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Update: Tinubu welcomes the reopening of the Warri Refinery, strengthening Nigerians’ hope in his administration, says Onanuga

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… Domestic refiners would be forced to reduce Prices – Marketers

Oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority have said the prices of refined petroleum products are to drop further following the commencement of operations at the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited.

Dealers in the downstream oil sector said competition in the space would now be stiffer, as domestic refiners would be forced to reduce prices to get buyers.

They stated this on Monday following the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that the 125,000 barrels per day WRPC in Delta State had commenced operations.

NNPCL also announced plans to begin the export of locally refined products to foreign countries in exchange for foreign currency.

The development comes barely a month after the commencement of operations at the 60,000 barrels per day-old Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State.

During an inspection tour of the facility on Monday, the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, explained that the inspection aimed to show Nigerians the level of work completed so far.

Kyari, addressing a tour team, which included the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, and the NNPC Board Chairman, Pius Akinyelure, noted that the repairs on the facility were not yet 100 per cent complete, but refining operations had commenced and would focus on producing straight-run kerosene, diesel, and naphtha.

However, President Bola Tinubu, in a statement celebrating the milestone, said the facility is operating at 60 per cent, representing 75,000 barrels per day capacity.

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.”

He stated that the restart of the Warri refinery will help the nation become a net exporter of petroleum products, as some of these products will be sent to the international market.

“Secondly, this plant had three stages; we have started plant one, which we call Area One. It’s able to produce AGO (diesel), kerosene, naphtha, and a blend of crude oil. These are high-grade quality products that are required in the country, and we may need to export them. So this will give us cash, this company will make money and the promise of Mr President that this country must be a net exporter of petroleum products is already happening. Some of these products will go into the international market.

“Most importantly, I must put on record that Mr President believes that we can get this to work and get them to start and gave us the charge that we must start all three refineries. It’s already happening; we have started the 60,000 barrels per day refinery, and Area One of the Warri refinery is already working. Other plants that would produce PMS are being streamed and they would also come alive.

“Lastly, the Kaduna refinery is also on stream. We are not going to give you a date, but we would surprise Nigerians as we did the other day, and Kaduna would start operations. We thank Mr President for supporting us all the way through. I must congratulate our team for their determination and extreme belief that this country can restart this plant. This has brought this result in collaboration with our contractors and our entire staff. I would like to thank them and appreciate them for making history and that it’s possible to start a plant that you deliberately shut down. It’s possible and we have proved it,” he added.

The National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mustapha Zarma, said the competition in the downstream oil sector is now going to intensify.

This, he said, is going to force down refined petroleum products’ prices.

He said, “Certainly, there is going to be a further drop in prices once the facility starts pumping out products in large volumes. This is because there is going to be a lot of competition and the market will be driven by market forces at the end of the day.

“We want to commend the efforts of the government and NNPC for making sure that the Warri refinery has started operating, and we encourage them to make sure all three refineries operate. Port Harcourt refinery earlier started operations, now Warri has started and we expect Kaduna to follow.

“With this development, we believe that the market will be driven by a lot of competition. And that competition at the end of the day will bring succour to the common man as a result of the further drop in fuel prices.”

Also, the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Ahmed Farouk, speaking at the tour of the plant, said the new refinery wiould drive down the price of petroleum products in Nigeria.

He added that investors were building modular refineries which would benefit Nigerians.

“We thank God Almighty for yet another milestone. It’s been a very pleasing year 2024. We have seen our plants coming up. Last month, we commissioned the Port Harcourt refinery. Before that, the Dangote refinery was producing. Now we are in Warri refinery Area One, which we understand is producing products like naphtha, fuel oil, and AGO. And by the time the second part of it comes on, it will start producing petrol. We can still blend naphtha for the gasoline but when the other plants come on, it will be producing gasoline directly.

“It is important to note that this achievement is being enjoyed by the Nigerian public. For the first time in more than two decades, we are having the Yuletide without fuel queues and fuel all over the country. This is due to the determination of President Bola Tinubu to push the regulator and NNPC to come onstream.

“Investors are also coming in. We now have modular refineries around the country, and they are producing gasoline and kerosene. We only have to consolidate all of these to reflect on the pricing, which we expect to still come down. The regulator intends that prices should come down with the abundance of products available across the country for the betterment of the consumer,” Farouk said.

The NMDPRA boss continued, “We can see what some people termed as a price war; it’s not a price war but a competition for the market share. Both refineries are coming on and the importation of fuel to supplement whatever we have locally. We would now have the barometer to measure the price, and we believe that the price will still come down. And this is due to the abundance and availability of the product all across the country.

“I must also commend the NNPCL for their determination to ensure that the plants are already on stream and they are already working on the Kaduna refinery. This is an achievement for our country and we should not take it lightly. Our energy security is improving and it would reflect on the economy.”

Also on his part, the Secretary of IPMAN, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, stated that aside from reducing the prices of refined products, the commencement of operations of the Warri refinery would cushion the dollar demand for fuel imports.

He said, “Nigerians are happy and we marketers are too, because I know that with this development, the prices of refined products in Nigeria will continue to go down. Remember the President directed that crude be sold to the Dangote refinery in naira, which was a good sign of hope for the common man.

“As it is now, the demand for dollars to import products will continue to drop and this will positively impact our foreign exchange reserves. So we are happy that the Warri refinery is now on stream, after the commencement of operations at Port Harcourt refinery. We pray that Kaduna will also begin operations soon.

“Once all the refineries begin operations, you can imagine the level of competition that will take place in the downstream oil sector. In a country with five refineries, one by Dangote and four by NNPC, the competition will be heavy and the prices of products will crash.”

NNPCL confirms Warri refinery fire incident
The Warri refinery has been under rehabilitation since 2021 for $898m. Located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji, Warri, the petrochemical plant produces 13,000 metric tonnes per annum of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black.

Inaugurated in 1978 and managed by NNPCL, the WRPC was built to supply markets in the southern and southwestern regions of Nigeria.

The mechanical completion of the facility was initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2024, according to the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

“Warri should be done by Q1 (first quarter) 2024,” Soneye stated.

The WRPC is one of Nigeria’s four refineries, alongside the old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State.

The revamp offers a significant boost to a nation aiming to reduce its dependence on costly fuel imports.

Additional production from the Warri plant moves Africa’s top oil-producing nation closer to becoming self-sufficient in locally consumed refined products following the startup of the giant 650,000-barrels-a-day Dangote refinery in Lagos, which began operations earlier this year.

The coming onstream of the Dangote refinery dragged the price of petrol to N935 per litre after a consistent price surge by the national oil firm.

The development came after intense pricing competition in the nation’s downstream sector, which triggered what some observers tagged a price war between NNPCL and Dangote due to a reduction in the ex-depot price to N899 per litre.

Recently, the NNPCL, in a surprising development, slashed petrol prices by 12 per cent, to the delight of Nigerians and marketers.

While fuel importation has not completely stopped, ramping up domestic production could cut foreign exchange demand by at least 15 per cent, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Speaking further at the tour on Monday, the NNPCL board chairman thanked the refinery staff for their efforts in achieving the milestone.

He also stated that the country would soon stop the importation of refined petroleum products.

He said, “Today is a very happy day for us at the NNPCL for witnessing those milestones where we have proven that we can produce AGO, naphtha, kerosene, and other products. I thank the refinery employees who have joined the management in Warri to get to this point.

“Nigerians are waiting for products that they need, and very soon imported refined petroleum products will be a thing of the past. We will start exporting. More refineries are coming up and they should be encouraged. The more we can build and export it will help the value of our naira. One more time I want to thank our regulatory authority for finding time to be here, the GCEO for his unrelenting efforts to make all our refineries work.”

President Tinubu expressed his profound joy at the re-opening of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company by the NNPCL.

He described the development as “another remarkable achievement in 2024 that has strengthened Nigerians’ hope in his administration.” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement on Monday.

The statement was titled ‘President Tinubu commends NNPCL over the re-opening of Warri refinery.’

“Today, the Warri Refinery returned to operation weeks after NNPC Limited restarted the 60,000 barrels per day at the Port Harcourt Refinery in November.

“With Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company going into operation after several years of inactivity, President Tinubu has once again expressed his administration’s determination to ramp up local refining capacity and make Nigeria a hub for downstream industrial activities in Africa,” the statement read.

The All Progressives Congress-led administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari awarded the contract for the complete rehabilitation and overhaul of the four state-owned refineries.

President Tinubu noted with confidence that with the 125,000 bpd Warri refinery now operating at 60 per cent capacity, his administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security is entirely on course.

He praised the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPCL for working hard to restore Nigeria’s glory and pride as a major oil-producing country.

“The restart of Warri Refinery today brings joy and gladness to me and Nigerians. This will further strengthen the hope and confidence of Nigerians for a greater and better future that we promised.

“This development is a remarkable way to end the year following the feat recorded earlier with the old Port Harcourt Refinery. I am equally happy that NNPC Limited is implementing my directive to restore all four refineries to good working condition.

“I congratulate Mele Kyari and his team at NNPCL for working hard to restore our national pride and make Nigeria a hub for crude oil refining in Africa,” President Tinubu said.

President Tinubu enjoined NNPCL to accelerate repair work on Kaduna Refinery and the 150,000 bpd second refinery in Port Harcourt to consolidate Nigeria’s position as a global energy provider.

WRPC will focus on producing and storing critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene, Automotive Gas Oil and heavy and light Naphtha.

The WRPC located in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria, was commissioned in 1978 as the nation’s first wholly owned refinery.

Originally designed to process 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, it was later upgraded in 1987 to handle 125,000 barrels per day.

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Breaking : TInubu appoints Bashir Ojulari as new CEO group of NNPC and GMD mele kyari get sacked, Says Onanuga

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President Bola Tinubu has sacked the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) including its Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari and board chairman Pius Akinyelure.

The decision, effective April 2, 2025, was announced in a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.

President Tinubu cited the need for enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC as the driving forces behind the decision.

Invoking his powers under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, he reconstituted the board with new leadership aimed at repositioning NNPC Limited for greater productivity and alignment with global best practices.

Kyari was first appointed NNPC chief by former President Muhammadu Buhari but was reappointed in 2023 by President Tinubu.

As part of the overhaul, Bayo Ojulari takes over from Kyari as the new group CEO, while Ahmadu Musa Kida has been appointed as NNPC’s new non-executive chairman, replacing Pius Akinyelure. Also, Adedapo Segun has been confirmed as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO).

In line with the PIA, the president also appointed six non-executive directors from each geopolitical zone.

They include Bello Rabiu representing the north-west, Yusuf Usman from the north-east, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), for the north-central.

Others are Austin Avuru for the south-south, David Ige for the south-west, and Henry Obih for the south-east.

Meanwhile, Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of finance, and Aminu Said Ahmed of the ministry of petroleum resources will represent their respective ministries on the new board.

“This restructuring is aimed at repositioning NNPC Limited for greater productivity and efficiency in line with global best practices. We are taking bold steps to transform the company into a more commercially driven and transparent entity,” the statement reads.

The changes take effect immediately, and the new board has been handed a strategic action plan, which includes a “review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives”.

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Tinubu commended Nandap for her leadership, extends Comptroller-General tenure till 2026, says Onanuga

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, until December 31, 2026.

Nandap, who joined the NIS on October 9, 1989, was appointed as Comptroller-General on March 1, 2024, with an initial tenure set to end on August 31, 2025.

A statement by the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday, said for her leadership, noting improvements in border management, immigration modernisation, and national security under her watch.

“Under her leadership, the Nigeria Immigration Service has witnessed significant advancements in its core mandate, with notable improvements in border management, modernisation of immigration processes and national security measures.

“President Tinubu commended the Comptroller-General for her exemplary leadership and urged her to continue dedicating herself to the Service’s strategic priorities, which align with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement read.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the NIS in safeguarding Nigeria’s borders and ensuring safe and legal migration.

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Update : Fubara ordered bombing of Rivers Assembly, I am not under duress I resigned, Says ex-Rivers HoS Nwaeke

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• Says suspended gov plotted Tinubu’s downfall through pipeline bombings

• ‘Fubara ordered Ehie to pull down Assembly to avert impeachment’

• Nwaeke links Bala Mohammed to sinister plot against President

• Says emergency saved Rivers, Nigeria from major disaster

The immediate past Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, yesterday gave what appears to be yet the most revealing insider’s account of some of the events that culminated in the March 18 suspension of Governor Siminilayi Fubara and the state Assembly for six months.

Nwaeke, who claimed to have been an eyewitness to some of the actions taken by Fubara, spoke of how the suspended governor allegedly plotted the destruction of the State House of Assembly and economic sabotage to ensure the downfall of President Bola Tinubu.

Nwaeke, in a video press conference and a statement, claimed that Fubara masterminded the bombing of the state House of Assembly, using his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie.

Nwaeke was appointed as head of service by Fubara.

He said he was prompted to set the records straight following “the loads of misinformation on print and electronic media.”

He said he was not sacked neither or pressured to resign but resigned “willingly from the depth of my heart.”

He said: ”However, as an insider and a key player in this administration by my position, who worked closely with Siminilayi Fubara, it will be unfair for me to keep silent or not to address some key factors that has affected or will affect our state if we continue on this trajectory.”

He thanked the President for “a swift intervention in Rivers State crisis, especially on the state of emergency that was declared and assented to by the National Assembly.”

He added: “You will recall that when the governor was suspended, as the head of service, I was the next in command. So I am not speaking from outside, I am speaking as an insider.

“If not for the intervention of Mr. President, Nigeria would have faced the worst economic sabotage and Rivers State would have been up in flames.

“First, it all started with the Rivers State House of Assembly where the Governor, Siminilayi Fubara, directed his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the assembly in a way to avert his impeachment.

“That evening, Edison was in Government House with two other boys, including the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA, one Chijioke. I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside.

“I want to tell Rivers people today that the House of Assembly complex in Moscow Road was clearly brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminilayi Fubara, I challenge him to an open confrontation and I will throw more light on it.

“A day after that incident, I almost resigned, but I was very scared because I know the power of a sitting governor and he knew that I am aware of the whole plan and that I am discomforted with the unconscionable act and deliberate posture of innocence and mien of a sheep.”

He also alleged that another attempt was made to “destroy the residential quarters of the House of Assembly members.”

Continuing, he said: “If not for the press conference that was held there by Rivers youths, Rivers elders and National Assembly members, that would have been another barbaric demolition in Rivers State.

“I came to realise that they actually wanted to demolish that second building, because after some weeks, he personally told me that if he knew early, he would have gone to pull down their hall before visiting the residential quarters of the assembly, and that he didn’t actually know that they had such a beautiful hall where they are using now for their sitting.

“I was shocked and I asked myself how could a man that wants to lead his people be destroying his state assets and wasting public funds on a needless ego fight.”

Nwaeke appealed to critics of the declaration of emergency rule by President Tinubu to retract their statements, saying without the urgent intervention, a lot of things would have gone wrong in the state.

Such critics, according to him, ”are only seeing the surface. If the President did not take proactive step, no one knows who would have been affected by the sinister plans that were cooking.”

He asked the President “not to give up on Rivers State affairs because a lot is going on there with Governor Fubara.”

He said one of the factors that “got me removed was when Governor Fubara told me that they would use the Ijaw to decide who would become the next president of Nigeria, and I asked him how will that work? Is it by votes or by what means?”

On alleged plan to shoot down the second term of President Tinubu, Nwaeke said: “He clearly told me that he is the chief security officer of Rivers State and his brother is in charge of Bayelsa State, and all the pipelines are under their care; that at the appropriate time, they would tell the boys what to do, and fund was not an issue.

“That was why when he made that statement in his public function that “I will tell the boys what to do at the appropriate time” I knew something was up and perhaps the time was near.

“He boasted to be the ‘David that will bring down the Goliath of Rivers State.’ That he has the backing of the cream-de-la cream in the state.

“The plan was to start from non-Ijaw speaking areas to destroy oil facilities to remove attention from the Ijaw and make it have a statewide look. The Ogoni, Oyibo, Ahoda areas were to be bombed first before the Ijaw zones. This would have brought down the government of President Tinubu and usher in a new President from the coalition of political parties with a Vice President from the Ijaw.

“The media was to be captured by paying heavily for airtime and retaining the social media influencers and known social critics on their payroll.

“I am not unaware of what this revelation means, but I am doing this to free my conscience and warn those innocent persons that are used to sway public sentiment that there is more than meets the eye in the Rivers matter.

“Sometimes I slept over in Government House. But I started being uncomfortable when Governor Bala Mohammed and some other stakeholders started nocturnal visits to Rivers State.

“I recall after one of such visits he told me that he would support Bala Mohammed or any other northerner for president; that discussions were ongoing.

“Although I was not bothered about whom he supports, I was more concerned about the quantum of state resources that he releases to these visitors at each visit.”

Nwaeke asked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call their Rivers labour leaders to order to avoid politicising labour in the state.

He said he was privy to several private meetings between the governor and labour leaders in the state and the largesse that accompanied each meeting to compromise the Labour Union.

“More worrisome is several meetings between the governor, his chief of staff and some militant leaders. The details of which meetings I was not privy to since I was not allowed into the meetings.

“However, each meeting ended with huge sums of money paid to attendees.”

He said Rivers people and the generality of Nigerians are “the beneficiary of the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State and not Governor Fubara or Minister Wike.”

He stressed the need for the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), to “step up his guards and be very vigilant, because I am aware of the sinister arrangement and dastardly plans to continue to hatch their plans if not put in check.”

He said: “This accounts for the organised media condemnations and seeming public outcry against Mr. President and National Assembly.

“Those who love democracy and humanity will always protect humanity and democracy. Mr. President, you have just protected democracy and humanity in Rivers State. I can now sleep with my conscience clear.”

Wike slams NBA for ‘hypocrisy’ on state of emergency

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike yesterday faulted the Nigeria Bar Association’s (NBA) stance that the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers by President Bola Tinubu was unconstitutional and illegal.

Wike alleged that the NBA discredited Tinubu’s decision because the Rivers Government had promised to host its annual general conference.

The minister stated this when officials of the Body of Benchers, led by its Chairman, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), visited him in Abuja.

He added that the association did not support the declaration of the state of emergency because there would be no money to give to the NBA for the conference.

“What kind of hypocrisy is this?” he queried.

The minister called on the Body of Benchers to call the NBA to order over the association’s unnecessary criticism of the judiciary.

He said that the body should not sit and watch, while the NBA and its members destroy the legal profession.

He said that some of the members of NBA, often without reading a judgement, go on national television to condemn the judgment and criticise the judges.

He said that such actions have continued with no sanction.

“If you don’t discipline somebody, nobody will learn any lesson.

“We shall no longer allow our profession to be pulled down. I cannot believe, as a lawyer, that you make a contribution to help the legal profession, and you will be criticised by your fellow lawyers.

“Sir, time has come that we need to say look, enough is enough. We cannot continue to discourage our judges and justices. It is not done anywhere.

“I have never seen where members of a profession are the ones that are bent on bringing the profession down,” he said.

The minister also accused the NBA of describing any support rendered by the executive arm of government to the judicial arm as a bribe.

Wike recalled that when NBA was building its National Secretariat, the leadership wrote to the executive for support, adding that nobody saw that as a bribe.

“I was the only one who contributed to the NBA to build the National Secretariat. The NBA didn’t see it as a bribe.

“When you contribute to the Body of Benchers, it is a bribe, but when you contribute to NBA, it is not a bribe, they will take it.

“The same NBA will rely on state governments to sponsor their activities, but when the state government supports the judiciary it is bribery,” he added.

Wike said that the constant taunting of judges and justices had made them to avoid attending social gatherings or going to church or mosque for fear of molestation.

He added that judges could no longer shake people’s hands freely because lawyers would accuse them of collecting bribes.

“It has gotten to the stage that our Judges are so scared of going to a mosque or church or even greeting somebody they know because of fear of bribery.

“They run away from shaking people’s hands because they will start accusing them of collecting bride. This must stop,” he said

The immediate past Rivers Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has denied claims by his wife, Florence, that he was kidnapped and under duress.

Nwaeke, who recently released chilling allegations against suspended Governor Siminalayi, said contrary to his wife’s emotional outbursts, he was safe in Abuja.

He disclosed that he went to Abuja to voluntarily report himself to security agencies over the ongoing crisis in Rivers State.

The former HoS spoke in a trending video released early hours of Saturday.

He insisted thatwife’s claim was false and suggested that she had been misled and given a script to read.

He said: “I am in Transcorp Abuja. I arrived this morning from Port Harcourt to meet security agencies and report myself, as well as the troubling events happening in Rivers State. I resigned as Head of Service on Monday because of these developments”.

Addressing his wife, he said: “I just saw a video of my wife trending. She was told I had been kidnapped and given a script to read. I want to make it clear—I am not kidnapped. I am in Abuja, working.

“When I was Head of Service, my wife was not involved in my official duties. That script she read is null and void. I am safe and sound. I will report myself to the appropriate security agencies because Abuja houses their headquarters, and I feel safer making my report here.”

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