The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has revealed that the Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company (WRPC), with a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day, has resumed operations at 60 per cent capacity in Warri, Delta State.

This update was shared by Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned oil company, during a visit to the facility on Monday.

Addressing his team before commencing the tour, Kyari said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.

Situated in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji areas of Warri, the petrochemical plant has an annual production capacity of 13,000 metric tons of polypropylene and 18,000 metric tons of carbon black. Commissioned in 1978, the WRPC is operated by the NNPC and was established to cater to the markets in Nigeria’s southern and southwestern regions.

Kyari said: “I must congratulate our team for their determination and extreme belief that this company can restart this plant.

“This plant has three stages. We have started stage one which is called Area 1, able to produce AGO (diesel), Kerosene, naphtha and others. These are brands of high-quality products required in the country. We will also be able to export them. This country will make money to meet the promises of Mr president that this country will be an exporter of petroleum products.

“I must put on record the development was as a result of the charge by Mr President that we must get all three refineries to work. It is already happening. We have successfully started the Port Harcourt 65, 000 barrels per day refinery. We have also started the area 1 of the Warri refinery. The other plants that will produce PMS will also come live.

“Warri should be completed by Q1 2024,” Soneye said. This facility is one of three major refineries in Nigeria, alongside the old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State.

This progress follows the recent initiation of crude refining at the old Port Harcourt Refinery.

Tariff review: Telecom operators threaten to shut down services in some parts of Nigeria

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have threatened to shut down their services in some parts of the country next year if their demand for tariff review is not considered by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) stated this in a statement signed by its Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, issued on Monday.

According to Adebayo, the survival of the telecom sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability, adding that tariffs must be reviewed to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services at a minimum for industry sustainability.

“If nothing is done, we might begin to see in the new year grim consequences unfolding, such as Service Shedding; operators may not be able to provide services in some areas and at some times of the day leaving millions disconnected, there will be significant economic Fallout, because businesses will suffer from a lack of connectivity, stalling growth and innovation.

Telecom industry is under heavy burden.

Emphasizing that without the tariff review, operators cannot continue to guarantee service availability, the ALTON Chairman said though the challenges being faced by the telcos are not new, they have become more acute and more threatening with this passing year.

• He noted that rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy costs, the relentless pressure of inflation, and volatile exchange rates, amongst others, have all placed an unsustainable burden on network operators.

Keeping the sector afloat

The ALTON Chairman noted that stakeholders have done their best over the years to sustain the sector by upholding the values and importance of telecommunications in society.

“However, let me be clear: our work is far from over. It is not enough to have kept the sector afloat; we must now focus on securing its future. The sustainability challenges we face today are not just a passing storm—they are a clarion call for decisive action to ensure that this industry thrives for generations to come.

Backstory

Due to the increasing costs, telecom operators in Nigeria have since last year been clamouring for an increase in tariffs.

In a joint statement by the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the operators said the telecom industry is the only industry that has not reviewed its prices despite the rising inflation in the country and other economic realities that warrant increment.

• They blamed this on the regulatory restraints that have been preventing them from pricing appropriately.

• The regulator has said a cost-based study is being conducted to determine if it would approve price increments for the operators.

Nigeria’s refining renaissance and the removal of petrol subsidies delivered key wins in Africa’s biggest oil-producing country this year, though persistent issues like underinvestment and underperforming oil output threatened to undermine the country’s energy sector’s progress.

The 2024 kickoff of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals was almost like a dream in Nigeria’s energy sector as skeptics saw the $20 billion project as fanciful – after waves of state-built refineries had failed to make a dent on Nigeria’s petrol import dependence.

“This is one of the largest refineries that has ever been built, so the pace at which it ramps up is the difference between margins staying good for refiners or deteriorating,” said Dan Evans, head of fuels and refining at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

So far, the plant has shown great promise. In January when it came on stream, it crashed the price of diesel by 38 percent, from N1,600 to N1,000 while petrol price moved from N970 per litre to N899.50 per litre in December as part of measures to provide the much-needed relief for Nigerians ahead of the holiday season.

Growing refining capacity has already tipped Nigeria into becoming a net exporter of jet fuel, naphtha, and fuel oil. Next year, the country could ship almost 50,000 bpd more gasoil from Lagos than it imports, with volumes to almost triple again in 2026, according to Commodity Insights forecasts.

Large volumes of gasoil have flowed to Ghana and other West African countries, while for the first time in history, Nigerian-made jet fuel has found its way to airports ranging from Iceland to Tenerife and London’s Heathrow.

Apart from refining, one of the most impactful changes has been the full removal of fuel subsidies, a policy shift that began in 2023 and is now firmly entrenched.

This decision has freed up billions of dollars for the federal government, alleviating a decade-long fiscal burden.

The subsidy removal has also created a more competitive energy market. Fuel prices now reflect global market trends, attracting private sector investments in the downstream sector.

“We’re finally seeing the market work as it should,” said an analyst with a Lagos-based energy consultancy. “The reforms are paving the way for efficiency and growth.”

Kaduna and Warri refineries have also come back on stream, improving the nation’s refining outlook.

Green lights for divestments

Final Investment Decisions on strategic projects, such as the Bonga North, a deep-water project off the coast of Nigeria and Ubeta oilfield (OML 58) development, are set to boost crude oil output and gas production.

Nigeria also recently approved a $1.3 billion deal that would see a group of local companies purchase Shell’s onshore assets in the country, Nigeria – Africa’s largest crude producer.

This asset sale to one of Africa’s foremost energy companies, Renaissance, exemplifies Nigeria’s wholehearted confidence in its homegrown companies.

Renaissance is a consortium that includes ND Wester Ltd.; Aradel Holdings Plc; Petrolin Group; FIRS Exploration and Petroleum Development Co.; and Waltersmith Group, all leading companies that efficiently operate a diverse mix of oil and gas assets with a focus on socioeconomic impact in Nigeria.

“The African Energy Chamber is supportive of the Nigerian government’s commitment to supporting local companies operating in the oil and gas sector. Nigeria is continuing its focus on becoming a leading force in the global energy market, and this approval is poised to steadily improve the positive impact the industry will have on domestic companies operating in the country,” N J Ayuk, executive chairman of African Energy Chamber, said.

Recall that in October, the government had announced four divestment requests from Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to Seplat Energy Offshore Limited divestment, Equinor Nigeria Energy Company Limited to Project Odinmin Investments Limited, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited to Telema Energies Nigeria Limited, and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited to Oando Petroleum and Natural Gas Company Limited divestment.

Struggling oil production

According to the latest S&P Global Commodity Insights estimates, Africa’s largest oil producer has pumped at an average of 1.5 million bpd so far this year, having seen crude output fall below its estimated 2.2 million bpd capacity due to theft, underinvestment and technical issues at ageing fields.

Nigeria has consistently struggled to produce up to its maximum capacity in recent years and in January saw its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota lowered by some 200,000 bpd after months of underproduction — a symbol of declining African influence within the bloc.

President Bola Tinubu, who campaigned on a promise to reform the country’s oil sector, declared a state of emergency in the industry in June, directing security agencies to go after thieves and vandals in the Niger Delta.

“These measures have directly improved the uptime of the Trans Niger Pipeline in the eastern Niger Delta, and today, all operating companies along the TNP can produce into this major trunkline,” Olu Verheijen, presidential adviser on Energy said November 14 at an industry event.

The oil sector reforms included an improved fiscal framework for producers, she added, including in the deepwater, and were set to attract new investments that would unlock around 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in oil and gas resources.

Data sourced from the National Liquid Hydrocarbon Production reports by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed the country’s oil output increased to 1.485 million barrels per day (bpd).

According to the NUPRC data, output rose by 152,334 bpd in November — a 11.43 percent increase compared to 1,333,322 bpd produced in October.

With the addition of condensate, Nigeria’s oil production increased to 1.69 million bpd in November from 1.53 million barrels in October.

Natural gas

With 209.5 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, Nigeria ranks 9th among gas-rich countries in the world. However, this abundant natural resource remains largely untapped for both domestic use and export.

Since he came into power on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu has shown eagerness to change Nigeria’s energy story using the potential of the country’s gas deposits.

Last May, Tinubu inaugurated three milestone projects, which are the expanded AHL Gas Processing Plant; the ANOH Gas Processing Plant, and the 23.3km ANOH to Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Custody Transfer Metering Station Gas Pipeline.

“When these projects become fully operational, approximately 500MMscf of gas in aggregate will be supplied to the domestic market from these two gas processing plants, which represents over 25 percent incremental growth in gas supply,” Tinubu said at the commissioning.

Barring any last-minute change of plan, councils will begin to get direct allocation from the Federation Account next month.

It will begin with the disbursement of this month’s allocation to the tiers of government, a source told our correspondent at the weekend.

The direct receipt from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) will end the delay in the implementation of the July 11 judgment of the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to councils.

Since the judgment was delivered, the Federal Government has been making an effort to ensure minimal disruption to state/local government operations.

The umbilical cord of the state/local government joint account into which council allocations are paid has been difficult to break because of subtle resistance by governors, many of who are displeased with the Supreme Court judgment.

A member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee established to enforce the Supreme Court judgment told our correspondent that approval has been given for the direct FAAC allocations to LGAs from next month after all the issues were laid to rest.

The source explained that though some councils have been collecting their allocation directly, the process will be fully operational by next month.

The committee member declined a request to name the councils that have been receiving direct allocations.

The source said: “A few LGAs have already started receiving their direct allocations but all of the 774 LGAs will fully start receiving their allocations from January 2025.

“Our committee will reconvene in January to review its progress and finalise measures before the Accountant-General of the Federation issues authorisation for the complete rollout.

“This is a critical juncture in Nigeria’s governance structure.

“Our January 2025 meeting will also address the actions of governors attempting to undermine the autonomy of democratically elected LGA chairmen, deputies, and councillors, ensuring they are not coerced into serving state interests.”

This move is believed to be a critical step in empowering councils to carry out their constitutional responsibilities effectively without undue interference by governors.

The source expressed disappointment with the suspension for two months of democratically elected local government chairmen and deputies by the Edo State House of Assembly, following a petition by Governor Monday Okpebholo accusing them of insubordination for not making available their financial statements as directed.

“It is highly undemocratic for governors to dissolve elected LGAs.

The committee, chaired by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume has as members Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Abubakar Bagudu, Accountant General of the Federation Oluwatoyin Madein, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Chairman Muhammed Shehu and representatives of state governors as well as local governments.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu threw his weight behind the financial independence of councils.

The inter-ministerial committee endorsed the implementation of constitutional provisions that recognise councils as the third tier of government.

Fagbemi had threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against defiant governors who failed to comply with the July 11 Supreme Court judgment.

“Any chairman found guilty of diverting funds will face severe legal consequences.”

Some states have laws seemingly aimed at bypassing the Supreme Court judgment.

The Anambra State House of Assembly, for instance, passed a Local Government Administration Bill mandating LGAs to remit a portion of their allocations into a state-controlled joint account.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo defended the legislation as necessary for transparency and collaboration, but critics, including civil society groups, accused his administration of undermining the spirit and letters of the Supreme Court judgment on financial autonomy for councils.

On the other hand, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly aligned with the Supreme Court ruling by abolishing joint accounts and restructuring its local government system to ensure compliance.

Governor Abdullahi Sule signed the bill, thereby signalling support for grassroots financial independence.

As part of the Supreme Court judgment which mandates councils to be run by democratically elected officials before being qualified to access direct allocation from the Federation Account, all the states have conducted elections which ushered in elected chairmen and councillors.

The Senate also weighed in, urging full compliance with the Supreme Court judgment.

It advocated constitutional amendments to remove ambiguities in Section 162(6) of the 1999 Constitution, which created state/local government joint accounts.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasised the need for a clear framework to enforce local government autonomy effectively.

Immediate past National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Aminu Muazu Maifata yesterday advised council chairmen on how to use direct allocations to them.

‘’I honestly expect them to work towards improving the lives of the people at the grassroots.

Maifata, a one-time chairman of Lafia LGA of Nasarawa State, also enjoined chairmen to tackle insecurity, water shortage, and infrastructure gaps.

He explained that these are the basic needs of the rural population.

The former ALGON boss said: “I don’t expect any chairman to have any difficulty in carrying out their constitutional responsibilities.

“We already set the template when the Supreme Court judgment was delivered and each chairman knows what to do if the resources are available, so I expect them to follow the template we set and deliver good governance to our people at the grassroots.”

“I also expect them to undertake capacity building of the legislative arm and the executive of various local governments across the country.

“These are some of the key areas I expect them to start tackling immediately.”

12,000 Ooni ex-queen’s supporters demand justice as video proves govt aware of funfair

No fewer than 12,000 supporters of Prophetess Naomi Ogunwusi, the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, have demanded justice for her, describing her arrest, arraignment and remand in a custodial facility as unfair.

Naomi was arrested alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, after the stampede at a funfair they organised in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, turned tragic, claiming the lives of 35 children on December 18, 2024.

The prophetess, Hamzat, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan, where the event was held, Fasasi Abdullahi, are currently remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre by Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi of Magistrate’s Court 1, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

The defendants were arraigned on four counts bordering on conspiracy, causing death by negligence, endangering public safety, and failing to provide adequate security and medical facilities at the event.

Naomi, Hamzat, and Abdullahi pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The ex-queen had planned to host 5,000 children, aged 0-13, across Ibadan for free under the aegis of the Women in Need of Guidance and Support Foundation with the funfair.

The programme was scheduled to start at 10 am, while police were expected to be at the venue by 8 am.

Reports indicated that the event was initially planned for 5,000 children, but over 7,500 children showed up.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the stampede occurred as children and their parents attempted to break through the main gate and scale the school fence to enter the venue at all costs.

Naomi and Hamzat have been in custody since the incident turned disastrous.

However, the ex-queen’s supporters continue to call for her release, arguing that she was carrying out a charitable programme to bring smiles to the faces of underprivileged children.

Thousands of Naomi’s supporters signed an online petition to demand fairness in the judicial process concerning her matter.

The petition, which started on Thursday, had gathered 12,000 signatures as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.

The originator of the petition, Yetunde Ola, stated that Naomi’s actions were driven by an earnest intention to alleviate the suffering of hungry children, but she found herself “unfairly entangled in a web of legal accusations that were both disheartening and misplaced.”

“We, the supporters of Queen Naomi, are seeking justice. It is paramount that her court cases are addressed with utmost impartiality and integrity. We must hold our judicial systems accountable for their actions and ensure that they remain transparent, fair and unbiased in their proceedings.

“Our plea is, thus, simple: Give Queen Silekunola Naomi a fair trial, unaffected by bias and calumny. We present this petition to highlight the necessity for a just legal process that respects the evidence and operates in compliance with the principles of justice.

“We reinforce our commitment to stand by Queen Naomi, championing justice, fairness, and truth,” she said.

This was as her mother, Funmilayo Ogunseyi, called on President Bola Tinubu and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in her daughter’s legal troubles.

In an emotional video that has gone viral, Ogunseyi claimed that her daughter’s predicament was orchestrated by “powerful persons.”

“They say her ordeal is an ‘order from above.’ Please, I beg those in power to release her. She is not a killer; she came to help. Naomi is fragile and sick. President Tinubu, I beg you, come to our aid,” she implored.

The sentiments shared by Naomi’s supporters and her mother re-echoed insinuations that the ex-queen was being persecuted with her arrest and remand.

However, the Oyo State Government stated that there was no reason to persecute the prophetess.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said those spreading such insinuations would be unfair if they expected the government to interfere with the judicial process.

He also denied that the government knew about the programme.

He said, “It is a laughable insinuation. What is the motive for victimising the lady? We barely know her name. The government does not know anything about her apart from the normal stuff on social media. We have no relationship with her in any manner. There is no altar of political conflict or anything that looks like it between the Oyo State Government and the woman.

“The government did not officially know anything about her enterprise, what she does, or what she planned to do in Oyo State. We were not formally notified because there is no documentation to show that the government was given notification of what she wanted to do through the normal time-tested processes. So, she remained an unknown quantity and faceless to this administration.

“Are they asking us to meddle with the judiciary? A case was taken to court. Even a government official, the principal of a secondary school, was equally arraigned and detained because 35 of our children died.

“And there are no draconian issues extraneous to a normal course of justice on the ground.

“So, we will advise, therefore, that those who are engaged in such meddlesomeness allow the course of justice to prevail. That is the beauty of democracy. No matter whose ox is gored, for democracy to survive and thrive, justice must take its course.”

However, a video of a meeting between the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Toyin Balogun, and Naomi has surfaced online.

The meeting was held a day before the programme.

In the video, Balogun is seen and heard asking the ex-queen about the programme. After Naomi explained, the commissioner promised to attend the event.

Balogun said, “It is a fantastic intervention, I must say. It’s laudable to have an aspiration to put smiles on the faces of children, particularly the ones I call the special children. You are probably going to have to do this again next year; you are probably going to have to come back.

“On behalf of the Oyo State Government, on behalf of the Ministry of Women Affairs, we will be looking forward to doing something collaborative for both the women and the children in Ibadan, going forward. It is a laudable venture, one we are proud of and happy to be part of.”

The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AOGF) has said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) allegedly misappropriated over N4.4 trillion the interest it charged on the Ways and Means advances it granted to the government.

It said the apex bank treated the Ways and Means advances as if they were a facility from local and foreign lenders and should therefore be asked to refund the over N2.7 trillion to the Federal Government.

The position of the Accountant General is contained in its response to a query from the OAGF on the consolidated financial statement of the Federal Government for the year ended December 31, 2021, submitted to the National Assembly by Auditor General Shaakaar Chira with reference number AuGF/AR.2021/01 and dated July 31, 2024.

The AGF had said in the 2021 audit report that “the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and four other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had overdrawn bank balances amounting to N17.106 trillion without evidence of approval by relevant authorities to support the overdrawn bank accounts”.

Responding to the issue, which formed part of the 50 audit queries, the AGF said: “The CRF negative balance of N17,105,111,709,523.00, as at December 31, 2021, included actual Ways and Means advance of N4.4 trillion taken by government and interest charged on it for the sole use of the CBN as though the Ways and Means was a loan from CBN funds or from any syndicated group of lenders.

“The interest charged on Ways and Means by the CBN was misappropriated by CBN for its sole use, whereas the actual Ways and Means was not a facility from its funds or balance sheet nor was it a syndicated facility from a group of local and foreign lenders. CBN must therefore refund to the Federal Government of Nigeria the interest of N2.73 trillion it cornered for its sole use as of December 31, 2021.”