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Newly promoted Barau FC suffered their fifth defeat of the season as they featured prominently among teams that endured painful losses on the road in the Nigeria Premier League (NPFL) week 10 matches played on Sunday.

After back-to-back losses, Barau FC enjoyed a momentary reprieve with a fightback 2-1 home victory over city rivals Kano Pillars last weekend but yesterday, they were beaten 0-2 by Abia Warriors in Umuahia.

Two first half goals by Chukwuemeka Chioma and Sunday Megwo were enough to give Abia Warriors victory over the club founded and sponsored by the Deputy President of Senate of Nigeria, Senator Barau I. Jibrin.

In Jos, Enyimba who suffered an embarrassing home defeat last week to newcomers Kun Khalifat, lost again 2-1 to struggling Plateau United courtesy of a brace by Gideon Monday who scored in the 50th and 75th minute.

At the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Wikki Tourists returned to winning ways with a convincing 2-0 victory over 3SC.

Usman Abdullahi opened the scoring for the ‘Bauchi Elephants’ in the 30th minute and Jephtaph Mairiga doubled the lead in the sixth minute of first half added time.

The visitors fought hard to reduce the deficit but the hosts held on to the lead for their third victory of the season.

Elsewhere, 10-man Kwara United forced Enugu Rangers to a goalless draw at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, while Coach Kennedy Boboye began life as Bendel Insurance’s new manager with a 1-1 draw at newly promoted side Kun Khalifat.

Kayode Oke Solomon put Insurance ahead as early as the second minute and the visitors held on to the lead till the 72nd minute when the hosts found the much needed equaliser.

In Warri, Wolves added to Bayelsa United’s misery as they won 2-0 to move to fourth on the table with 17 points from 10 matches.

Evwiehurhoma Igbunu’s brace in the 16th and fourth minute of second half added time secured the maximum points for Warri Wolves in the keenly contested week 10 fixture.

Meanwhile, Kano Pillars’ miserable run continued with another home defeat to Niger Tornadoes who edged them 2-0 on Saturday at their adopted ground Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina.

Arsenal stretched their Premier League lead to four points as Eberechi Eze’s goal beat his former club Crystal Palace 1-0, while Manchester City lost 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday.

Bournemouth are now the Gunners’ closest challengers in second after they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.

After Liverpool’s latest defeat to Brentford on Saturday, Arsenal enjoyed the perfect weekend as both their title rivals fell further behind as they go from strength to strength.

Eze left the Eagles to join Arsenal in a £60-million deal in August and his first Premier League goal was decisive as Mikel Arteta’s men were again able to lean on their set-piece prowess and a solid defence.

The England international blasted in on the volley after Palace failed to clear Declan Rice’s free-kick six minutes before halftime.

Arsenal again failed to hit top gear going forward, but didn’t need to as they kept a 10th clean sheet in 13 games in all competitions this season.

The only concern for Arteta was the sight of Rice and William Saliba having to be replaced in the second half due to injury.

Arsenal now lead fourth-placed City by six points and have a seven-point cushion over Liverpool in sixth.

City appeared to be emerging as Arsenal’s biggest obstacle in the title race after a nine-game unbeaten run.

But Pep Guardiola’s men lost at Villa Park for the third consecutive season as Erling Haaland’s 12-game scoring streak came to an end.

Matty Cash’s stunning strike from outside the box on 19 minutes secured a fourth consecutive league win for Villa as Unai Emery’s men climb to seventh.

The Federal Government has announced a central price for all the houses under its Renewed Housing Scheme.

The government over the weekend stated that the prices across the country now stand at N8.5 million for a one-bedroom semi-detached bungalow, N11.5 million for a two-bedroom semi-detached bungalow and N12.5 million for a three-bedroom semi-detached bungalow.

The adoption of uniform selling prices aimed at promoting affordability, transparency, and fairness

Also, it will ensure that Nigerians across all regions have equal opportunities to benefit from the Renewed Hope Housing Programme.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, said that ‘priority in the allocation of the housing units will be given to low- and middle-income earners, civil servants at all levels of government, employees in the organised private sector with verifiable sources of income, and Nigerians in the Diaspora who wish to own homes in the country,’

The Ministry further announced that the sale of the completed housing units across the northern and southern regions will soon commence and encouraged the public to be part of it.

On payment options, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, explained that several payment options have been provided to make the houses affordable and flexible. These include outright (full) payment, mortgage, rent-to-own scheme, and instalment payment plans. This according to him is to enhance affordability and ensure fairness for qualified Nigerians

‘Renewed Hope housing projects is a Federal Government housing initiative under President Bola Tinubu to provide affordable housing across the country. The programme includes large-scale ‘Renewed Hope Cities’ in each geopolitical zone and ‘Renewed Hope Estates’ in 30 states, with a total target of 34,500 units across the nation. Financing options like mortgages, rent-to-own, and public rental are available, and a new online portal jas been launched to facilitate the process,’ he said.

The Nigeria Wrestling Federation has elected the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, as its president for the next four years.

CG Adeniyi was elected unopposed over the weekend by the 14 board members at the Gymnasium Hall, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

In a related development, North Central Representative Chris Amkpila, re-elected as the vice president of the sports federation.

Reacting to the outcome of the election, the newly elected NWF President, Adeniyi, expressed gratitude for the trust reposed in him to lead one of Nigeria’s ‘most vibrant sports federations.’

The Customs boss pledged his commitment to expanding the reach of wrestling through stronger sponsorships and inclusive administration.

He said: ‘I want to sincerely thank the NSC for conducting a hitch-free and transparent election. The process was smooth and peaceful, which is the real essence of sports beyond competition, fostering peaceful coexistence among diverse races and cultures.

‘Also, my appreciation to all wrestling stakeholders for providing me with a great opportunity to lead the sport we all love,’ CG Adeniyi noted.

Other elected board members are: vice president – Chris Amkpila, Secretary General – Oluwasegun Bode Ademisoro, South South Rep- Daniel Igali, North East Rep – Alhaji Mustapha Bura, North West Rep- Alhaji Habib Abubakar Umar, South East Rep – Clement Ejim, and South West Rep – Akuh Purity

Others are; Technical Rep – Happiness Burutu, Athletes Rep – Blessing Oborodudu, NAPHER-SD Rep – Dr Okou Femedein Timipre, NAWIS Rep – Mrs. Adejoke Adebusoye, AFFAN Rep- Mrs Margaret Porbeni, Sponsor Rep- Mrs Amaka Asiofu, and Oluwasegun Bode Ademisoro.

Stakeholders from academia, the private sector, and the media are set to converge at OPay’s maiden empowerment conference.

The conference tagged: ‘Empowering Futures’ is scheduled to hold October 31 in Lagos.

The financial institution in a statement described the conference as a convergence for reflection on the milestones achieved in the past year and discuss how greater collaboration can amplify the impact of social investments in Nigeria.

‘Since its inception, OPay’s N1.2 billion Scholarship Programme has become a cornerstone of the company’s corporate social responsibility vision,’ the statement read.

The firm highlighted the impact of the N1.2 billion Scholarship Programme, saying 20 tertiary institutions nationwide have been onboarded enabling hundreds of students across all six geopolitical zones to access financial assistance for tuition, accommodation, and essential study materials.

It added that the firm’s CyberLab Initiative would be unveiled during the conference.

‘This inaugural edition of the Empowering Futures Conference will not only celebrate this progress but also mark the official unveiling of the OPay CyberLab Initiative – a forward-looking project aimed at advancing digital literacy and innovation across Nigeria’s higher institutions.

‘This edition will also spotlight the Graduate Recruitment Initiative, which connects top graduates with job opportunities within OPay’s ecosystem,’ the statement said.

Elizabeth Wang, Chief Commercial Officer at OPay, said the programmes reflect the firm’s broader mission to empower the next generation with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in a digital economy.

‘At OPay, our belief is simple – access to quality education and technology creates lasting change.

‘Through the Scholarship Programme, Graduate Recruitment, and now the CyberLab Initiative, we’re helping young Nigerians turn potential into purpose. The Empowering Futures Conference is our way of celebrating these strides and inspiring even greater collaboration for national impact,’ she said.

President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has announced the expansion of his refinery’s daily production capacity from 650,000 per barrels to 1.4million bpd.

Dangote, flanked by his friend and foremost entrepreneur, Femi Otedola, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.

He said the expansion drive when completed will make the refinery the world’s largest, surpassing India’s Jamnagar Refinery with a capacity of 1.24m bpd.

Dangote said the expansion process will take three years to complete.

He said, ‘The key announcement is that we are expanding the Dangote Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4m barrels per day.

‘This will make it the largest refinery in the world ever.

‘This expansion reflects our confidence in Nigeria’s future, our belief in Africa’s potential and our commitment to building energy independence for our continent and the world.’

With the expansion, he said the refinery will require 65,000 workers during the construction process.

Dangote added that the refinery would also ramp up its power generation from 500MW to 1,000 MW capacity.

Dangote noted that the refinery would be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2026, in order to give Nigerians the opportunity to be shareholders.

‘That’s a step towards broader ownership and market transparency. We want to give all Nigerians the opportunity of owning parts of the refinery.

‘You can buy as many shares as you can. Therefore, we are making sure that this refinery belongs to all Nigerians. I think it’s right time to put in your savings and join us in this journey.

‘Our long term goal remains clear – to build Africa’s leading integrated energy and petrochemical hub, the first of its kind on the continent,’ he said.

Dangote added that the project will be financed through cash flow, ‘and we also have one or two strategic investors.’

Polypropylene production climbs 2.4 mm metric tonne per annum

Dangote also disclosed that with the expansion, the polypropylene production will move up from 900,000 metric tonnes to 2.4m annually.

He also said the drive will take the refinery transitions from producing Euro V to Euro VI fuel standards, meeting the highest global environmental benchmarks.

‘We will also be expanding our Polypropylene production from 900,000 metric tonne to 2.4 mm metric tonne per annum this will further enrich the production of linear alkylbenzene, a key ingredient for the production of detergent, and additional production of base oils.

‘With this expansion, the refinery transitions from producing Euro V to Euro VI fuel standards, meeting the highest global environmental benchmarks.

‘Expands power generation capacity, ensuring full operational self-sufficiency,’ Dangote said.

He added that ‘Over 85% of our workforce will be Nigerian, with ongoing investment in skills and technology transfer.

‘We remain committed to safety, sustainability, and local participation at every stage of this expansion.

‘Our goal has never been just to refine oil, but to refine opportunities for our people,’ he added

‘Crude supply shouldn’t be an issue’

Responding to questions on the challenge of crude oil supply in view of the expansion, he said such shouldn’t be an issue.

‘All that’s happening right now, we are exporting the crude which is being produced in the African continent and importing finished products.

‘For once, at least we have something that we are refining. We can also send poverty to them and create jobs where we are.

‘Crude supply shouldn’t be an issue. We have already worked out our numbers and I think we are good.’

.Challenges DAPPMAN to take over existing refinery

Speaking further, Dangote challenged the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, (DAPPMAN) to take over some of the existing refineries in the country in order to curb reliance on importation.

He said, ‘Talking about monopoly. you have a group like DAPPMAN. They should go and buy some of the refineries. If they’re not for sale, then they should actually go and start their own refinery. ‘It’s better when you are playing football, it is better if everybody plays football, not that some people will be playing football, but somebody will be playing cricket.

‘So, I think it is far better for other people to go and buy so we will not be the only one supporting Mr. President’s policy.

‘The president has been supporting the sector to refine all our crude into petroleum products, and I think other people too should take the opportunity.’

.Commends Tinubu’s policies

He expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the Federal Government for supporting industrialisation policies such as Nigeria’s First, Naira-for-Crude, and the One-Stop Shop initiatives, which he said have emboldened investors to take on transformative projects.

He also commended the government’s intervention in mediating recent disruptions at the refinery linked to union activity and sabotage attempts, calling it a demonstration of effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Despite not yet recouping the initial investment in the 650,000 bpd phase, Dangote said the group is focused on long-term transformation rather than short-term returns.

‘Refining is a long-term project. We are expanding because we believe in Africa,’ he said, adding, ‘Without this refinery, Nigeria would still be buying dollars at ridiculous rates and depleting our reserves to import fuel.’

He emphasised that Nigeria’s pump price remains among the lowest in the region despite the refinery’s production of higher-quality, cleaner fuels that have reduced toxic dumping in the country.

Dangote emphasised that the refinery has already made a difference by stabilising local fuel supply, helping to strengthen the naira, and preventing capital flight.

‘Nigerians today buy petrol at roughly half the price of what our neighbours pay, and it is even cheaper than in Saudi Arabia,’ he noted. ‘Our product is of higher quality, meeting Euro VI standards, and it has significantly reduced the dumping of toxic fuel into our market.’

Marketers, stakeholders welcome expansion

Speaking with one of our correspondents, President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi welcomed the expansion of the refinery by Dangote, saying it would ensure product availability.

Describing the coming of Dangote Refinery as a blessing for Nigeria, he said importation of refined products should have stopped by now.

He said, ‘Now we have seen the benefits of the refinery, all Nigerians are seeing the benefits. It is a good thing that he is expanding the refinery. If not because of the desperation of some people, with what Dangote Refinery has been doing, we should have stopped importation.

A major marketer said, ‘It would be one of the biggest in the world. It means he will produce more than Nigeria needs, so he has to be competitive with other global refineries.’

On his part, Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Economics, Wumi O. Iledare, said the new capacity of the Dangote Refinery, if managed efficiently, can generate true economies of scale by lowering unit costs, deepening regional trade, and enhancing foreign-exchange stability.

He, however, said without strong governance and regulatory discipline, the same scale advantage can quickly turn into diseconomies and market dominance.

‘With no import backstop, there is a genuine risk of absolute monopoly power, where price and supply decisions become concentrated in one entity. To avoid that, the government must sustain transparent regulatory oversight, maintain import-parity benchmarks, and encourage other refineries to operate competitively.’

He added that in the long run, the test of the expansion will not be size, but efficiency, transparency, and shared value creation.

‘Scale must serve society – not control it. When scale breeds dominance, governance must breed fairness.’

Speaking with Daily Trust, Prof. Dayo Ayoade, Energy Law expert at the University of Lagos, said, ‘Of course, if they can produce more, fine for them, they can make a lot more money. But also, it means that they would have to find crude oil in substantial numbers from what they currently do.’

He added that the crude oil may not come from Nigeria and the refinery will have to do a lot more imports of US crude oil or crude oil from all over the world.

‘And that would be a very big cost for Dangote refinery. Other implications have to do with the technical aspect as the capacity to take on board this huge number of cargoes, capacity to produce the various products from the crude oil and then sell and market those products on international markets, whether it’s jet fuel, whether it’s diesel, whether it’s petrol, kerosene or what have you. So, it’s a lot to do. As to whether we should continue to import, we may have to continue to import because of energy security.’

The Adamawa State Government has raised concern over the worsening crisis of malnutrition and poverty across the state, blaming the situation on the lingering effects of conflict and climate vulnerability that continue to strain local livelihoods.

Dr. Bayeso Ibrahim, Acting Director of Agricultural Services at the State Ministry of Agriculture, disclosed this to journalists in Tashan Turmi during a dry-season farming input intervention programme organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) for women in displaced communities.

Dr. Ibrahim described the economic distress as acute and alarming.

‘We have a challenge that has to do with malnutrition and livelihood because when we look at the multidimensional poverty rate in this region, it’s second only to the North-West,’ he said.

He explained that the root causes of the crisis include the cumulative effects of insurgency, recurring communal conflicts, and the impact of climate change – such as floods, droughts, and dry spells – which continue to undermine farm productivity.

According to him, the region’s heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture is no longer sustainable under the prevailing environmental conditions.

He commended the JRS intervention, funded by Caritas Canada, describing it as a vital effort to strengthen local coping mechanisms.

The project, which trained 300 female farmers in dry-season cultivation and water management, aims to improve the production of essential crops – particularly vegetables – after the main harvest season.

Dr. Ibrahim said the initiative would help ease livelihood pressures by increasing family incomes and improving access to nutritious, readily available food.

Speaking further, Innocent Emmanuel, Project Director of JRS Adamawa, said the initiative was designed as a direct response to the humanitarian challenges arising from the prolonged crisis in the North-East.

He explained that empowering women, who often bear the greatest burden of supporting households, remains central to the programme’s goals.

Some beneficiaries, including Rebecca Danjuma and Amina Sa’ad, said they had been trained by JRS on dry-season farming and had successfully applied the techniques, leading to improved yields and better livelihoods.

‘JRS is not only supplying inputs but also training farmers in seed multiplication and modern farming methods to ensure the long-term sustainability and spread of improved seed varieties across communities,’ Dr. Ibrahim added.

The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has elected a new chairman alongside 38 other executive members.

Raymond Dabo emerged chairman of the party in the state at the congress held at the weekend in Jos which drew delegates from the 17 local government areas of the state.

Chairman of the Electoral Committee, David Embughadu, who declared Raymond Dabo as the winner said he scored 2,162 votes.

Similarly, Gyang Tanko emerged deputy chairman with 2,102 votes, while Michael Dachom was elected the secretary and Felix Choji publicity secretary.

The new chairman in his acceptance speech pledged to be transparent, and run an all-inclusive and reconciliatory administration.

He said his executive would embark on a statewide reconciliation and engage party leaders and members across all wards and local government areas.

In his remarks, the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, tasked the new executives to work towards leading the party to victory in the 2027 general elections.

He asked the new officials of the party to unite members, resolve all existing grievances, as well as the ones that may arise in the future.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attended the congress where elected officials were immediately sworn in.

Farmers and the federal government have disagreed over the recent drop in prices of food items across the country.

Many of the farmers and their associations, who spoke to Daily Trust, cited what they described as massive importation of food items recently approved by the government as the cause of the price crash.

But the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, attributed the development to the various incentives introduced by the present administration to boost local production.

This is just as farmers have also expressed worries over the soaring cost of agricultural inputs which, according to them, is making food production increasingly difficult.

They told Daily Trust that they had held on to old stock, hoping to sell at higher prices to cushion earlier losses.

The government had, in September 2024, opened a 150-day duty-free window for the import of essential grains such as rice, maize, sorghum and wheat.

The July-December 2024 waiver was aimed at reducing the prices of essential food to provide relief to millions of Nigerians struggling with high living costs.

However, the import, which continued until January 2025, forced the prices of major grains, including wheat, millet, sorghum rice and maize, to plummet below production cost.

As a result of this, a large number of farmers who made significant financial investments in the production of grains are still losing money, and some of them are still trapped with old stock.

However, the minister, Abdullahi, said the government had yet to release the food items it imported. Answering questions from journalists during the World Food Day celebrations in Abuja, he said the government was aware of the impact of the drop in food prices and that it was working to mitigate it.

‘We are fully aware of some of these dynamics, but let me make it very clear that, of course, we are looking at food security for our citizens, that is the overall interest of government. And if food is available, accessible, but not affordable, whoever is involved in the non-affordability will tell you it’s not food secure. Yet, we want an economy and a country where everybody is inclusively included in whatever we are doing.

‘No one is left behind. So, what the government is doing is, ever since we came on board, we did not hide our intention to see that the prices of food come down to a level that is affordable.

‘Now, what has happened is that from 2023, we went into massive production through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket Programme. We injected a large volume, almost more than 500,000 metric tons of wheat, including maize, cassava, and all the other commodities that we promoted.

‘This year, we also have a marginal increase, which means we are ramping up production. Now, the volume of food that is produced is responsible for the drop in prices,’ he explained.

But farmers insisted that a simple visit to markets across the country would confirm the influx of imported food items, including other things like starch and ginger that were not among things approved.

And like in the states, price of foodstuffs, especially local rice, beans, guinea-corn, maize, millet, cassava flour, yam, and garri, has further crashed by up to 50 per cent in various rural markets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Five teenagers have died in a boat mishap on the Nafada River in Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State.

The tragic incident occurred on Saturday when a boat ferrying passengers across the river to a village market capsized, throwing the passengers into the water.

The victims were identified as Najib Ibrahim (18), Hauwa’u Jidda Adamu Siddi Dogal (15), Ummati Haruna Baraya (16), Umaira Gidado (16), and Amina Jaliya (15).

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, describing it as heartbreaking and painful, particularly given the young ages of the victims.

The governor, in a statement by his spokesperson, Ismaila Uba Misilli, extended his condolences to the bereaved families and the entire Nafada community, praying for the repose of the deceased and comfort for their loved ones.

He also emphasised the need for strict adherence to safety standards in water transportation, calling on local government councils, community leaders, boat operators, and regulatory agencies to intensify efforts towards ensuring that all safety protocols are observed to prevent future tragedies.

He directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Nafada local government council to provide every possible support to the affected families and work closely with relevant agencies to enhance safety and awareness in riverine communities.