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They’ll Never Work Again!’ – Dangote Slams NNPC’s Billion-Dollar Refineries”

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The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has cast serious doubt on the possibility of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries—located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna—ever functioning effectively again, despite consuming over $18 billion in public funds.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking on Thursday while hosting members of the Global CEO Africa group from the Lagos Business School at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote said the government-owned refineries under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had failed to deliver results despite decades of investments.

He revealed that his 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery has already dedicated more than 50% of its output to producing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), a stark contrast to the meagre 22% once achieved by the NNPC-operated refineries.

Recalling past efforts to privatise the refineries, Dangote said he and his team purchased the facilities in January 2007 during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, but were forced to relinquish ownership a few months later when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua took office.

He explained, “We acquired the refineries in January 2007, but had to return them because a change of government occurred. The NNPC managing director at the time told President Yar’Adua that the refineries would work and claimed Obasanjo handed them over to us as a parting gift. Today, those same refineries have swallowed around $18 billion and are still non-functional. Honestly, I doubt very much if they will ever work.”

Dangote likened the federal government’s repeated attempts at turnaround maintenance (TAM) of the obsolete facilities to trying to modernise a 40-year-old car using today’s technology.

“You can change the engine, but the old body won’t handle the new system. That’s the situation with these refineries,” he noted.

His remarks echoed the long-standing criticisms of former President Obasanjo, who has consistently warned that the NNPC was incapable of managing the refineries. Obasanjo revealed that even international oil companies such as Shell declined his request to take over the assets, citing their lack of commercial viability.

According to Obasanjo, Aliko Dangote and other private investors had offered $750 million to acquire the refineries, but the deal was reversed under Yar’Adua. “I told my successor, ‘NNPC cannot do it.’ And I said if you wait too long, even scrap dealers won’t pay $200 million for them,” Obasanjo stated.

The former president accused the NNPC of knowingly mismanaging the refineries to sustain entrenched corruption, insisting, “In any civilised country, the people responsible would be in jail.”

Reinforcing his stance in January 2025, Obasanjo added, “I was told over $2 billion has been wasted on these refineries since we left office, and they still won’t work. If Shell refused to take them, and Dangote is now building from scratch, what does that tell you?”

Obasanjo capped his criticism with a Yoruba proverb: “When a man harvests 100 heaps of yam, but claims he planted 200, he must also harvest 100 lies.”

Public frustration has mounted following the recent re-shutdown of the 60,000 barrels-per-day Port Harcourt refinery—barely six months after the NNPC declared it operational in late 2024. The Warri refinery similarly ceased operations a month after the former Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, commissioned it.

In response, calls for the full privatisation of the refineries have intensified. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) labelled them economic liabilities and urged the federal government to sell them off. Independent refiners also advised that the ageing refineries be scrapped, with proceeds redirected toward building modular refineries.

Despite years of investments, the refineries remain unproductive. In 2021, the federal government approved $1.4 billion for the Port Harcourt refinery’s rehabilitation, while allocating $897 million and $586 million for the Warri and Kaduna refineries, respectively.

Records show that ₦100 billion was spent on refinery rehabilitation in 2021 alone, with ₦8.33 billion disbursed monthly. Between 2013 and 2017, a total of $396.33 million was spent on turnaround maintenance—yet there has been no meaningful output.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited could not be reached for comment. The company has no acting spokesperson, and calls and messages to listed contacts on its official website went unanswered.

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‘Kwankwaso Is More Experienced Than Peter Obi’ – Buhari’s Ex-Aide Declares.

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Ahmad made the assertion in a post on his X handle, maintaining that Kwankwaso’s decision to accept the position of running mate should be seen as an act of political modesty rather than an indication that he is less qualified than Obi.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to the former presidential aide, the relationship between the two politicians should be viewed as one of equals rather than that of a superior and a subordinate.

“To be entirely candid, the political dynamic between Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi ought to be characterised as one of collegiality between peers, rather than a hierarchy of principal and subordinate,” he wrote.

He added, “The choice to assume a deputy role beneath Obi ought to be interpreted as a testament to political modesty.”

Making a case for Kwankwaso’s political experience, Ahmad recalled that the former Kano State governor served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives before Obi became a prominent figure in national politics.

He also noted that Kwankwaso governed Kano State, which he described as Nigeria’s most populous and politically influential state, for two terms and served as a federal minister.

“If we are assessing political experience, Sen. Kwankwaso probably has a longer and more impressive political background than Peter Obi,” Ahmad stated.

In contrast, the former presidential aide argued that Obi’s major public office experience was limited to his tenure as governor of Anambra State.

“Unlike other candidates, Peter Obi was just a former governor of Anambra State,” he wrote.

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‘I Have Stopped Impregnating Women’ – 2Baba Makes Shocking Revelation.

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Nigerian music star Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, has declared that he no longer impregnates women.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The singer made the statement on Saturday during a live performance at Rehab Lounge in Calgary, Canada.

While performing his hit song True Love, 2Baba paused to interact with the audience and playfully asked the women present to identify where his true love was.

He jokingly wondered whether she was standing at the back of the venue or somewhere in front of him before making a remark about his experiences with women.

The award-winning musician told the audience that he had stopped getting women pregnant, adding that he had been making the same confession wherever he performed recently.

He said, “For the purpose of this show, I will pretend like I’ve never seen anything before. Where’s my true love? Is she back there? Is she right here? Is she somewhere here? Where’s my true love? You people shouldn’t put out me for trouble.

“As I said, some ladies they fear to shout. See, everywhere I go these days, I make this confession. As I say, some ladies they fear to shout. I say, I don’t fear to shout. Because I don’t stop to dey give woman belle. Ask anyone, they’ll tell you, I don’t do such thing things again.”

The singer’s comment comes amid public interest in his personal life and relationships.

2Baba was previously married to Nollywood actress Annie Macaulay-Idibia. The couple announced their separation in January 2025 after having two children together.

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NPFL Cracks Down! Abia Warriors, Katsina United, Warri Wolves Hit With Sanctions.

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Abia Warriors were fined ₦3.2 million for failing to provide adequate security as agreed during the pre-match technical meeting ahead of their encounter with Niger Tornadoes.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Abia Warriors were fined ₦3.2 million for failing to provide adequate security as agreed during the pre-match technical meeting ahead of their encounter with Niger Tornadoes.

The Umuahia-based club was also found guilty of an attempt by one of its officials to disrupt the live broadcast of the match by harassing a crew member of the league’s broadcast partner.

As part of the disciplinary measures, Abia Warriors’ multimedia officer, Chidera Favour Igwe, has been suspended from all NPFL match activities for five matches.

Katsina United, meanwhile, were fined ₦2 million for failing to provide adequate and effective security during their home fixture against Plateau United.

The club was also sanctioned for allowing supporters to encroach onto the field of play during the encounter.

Warri Wolves Receive Heaviest Punishment

Warri Wolves have been handed the most severe sanctions following the unruly behaviour of their supporters during Sunday’s Matchday 10 clash against Kano Pillars in Ozoro.

The Seasiders were fined ₦4.2 million and docked three points and three goals from their accumulated tally. The club was also ordered to play its next three home matches behind closed doors.

According to the NPFL, Warri Wolves failed to provide adequate security at the stadium, resulting in an assault on match officials after the final whistle.

The league further disclosed that the second assistant referee sustained a nose injury and was left bleeding during the incident.

The NPFL stated that all three clubs have 48 hours from the date of notification to appeal their respective sanctions in accordance with the league’s disciplinary procedures.

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