Category: Daily Trust

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the Naira-for-crude oil sale agreement with local refiners as part of its broader policy to reduce the cost of fuel production and strengthen the domestic refining sector.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, disclosed this in Lagos at the 2025 Crude Oil Refinery Owners’ Association of Nigeria (CORAN) Summit.

Daily Trust reports that under the policy which started in 2024, local refiners, especially Dangote Refinery, would be supplied crude in naira instead of the foreign currency as a way of ensuring affordable fuel for Nigerians.

However, the policy has been hampered by inadequate crude supply to the refineries.

Dangote recently suspended sale of petrol in naira before it backtracked after the intervention of the Technical Committee on Naira for crude.

The Minister while reiterating this yesterday said the policy is a deliberate strategy to shield indigenous refiners from exchange rate volatility while supporting their growth and competitiveness.

‘The Federal Government remains committed to sustaining the Naira-for-crude sale arrangement as it mitigates exposure to fluctuating foreign exchange rates and reinforces our drive for indigenous refining,’ Lokpobiri stated.

He further emphasized that the government has continued to facilitate access to crude oil through the effective implementation of the Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation (DCSO), stressing that no nation can achieve true energy independence without refining its own crude.

‘Every barrel of crude produced in Nigeria must contribute to meeting both our domestic and international obligations,’ he added.

On regional integration, Senator Lokpobiri announced that the Federal Government has launched the West African Fuel Reference Market initiative.

The move, he explained, aims to position Nigeria as a regional refining and petroleum products supply hub for the West African sub-region.

‘With increased local refining capacity, Nigeria will not only meet domestic demand but also serve as a dependable supplier of refined products to neighbouring countries – thereby reducing the region’s reliance on distant refineries and costly maritime imports,’ the Minister said

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has tackled President Bola Tinubu for accepting the resignation of former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji.

In a statement, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, described the president’s action as weak and disappointing.

He said a government that upholds integrity cannot afford to treat criminal conduct like a personal matter.

‘The ADC believes that the decision of President Tinubu to merely accept the offending former minister’s resignation instead of taking a tougher stance gives the unfortunate impression that the President is sympathetic to such behaviour.’

‘We are equally appalled that the Minister was allowed to quietly resign after publicly admitting that the certificates he presented were not issued by the relevant institutions. This sends the wrong message to Nigerians, especially the youth, that dishonesty carries no consequence in public life.

‘It is imperative to reiterate that both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) officially disowned the certificates Mr. Nnaji presented for his ministerial appointment, while court filings by the Minister himself confirmed that UNN never awarded him any degree certificate.

‘In this regard, by simply accepting his resignation, President Tinubu has shown that for whatever reason, his administration is willing to let corrupt officials off the hook easily and he is not willing to set example for those who serve under him that dishonesty has serious consequences.

‘As mentioned in our initial statement on this subject, Nigerians are aware that this is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern that has defined the APC government since its inception.

‘From one certificate scandal to another, Nigerians have watched the APC turn dishonesty into an identity, offering sanctuary to people with questionable integrity and forged. Indeed, if the President cannot act firmly in a case that was this clear, how can Nigerians trust his government to fight corruption in any other form?

‘As a party, we therefore call on relevant law enforcement agencies to pursue an independent investigation into the matter, noting that resignation does not erase criminal liability. Forgery is not a private offence, it is a crime. If found guilty, Mr. Nnaji should be prosecuted in accordance with the law. Anything less will amount to a cover-up.’

Nigerians have been cautioned against being swayed by the ‘deceptive rebranding’ of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

A political commentator, Abdulhameed Shakir Alaaya, stated this in Il?rin, the Kwara State capital, during a press conference.

According to him, the party is only a regrouping of old political figures who once plunged Kwara state and country into hardship.

Alaaya said those behind the ADC were the same elements who held sway in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for many years without meaningful impact on governance or development.

He said the promoters of the ADC were attempting to sell the illusion of a new beginning, but in reality, they represented the same failures that left Kwara struggling with unpaid salaries, abandoned pensioners and neglected infrastructure before the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

‘For almost two decades, they had every opportunity to deliver real development. Instead, they left behind crumbling infrastructure, unpaid salaries, abandoned pensioners and neglected education,’ he said.

‘What we are witnessing today is a rebranding of the same people who failed us,’ he added.

Alaaya said that since the assumption of office by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the APC administration in Kwara had brought about visible transformation across key sectors including education, health, road infrastructure and youth empowerment.

‘In just six years, the APC government has achieved more progress than what PDP achieved in nearly two decades. The truth is that what they could not do in sixteen years, APC has already surpassed in less than one decade,’ he said.

He urged Governor AbdulRazaq to consolidate the gains recorded by focusing more on human development, better welfare for workers, prompt payment of pensions and clearing outstanding gratuities owed to retirees.

Such measures, he noted, would strengthen the confidence of the people in the ruling party and bring more dignity to workers and pensioners.

Alaaya also called on members of his ward in Ubadawaki, Il?rin West Local Government Area and other political stakeholders in the state not to be misled by what he called the personal ambitions of a few individuals behind the ADC project.

He said the group had no credible legacy to justify their return to political relevance.

‘ADC is not a new beginning. It is an old wine in a new bottle. It is another platform for a few people to pursue selfish ambitions at the expense of public welfare,’ he said.

‘If we embrace ADC, we will simply be handing our future back to those who failed us before. We must not make that mistake again,’ he warned.

Alaaya urged Kwarans to remain steadfast in their support for the APC which, according to him, remains the only platform that has brought real change to the state.

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the seizure of smuggled goods valued at N1.8 billion in the South-West region of the country within the last six weeks.

The seized items include truckloads of rice, cannabis sativa, and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), among others.

The seizures were made possible through intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A.

A total of four suspects were also arrested in connection with some of the seized items.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Muhammed Shuaibu, made this disclosure on Tuesday while showcasing some of the contrabands to journalists.

Shuaibu stated that the contrabands were intercepted across borders in Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, and Lagos States.

Shuaibu stated that between September 1 and October 7, 2025, a total of N39.3 million was recovered through demand notices.

Giving details of the seizures, Shuaibu stated that a total of 5, 015 bags of foreign bags of rice equivalent to eight trucks were seized within the period under review.

‘Others include, 15 used vehicles, 640 parcels of cannabis sativa equivalent to 431killgrams, 460 jerrycans of premium motor spirit, 25 litres each, 143 bales of used clothing, two jumbo sacks of used shoes, and one sack of used clothing, 390 bottles of codeine, 310 foreign-branded drugs, 19 cards of 210 pieces of used tyres. A duty paid value of N1.8bn was recorded during this period, reflecting the scale of our operations,’ he stated.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, asked the Senate to approve a fresh external borrowing of $2.3billion.

The President’s request, was contained in a letter read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Tinubu said the new loan is to implement the 2025 Appropriation Act, refinance maturing Eurobonds, and expand Nigeria’s debt instruments to include Islamic finance products.

‘The 2025 fiscal framework anticipates $9.27bn in new borrowings to address the budget deficit, of which $1.84bn is earmarked for external sources at an assumed exchange rate of N1,500 to the dollar,’ he said in the letter.

He explained that the external borrowing would be sourced through various instruments, including Eurobonds, syndicated loans, bridge financing, or direct loans from multilateral institutions – in order to optimise cost and manage risk effectively.

A key element of the plan is the refinancing of Nigeria’s $1.118bn Eurobond, issued in 2018 at a coupon rate of 7.625% and due in November 2025.

‘This is a standard practice in debt capital markets,’ the President wrote. ‘Refinancing through Eurobonds or syndicated loans will guarantee debt sustainability and boost investor confidence.’

Tinubu maintained that refinancing maturing obligations was part of routine debt management and vital for maintaining Nigeria’s fiscal credibility.

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, has survived an attempt by some aggrieved opposition lawmakers to remove him from office, following last-minute interventions by the House leadership and deep divisions within the minority caucus.

It was learnt that the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, played a crucial role in diffusing the tension after holding a meeting with the opposition lawmakers to address their grievances.

An opposition lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Speaker Abbas ‘gate-crashed’ into a meeting of the minority caucus at the National Assembly and pleaded on behalf of Chinda.

According to the source, the Speaker promised to personally intervene, and out of respect for his office, ‘Chinda was spared-at least for now.’

‘Chinda also pledged to turn a new leaf. He apologised for going to court and promised to withdraw the case,’ the source added.

Sources also told Daily Trust that cracks within the ranks of the minority members also weakened the push to oust Chinda.

‘Members of the opposition political parties were divided on the move to remove Chinda. While some were in support, others were not. Members, particularly those from the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), pulled out, and that weakened their ranks,’ one source said.

On Monday night, some opposition lawmakers held an emergency meeting at the National Assembly to deliberate on Chinda’s fate.

However, the lawmakers who convened the meeting have yet to release any statement on its outcome.

Daily Trust learnt that the meeting failed to achieve its aim due to internal disagreements among the opposition members.

After Tuesday’s plenary, the minority lawmakers reportedly held another round of discussions, where they agreed to resolve their differences following the intervention by the Speaker.

Daily Trust reports that some aggrieved members had accused Chinda of poor leadership and failing to carry his colleagues along in decision-making within the caucus.

Chinda, a PDP lawmaker from Rivers State and a close ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to obtain an interim injunction restraining any move to remove him from office amid the crisis.

He alleged that the move to unseat him was politically motivated and linked to his association with Wike.

In the suit, Chinda argued that the plot to remove him because of his relationship with the minister violates his right to freedom of association guaranteed under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

However, sources revealed that the root of the crisis goes beyond political alignment.

They said many lawmakers were frustrated by Chinda’s alleged failure to convene a meeting of the minority caucus for nearly two years, a lapse that has reportedly fuelled dissatisfaction within the opposition ranks.

The Federal Government has announced plans to professionalise Human Resource (HR) management within the civil service, making certification in HR a prerequisite for career progression into directorate-level positions.

This was disclosed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, during a sensitisation workshop held in Abuja.

She unveiled The HR Initiative, a reform programme designed to reposition HR practice across government ministries, departments and agencies.

Walson-Jack described HR as the ‘nervous system of any effective organisation’ and said the reform was anchored on global best practices to improve efficiency, accountability and professionalism within the public sector.

She further emphasised that the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) is the only statutory body authorised to certify HR professionals in the country. ‘Only CIPM has the mandate to professionalise HR in Nigeria,’ she stated, reaffirming the Institute’s central role in driving the reforms.

President and Chairman of the CIPM Governing Council, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir, hailed the initiative as ‘a defining moment for Nigeria’s public sector.’

He assured that the Institute, with decades of experience in advancing HR standards, was fully prepared to guide the civil service through the transition.

The HR Initiative includes the introduction of a national HR competency framework, accreditation in partnership with CIPM and international bodies, curriculum review for Management Development Institutes, and a transition plan requiring officers currently in HR roles to commence certification within 12 months. By January 2026, preference in HR postings will be given to certified or actively certifying officers.

The reform aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP25), which seeks to institutionalise HR as a specialised professional function rather than a generalist administrative role.

With this step, CIPM’s position as the statutory regulator of HR practice in Nigeria has been further consolidated, as the government moves to build a globally benchmarked and citizen-focused civil service.

A waste management firm has filed an action against the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Ltd before an FCT High Court seeking an order to compel the bank to release its land documents used for N14.4 million loan collateral.

Squaremax Ltd brought the action through its lawyer, Abu Arome Esq demanding the bank to indemnify the company for all financial losses suffered as a result of the misplacement of the Deed of Assignment, including the cost of obtaining a replacement title where possible.

Squaremax demanded the sum of N50 million as general damages and the sum of N20 million for the hardship, financial loss, and reputational damage suffered due to the bank’s negligence.

He sought among other declarations, that the ‘defendant (FCMB)’s failure to return the claimant’s original Deed of Assignment after liquidation of the loan constitutes gross negligence, breach of duty, and fundamental breach of contract.’

In a statement of claim, Daniel Olisa Okwuchi, a director in the company, who is the beneficial owner of the land known as Oluwo Oduikan Family Land, Ikorodu Town, Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, which is present-day No 25 Isaac Salome Street, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, averred that it was used as collateral for the loan facility.

The claimant further avers that before the loan approval, on February 19, 2022, it deposited the sum of N1.6 million to a truck vendor, Jayneyo Mult Concept Ltd and used the loan to purchase the truck with registration number: ABC 356 XF, an insurance policy with Cornerstone Insurance, which it deposited, including the original registration papers and Firm sues FCMB over loss of land documents

A waste management firm has filed an action against the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Ltd before an FCT High Court seeking an order to compel the bank to release its land documents used for N14.4 million loan collateral.

Squaremax Ltd brought the action through its lawyer, Abu Arome Esq demanding the bank to indemnify the company for all financial losses suffered as a result of the misplacement of the Deed of Assignment, including the cost of obtaining a replacement title where possible.

Squaremax demanded the sum of N50 million as general damages and the sum of N20 million for the hardship, financial loss, and reputational damage suffered due to the bank’s negligence.

He sought among other declarations, that the ‘defendant (FCMB)’s failure to return the claimant’s original Deed of Assignment after liquidation of the loan constitutes gross negligence, breach of duty, and fundamental breach of contract.’

In a statement of claim, Daniel Olisa Okwuchi, a director in the company, who is the beneficial owner of the land known as Oluwo Oduikan Family Land, Ikorodu Town, Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, which is present-day No 25 Isaac Salome Street, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, averred that it was used as collateral for the loan facility.

The claimant further avers that before the loan approval, on February 19, 2022, it deposited the sum of N1.6 million to a truck vendor, Jayneyo Mult Concept Ltd and used the loan to purchase the truck with registration number: ABC 356 XF, an insurance policy with Cornerstone Insurance, which it deposited, including the original registration papers and custom duty.

‘That on the 20th of September 2024, upon full liquidation of the principal sum and interest loan, the defendant issued a Letter of Non-Indebtedness dated 4th October 2024, confirming that the claimant had fulfilled all its obligation under the loan agreement,’ Abu Arome stated.custom duty.

‘That on the 20th of September 2024, upon full liquidation of the principal sum and interest loan, the defendant issued a Letter of Non-Indebtedness dated 4th October 2024, confirming that the claimant had fulfilled all its obligation under the loan agreement,’ Abu Arome stated.

The Ekiti State Police Command has arraigned one Oyedele Bolarinwa (45) at the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti over the alleged stealing of farm produce.

The prosecutor, Inspector Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendant, and others at large, on or before August 20, 2025, in Aramoko-Ekiti, stole farm produce such as cocoa, cola nut, and plantain valued at N8 million, the property of Morufat Moruf.

Inspector Oriyomi said the defendant and others at large, on the same date and place within the Magisterial District, also threatened violence against Morufat Moruf.

The prosecutor added that the offences are punishable under Sections 302(1)(a) and 69 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.

Counsel to the defendant, Barrister Olumide Olowolafe, urged the court to grant his client bail, stating that he would provide a credible surety.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Abayomi Adeosun, granted bail of N100,000 with one surety in the like sum.

The case was adjourned until October 14, for hearing.

Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun, has cautioned newly graduated police constables against extorting members of the public, urging them to shun corruption.

He gave the caution on Tuesday in Calabar during the passing out ceremony of 693 recruits from the Police Training College in Odukpani, Cross River State.

He was represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Auwal Mohammed, who reviewed the passing out parade of the 2022/2023 batch B held at the College premises on Tuesday.

A total of 693 Nigerian youths from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River and Rivers states passed out from the College after a rigorous six months of training.

‘Shun corruption, extortion and abuse of power. The uniform you wear is a symbol of trust, and it must never be used to intimidate or oppress the people you are sworn to protect.

‘Uphold the rule of law, act with compassion and remember that the measure of your success lies in the safety, peace and confidence of the community you serve,’ he said.

As part of his strong desire to strengthen the Police Force, Egbetokun informed that President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of an additional 30,000 constables to fill the manpower gaps and enhance security.

The six-month training commenced on 12th April 2025 and featured basic Police general duties training which encompassed all segments, modern policing standards, ethical values, practical field works, law enforcement in the 21st century, community partnership, respect for human rights and judicious use of authority.