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NNPCL-Dangote Refineries rift: HOMEF Demands Transparency, Investigation of Claims on Import of Toxic Fuels
NNPCL-Dangote Refineries rift: HOMEF Demands Transparency, Investigation of Claims on Import of Toxic Fuels
By: Michael Mike
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has demanded transparency and an investigation into allegations of importing and foisting ‘dirty’ fuels on Nigerians.
HOMEF, in a statement on Wednesday, advocated this in reaction to the feud between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and Dangote Refineries, noting that the NNPCL’s inability to refine petroleum products has been an enormous shame and embarrassment to the nation.
The statement said over the decades, NNPCL’s poor performance has forced Nigeria into the vice grip of forces of exploitation of colonial proportions, making her the largest exporter of crude oil and, at the same time, the largest importer of refined products of dubious quality.
Executive Director, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, in the statement, noted that the company has epitomised one of the worst that can be imagined of any raw material exporter post- colonial state anywhere in the world.
He explained that while HOMEF acknowledges the high ecological costs of the entire petroleum industry value chain, it regrets that the failure of the comatose NNPC refineries is a critical factor that has allowed toxic bush refineries to proliferate to fill the yawning gaps.
Bassey said: “The importation of refined petroleum products has equally foisted heavy economic pressures on the hapless citizens of Nigeria. The arrival of the Dangote Refinery has its own huge ecological baggage, especially regarding the plight of neighboring communities and the general environment. Besides, there are bigger issues related to the creation and operation of what has come to be known as economic zones of exemption.
“HOMEF is alarmed by the cloudy controversies around the Dangote Refinery. The role of the NNPC in the unfolding disputes highlights the opacity of the sector and the inbuilt boobytraps in the regulatory frameworks under which the sector operates. Nigeria entered the oil refining business shortly after independence, with the first refinery built in Port Harcourt to meet domestic needs and curb overreliance on importation.
“The Nigerian government acquired the refinery by successive increase of shareholding starting at 50% in 1965 and increased to 60% in 1972 and taking up sole ownership by 1978. The name also had a systematic shift from the Nigeria Petroleum Refining Company to NNPC Refinery, Port Harcourt.”
Bassey recalled that three other refineries were set up in response to the growing demand for refined products. They are Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, with 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity and commissioned in 1978; Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, with 110,000 bpd capacity, commissioned in 1980; and the New Port Harcourt Refinery with 150,000 bpd capacity commissioned in 1989. The total installed capacity of all four refineries was 445,000 bpd.
He said: “By the early 1990s, the military government at the time ordered the NNPC to close all its accounts and transfer them to the Central Bank of Nigeria. This arguably marked the beginning of the downward spiral in the performance of the refineries that once served the local petroleum needs and the contributory feedstock needs of other dependent industries.
“Successive “democratic” governments continued to fan the embers of this unproductive but self-serving arrangement, solidifying it with Bills that followed and passed by cronies hooded in different cloaks. The sad realities in the sector include poor governance, poor or non-existent turn around maintenance for the refineries, industrial-scale oil theft, and even the appointments to offices for political control as seen in having serving presidents appointing themselves as Ministers of Petroleum.”
Bassey noted that the conundrum of dependency on exporting raw crude oil and importing refined products, along with corrupt subsidy regimes, remains intractable to date.
According to the environmentalist, the Dangote Refinery’s 650,000 bpd capacity could boost Nigeria’s refining capacity and meet its domestic petroleum needs. He said that the news that Nigeria, through the NNPC Ltd, would have a 20% share in the refinery raised questions, including why the corporation could not focus on making its own refineries work.
He said: “Now we hear that the 20% investment stymied at 7.2% due to the inability of the supposedly profit-making company to meet its financial obligations on schedule. Before the recent closed-door meetings between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Dangote Refineries, there were insinuations and counter-insinuations suggesting an in-fighting. We hear of disputes over the quality of refined products and issues of whether full approvals have been obtained by the private refinery for it to even commence operations.”
Bassey quoted the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) as saying: “The refiners failed in operational approaches because there are operational standards for crude oil supply. These standards go along with international best practices. The local refiners will not put payment instruments in place as expected. They were not also revising delayed vessels at the right time. They will not fix the vessel to pick up the crude at the right time, or they will bring the wrong vessel specifications. These are operational inefficiencies on the part of the local refiners.”
Reacting to the situation, Bassey said: “It is time for the NNPC to come clear on the questions over the quality of products imported petroleum products as well as those coming out of the Dangote Refinery. Nigerians also deserve to know what volume of shares it holds in the refinery.
“The public deserves clarity about what is also going on with regard to subsidies on imported petroleum products since the purported elimination of subsidies provided one of the planks aiding the economic strangulation of the Nigerian peoples.”
Bassey also demanded a participatory social and environmental audit of all the country’s refineries and put in place environmental management plans to ensure the safety of fence-line communities in Lekki, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna.
Also, HOMEF’s Fossil Politics Programme Manager Stephen Oduware said: “If anything is clear, it is that there are huge transparency questions over the sectoral regulatory frameworks and that the artificially created complexities orchestrated by the NNPCL have heaped an avoidable burden on the masses.”
HOMEF called on the federal government to ensure the operations of all its refineries and equally activate an audit of the unfolding crisis.
“The government should also ensure a depoliticization of the petroleum sector. Another important step will be to ensure that the president of Nigeria does not double as the head of the Petroleum Resources Ministry.”
NNPCL-Dangote Refineries rift: HOMEF Demands Transparency, Investigation of Claims on Import of Toxic Fuels
News
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
By: Michael Mike
The Department of State Services (DSS) has recaptured a top commander of the Ansari terrorist group, Abdulazeez Obadaki, believed to have masterminded the August 7, 2012 mass shooting of Christian worshippers at a Deeper Life Bible Church, near Okene, in Kogi State.
At least 19 worshippers, including the pastor were killed, with several others sustaining varying degrees of injuries after three men armed with AK-47 rifles walked into the church and opened fire on the worshippers.
Security sources said Obadaki, who, after the church mass shooting, also masterminded another attack on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, was arrested, but escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at Kuje Custodial Centre.
Security sources disclosed that the suspected terrorist leader confessed to orchestrating the Kuje Custodial centre jailbreak following his transfer from Kabba Custodial Centre in June 2022.
According to the sources, after over three years of being on the run, DSS operatives in a, well-oiled intelligence operation recaptured Obadaki aka Bomboy, on Friday morning.
This arrest comes barely two months after the secret police arraigned five suspects linked to the 2022 Catholic Church attack in Owo, Ondo State.
During the February 2022 daylight bank robberies in Uromi, Edo State, which instilled widespread fear across the region, several policemen and bank customers were killed, while hundreds of millions of Naira was reportedly carted away.
The secret police has, of recent, been recording a chain of successes in the capture of terrorists and criminal elements across the nation, with its new leadership fast-tracking the trial of the arrested suspects.
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has flagged off the distribution of critical agricultural inputs for the 2025/2026 dry season wheat farming.
The distributed inputs include high-yielding wheat seeds, blended fertilisers, tractors, and pesticides.
The event, held on Saturday at the Jere Bowl in Dusuman, Jere Local Government, marked the commencement of the Federal Government’s intervention programme for wheat cultivation in Nigeria.
The initiative is being implemented under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), a flagship programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security designed to empower farmers and reduce the country’s reliance on food imports.
Governor Zulum, while addressing beneficiaries and stakeholders, noted that the programme aligns with his administration’s commitment to revitalising the agricultural sector.
He said, “Here in Borno State, wheat cultivation is not just a programme; it is a transformative initiative. Through targeted investments in irrigation, mechanisation, quality inputs, and extension services, we are equipping farmers to achieve higher yields, enhance productivity, and contribute meaningfully to national output.”
He further stated, “Borno State has achieved remarkable milestones under our people-centred agricultural vision. Our input support programmes have reached tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, resettled households, women, and youth, providing improved seeds, agrochemicals, and agronomic guidance.”
Zulum commended President Tinubu’s food security initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He stated, “Let me begin by acknowledging the steadfast leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, whose Renewed Hope Agenda has continued to champion transformative investments in agriculture across Nigeria.”
Zulum also said, “Mr President’s commitment to food security and national productivity provides the foundation upon which programmes like this are built.”
The governor expressed gratitude to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, noting, “I also express profound appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, His Excellency Senator Abubakar Kyari, for sustaining this national programme and for selecting Borno State as one of the priority locations for scaled wheat production.”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, noted that 16 states will benefit from the NAGS-AP wheat component of the 2025/2026 season.
“Today, the wheat component of the NAG-AP programme covers 16 wheat-producing states of the federation. These are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara,” Sen Kyari said.
According to the minister, “for the current 2025/2026 season, the programme is targeting 80,000 registered farmers with an expected output value of approximately N160b.”
He added, “Out of the 40,000 hectares earmarked for wheat production, the 2025/2026 dry season, 3,000 hectares have been allocated to Borno State, representing 6,000 wheat farmers. This support will be followed by the second phase of the programme, which will promote the cultivation of other priority top value chains across the state.”
Delivering the welcome address, Borno’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engr Bawu Musami, enumerated the achievements of the Zulum administration in the agricultural sector.
The commissioner stated that an ambitious South Sudan irrigation scheme and Baga Folders projects have been activated, with thousands of farmers cultivating a variety of produce.
The occasion was attended by the senator representating Borno Central, Kaka Shehu Lawan; Member Representing Maiduguri at the House of Representatives, Abdulkadir Rahis; that of Marte, Monguno and Nganzai, Engr Bukar Talba.
Other dignitaries include the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi; the Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Engr Abdullahi Askira; the Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe; and other senior government officials.
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has launched the distribution of agricultural inputs under the Nigeria Agricultural Growth and Sustainable Productivity (NAG-SP) Dry Season Wheat Production Programme in Indusuman, Jere Local Government Area, marking another milestone in the state’s pursuit of food security and year-round farming.
Speaking at the event, Governor Zulum applauded the Federal Government for its continuous support toward irrigation development. He noted that Borno State, with its vast arable and irrigable land, especially within the Lake Chad basin, remains one of Nigeria’s most promising agricultural frontiers.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining all-season farming through the provision of essential infrastructure, logistics, modern machinery, improved seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and other inputs required to boost productivity and support farmers across the state.
Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to transform agricultural and food security policies. He emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration places agriculture at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda, with deliberate actions aimed at cutting down food imports and strengthening local production.
Senator Kyari described the rollout of the NAG-SP dry season wheat programme in Borno as a strategic intervention to revive the long-standing irrigation culture across the Lake Chad basin and other farming communities. He added that the distributed inputs would enhance farmers’ resilience and reinforce local food systems.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security, Engr. Bawu Musami, commended the Federal Government for supporting initiatives that boost national food systems. He noted that the expansion of large-scale irrigation farming to complement the rainy season has already improved productivity, enabling farmers in Borno to cultivate and harvest all year.
Musami highlighted Borno’s natural comparative advantage in agriculture, citing its fertile soil and extensive irrigation potential, particularly around the Lake Chad region. He said the state government is actively restoring and upgrading irrigation schemes in communities that previously relied on year-round farming before insurgency-related disrupt
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
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