the war of extermination against our people.”

Netanyahu shot back and in a statement from his office said Hamas opposed a deal. He said Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until all 120 hostages are returned.

Hamas welcomed the broad outline of the U.S. plan but proposed what it said were “amendments.” During a visit to the region earlier this month, Blinken said some of Hamas’ demands were “workable” and some were not, without elaborating.

Netanyahu and Hamas both have incentives to keep the devastating war going despite the catastrophic toll it has had on civilians in Gaza and the mounting anger in Israel that the hostages have not been returned and Hamas is not defeated.

The families of hostages have grown increasingly impatient with Netanyahu, seeing his apparent reluctance to move ahead on a deal as tainted by political considerations. A group representing the families condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, which it viewed as an Israeli rejection of the latest cease-fire proposal.

“This is an abandonment of the 120 hostages and a violation of the state’s moral duty toward its citizens,” it said, noting that it held Netanyahu responsible for returning all the captives.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu repeated his claim that a “dramatic drop” in arms shipments from the U.S. was hindering the war effort. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday that he doesn’t understand Netanyahu’s comments and that Biden has delayed only one shipment of heavy bombs over concerns about heavy civilian casualties.

“There are other weapons that we continue to provide Israel as we have done going back years and years, because we are committed to Israel’s security,”Miller told reporters in Washington. “There has been no change in that.”

In its Oct. 7 cross-border assault, Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 people captive, including women, children and older people. Dozens were freed in a temporary cease-fire deal in late November and of the 120 remaining hostages, Israel says about a third are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. It has sparked a humanitarian crisis and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian troops wipe out large Western-supplied armament depot in Ukraine operation

Russian troops destroyed a large Ukrainian army logistics center of Western-supplied armament over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces destroyed a large logistics center of the Ukrainian army accumulating, storing and redistributing armament, including missiles delivered to the Kiev regime by Western countries," the ministry said in a statement.

During the last 24-hour period, Russian troops struck massed enemy manpower and military equipment in 112 areas, it specified.

Ukrainian army loses 220 troops in Kharkov area over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 220 troops, a tank and two artillery guns in battles with Russian forces in the Kharkov area over the past day, the ministry reported.

Russia’s Battlegroup North units "inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 36th marine infantry, 113th territorial defense and 13th National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Volchansk, Bochkovo and Liptsy in the Kharkov Region. They repelled a counterattack by assault groups of the enemy’s 71st jaeger brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Kharkov direction over the past 24 hours amounted to 220 personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, a German-made 155mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer, a 122mm D-30 howitzer and two electronic warfare stations, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 480 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West gained better ground and inflicted roughly 480 casualties on the Ukrainian army over the past day, the ministry reported.

"During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup West units gained better positions and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 14th, 21st, 115th and 116th mechanized brigades in areas near the settlements of Nevskoye and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region and Grigorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 480 personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle, 12 motor vehicles, a German-made 155mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika motorized artillery system, three 122mm D-30 howitzers, a US-made 105mm M119 artillery gun and a 122mm Grad multiple rocket launcher, it specified.

"In addition, an artillery ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army was destroyed," the ministry said.

Kiev loses over 610 troops in Donetsk area over past day

The Ukrainian army lost more than 610 troops, a tank and seven ammunition depots in battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

Russia’s Battlegroup South units improved their frontline positions and inflicted casualties on the Ukrainian army’s 46th airmobile and 79th air assault brigades in areas near the settlements of Konstantinovka and Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the ministry specified.

"The enemy lost more than 610 personnel, a tank, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, four motor vehicles, a US-manufactured 155mm M777 howitzer, a UK-made 155mm FH70 howitzer, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, two 122mm D-30 howitzers and a 122mm Grad multiple rocket launcher. Three electronic warfare stations and seven field ammunition depots were destroyed," the ministry said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy replaces commander of joint forces

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he had replaced the commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Yuri Sodol, after reports surfaced that he had performed badly in the 28-month-old war against Russia.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, gave no reason for the dismissal. He said Sodol had been replaced by Brigadier-General Andriy Hnatov in the post, which involves strategic planning of operations.

Sodol's removal, one of a series of personnel changes, followed publication of a letter by the head of Ukraine's revered Azov regiment, Bohdan Krotevych, in which he alleged that Sodol's actions had led to serious military setbacks.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Krotevych did not identify Sodol by name, but said an unnamed general "has killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general."

"What I do care about is that combat battalion and brigade commanders are put on trial for losing an observation post, but a general is not put on trial for losing regions, dozens of cities and thousands of soldiers," Krotevych wrote.

"All the military personnel now understand who I am talking about because 99 percent of the military hate him for what he does."

The news outlet Ukrainska Pravda, citing a leaked report, said a criminal complaint had been submitted concerning Sodol, who was promoted earlier this year, although it did not identify him. It said Krotevych was willing to testify against him.

Hnatov had served as deputy commander of the southern theatre of operations since 2022 and played a leading role in recapturing much of southern Kherson region from Russian invaders.

In the spring of 2023 he commanded the defence of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, a town that eventually fell to Russian forces after many months of pitched battles.

Krotevych, in a social media post after the president's announcement, described Hnatov as a "very worthy officer".

With Russian forces making gains and slowly advancing through eastern Ukraine in recent months, the military has undergone considerable changes.

The military top commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, was dismissed in February after public differences with Zelenskiy over the conduct of the war.

Even if the feared extremist wave did not quite materialize in the European Parliament election this month, the far right performed well in Italy, Austria, Germany, and especially France. Moreover, its latest gains have come on the heels of major shifts toward far-right parties in Hungary, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden, among others.

In France, the resounding victory for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (previously the National Front) cannot be dismissed as a mere protest vote. The party already controls many local governments, and its success this month has induced President Emmanuel Macron to call early elections – a gamble that could give it a parliamentary majority.

At some level, there is nothing new here. We already knew that democracy was increasingly strained around the world, with intensifying challengesfrom authoritarian parties. Surveys show that a growing share of the population is losing confidence in democratic institutions. Nevertheless, the far right’s inroads with younger voters are particularly worrying. No one can now deny that this latest election was a wake-up call. But unless we understand the root causes of the trend, efforts to protect democracy against institutional collapse and extremism are unlikely to succeed.

The simple explanation for the crisis of democracy across the industrialized world is that the system’s performance has fallen short of what it promised. In the United States, real (inflation-adjusted) incomes at the bottom and the middle of the distribution have hardly increased since 1980, and elected politicians have done little about it. Similarly, in much of Europe, economic growth has been lackluster, especially since 2008. Even if youth unemployment has declined recently, it has long been a major economic issue in France and several other European countries.

The Western model of liberal democracy was supposed to deliver jobs, stability, and high-quality public goods. While it mostly succeeded following World War II, it has fallen short on almost every count since around 1980. Policymakers from both the left and the right continued touting policies designed by experts and administered by highly qualified technocrats. But these not only failed to deliver shared prosperity; they also created the conditions for the 2008 financial crisis, which stripped away any remaining veneer of success. Most voters concluded that politicians cared more about bankers than workers.

My own work with Nicolás Ajzenman, Cevat Giray Aksoy, Martin Fiszbein, and Carlos Molina shows that voters tend to support democratic institutions when they have direct experience of democracies delivering economic growth, noncorrupt government, social and economic stability, public services, and low inequality. It therefore comes as no surprise that a failure to satisfy these conditions would result in a loss of support.

Moreover, even when democratic leaders have focused on policies that would contribute to better living conditions for most of the population, they have not done a good job of communicating effectively with the public. For example, pension reform is obviously needed to put France on a more sustainable growth path, but Macron failed to secure public buy-in for his proposed solution.

Democratic leaders have increasingly lost touch with the population’s deeper concerns. In the French case, this partly reflects Macron’s imperious leadership style. But it also reflects a broader decline of trust in institutions, as well as the role of social media and other communication technologies in promoting polarizing positions (on both the left and the right) and pushing much of the population into ideological echo chambers.

Policymakers and mainstream politicians were also somewhat tone deaf to the kinds of economic and cultural turbulence that large-scale immigration brings. In Europe, a significant share of the population expressed concerns about mass immigration from the Middle East over the past decade, but centrist politicians (particularly center-left leaders) were slow to engage with the issue. That created a big opportunity for fringe anti-immigration parties like the Sweden Democrats and the Dutch Party for Freedom, which have since become formal or informal coalition partners for ruling parties.

The challenges hampering shared prosperity in the industrialized world will become even more of an issue in the age of AI and automation – and this at a time when climate change, pandemics, mass immigration, and various threats to regional and global peace are all growing concerns.

But democracy is still best equipped to deal with these issues. Historical and current evidence make it clear that non-democratic regimes are less responsive to the needs of their population, and less effective at helping disadvantaged citizens. Whatever the Chinese model might promise, the evidence shows that non-democratic regimes ultimately reduce growth in the long term.

Nonetheless, democratic institutions and political leaders will need to make a renewed commitment to building a fair economy. That means prioritizing workers and ordinary citizens over multinationals, banks, and global concerns, and fostering trust in the right kind of technocracy. It will not do to have aloof officials imposing policies in the interest of global companies. To address climate change, unemployment, inequality, AI, and the disruptions of globalization, democracies need to blend expertise with public support.

This will not be easy, because many voters have come to distrust centrist parties. Even though the hard left – as represented by Jean-Luc Mélenchon in France – has greater credibility than mainstream politicians in terms of its commitment to working people and independence from banking and global business interests, it is unclear whether left-wing populist policies would truly deliver the economy that voters want.

This suggests one way forward for centrist parties. They can start with a manifesto that rejects blind allegiance to global business and unregulated globalization, and offers a clear, workable plan for combining economic growth with lower inequality. They also should strike a closer balance between openness and allowing for reasonable limits on migration.

If enough French voters support pro-democracy parties against National Rally in the parliamentary election’s second round, Macron’s gamble may well work. But even if it does, business as usual cannot continue. For democracy to regain the public’s support and trust, it needs to become more pro-worker and egalitarian.

Project Syndicate

As a Gen Zer, company culture was a major deciding factor when I was job searching.
Like many people of my generation, I value a workplace that prioritizes diversity, work/life balance and professional growth. 
So I was surprised to hear hiring expert and entrepreneur Brianna Doe say it may not be smart to ask “What is the company culture like?” in a job interview.
Doe worked in marketing for roughly a decade, started leading hiring interviews seven years ago, and now, as founder of her own agency, Verbatim, will soon be hiring her own full-time staff. Doe says that she hears the question time and time again — and has even asked it herself.
“What I found was that it was just too vague or generic,” she says. “When I would ask that question, I would get the cookie-cutter answers of, ‘We have a great culture’ or ‘We really focus on collaboration.’”
To get a better idea of the culture of a company, ask these questions instead, Doe advises:
• What are the common themes that you find among your highest performers?
• What would the first 30 days look like for the person in this role?
• What are some ways that success will be measured in the first 90 days? In the first year?
Remember you’re not the only one being evaluated in an interview; take the opportunity to evaluate the company, too. By asking smart questions, you’ll get a stronger sense of the values of the hiring manager and the organization. Then, you can better decide if the company is the right fit for you.

CNBC

Devakumar Edwin, vice-president, oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has accused international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria of doing everything to frustrate the survival of Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals.

Edwin said the IOCs are deliberately frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by jerking up crude oil prices above the market price, thereby forcing it to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with its attendant huge costs.

Edwin spoke to journalists at a one-day training programme, organised recently by the Dangote Group.

He also lamented the activity of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in granting licences indiscriminately to marketers to “import dirty refined products into the country”.

“The Federal Government issued 25 licences to build refinery and we are the only one that delivered on promise. In effect, we deserve every support from the Government,” the vice-president said.

“It is good to note that from the start of production, more than 3.5 billion litres, which represents 90 per cent of our production, have been exported. We are calling on the Federal Government and regulators to give us the necessary support in order to create jobs and prosperity for the nation.

“While the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) are trying their best to allocate the crude for us, the IOCs are deliberately and willfully frustrating our efforts to buy the local crude.

“It would be recalled that the NUPRC, recently met with crude oil producers as well as refinery owners in Nigeria, in a bid to ensure full adherence to Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligations (DCSO), as enunciated under section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“It seems that the IOCs’ objective is to ensure that our Petroleum Refinery fails. It is either they are deliberately asking for ridiculous/humongous premium or, they simply state that crude is not available. At some point, we paid $6 over and above the market price.

“This has forced us to reduce our output as well as import crude from countries as far as the US, increasing our cost of production.

“It appears that the objective of the IOCs is to ensure that Nigeria remains a country which exports crude oil and imports refined petroleum products.

“They (IOCs) are keen on exporting the raw materials to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their GDP, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria – thus making us dependent on imported products.”

Edwin further said the strategy of the multinationals has been adopted in every commodity, making Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa face unemployment and poverty, adding that “they create wealth for themselves at our expense”.

“This is exploitation — pure and simple. Unfortunately, the country is also playing into their hands by continuing to issue import licences, at the expense of our economy and at the cost of the health of the Nigerians who are exposed to carcinogenic products,” he added.

“In spite of the fact that we are producing and bringing out diesel into the market, complying with ECOWAS regulations and standards, licences are being issued, in large quantities, to traders who are buying the extremely high sulphur diesel from Russia and dumping it in the Nigerian Market.

“Since the US, EU and UK imposed a Price Cap Scheme from 5th February 2023 on Russian Petroleum Products, a large number of vessels are waiting near Togo with Russian ultra-high sulphur diesel and, they are being purchased and dumped into the Nigerian Market.

“In fact, some of the European countries were so alarmed about the carcinogenic effect of the extra high sulphur diesel being dumped into the Nigerian Market that countries like Belgium and the Netherlands imposed a ban on such fuel being exported from its country, into West Africa, recently.”

Edwin said it is sad that the country is giving import licences for “such dirty diesel to be imported into Nigeria when we have “more than adequate petroleum refining capacity locally.”

‘NMDPRA’S INDISCRIMINATE LICENSING MADE US EXPAND TO FOREIGN MARKETS’

According to the vice-president, the decision of the NMDPRA to grant licences indiscriminately for the importation of dirty diesel and aviation fuel has made the Dangote refinery to expand into foreign markets.

He said the refinery has recently exported diesel and aviation fuel to Europe and other parts of the world because the refinery meets international standards as well as complies with stringent guidelines and regulations to protect the local environment.

“The same industry players fought us for crashing the price of diesel and aviation fuel, but our aim, as I have said earlier, is to grow our economy,” Edwin said.

“Recently, the government of Ghana, through legislation has banned the importation of highly contaminated diesel and PMS into their county. It is regrettable that, in Nigeria, import licences are granted despite knowing that we have the capacity to produce nearly double the amount of products needed in Nigeria and even export the surplus. Since January 2021, ECOWAS regulations have prohibited the import of highly contaminated diesel into the region.”

Edwin appealed to the federal government and the national assembly to urgently intervene for speedy implementation of the PIA and to ensure the interests of Nigeria and Nigerians are protected.

The Cable