Category: Nigerian Tribune

The oil and gas industry is set to begin shaping a new framework for local content implementation beyond 2027, as stakeholders converge at the Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum 2026 to address funding, project opportunities, industrial capacity and regulatory reforms.

The forum comes as local content performance has reached 61 percent under the Nigerian Content Strategic Roadmap 2017-2027, with the country targeting 70 percent.

The development coincides with renewed investment in the upstream sector, including Shell’s $2 billion HI Field project and the $5 billion Bonga North project, while indigenous operators are increasingly taking over assets divested by international oil companies.

Organisers said the forum would bring together government, regulators, international oil companies, indigenous operators and service companies to determine the priorities that should guide Nigerian Content implementation over the next decade.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s forum, Wemimo Oyelana, Portfolio and Country Director, dmg Nigeria Events, said the industry must shift its focus from measuring past achievements to determining what would be required to sustain and deepen the gains.

‘Fifteen years of Nigerian Content implementation have demonstrated what sustained policy, regulatory commitment and industry collaboration can achieve,’ Oyelana said.

‘As the current Roadmap approaches its conclusion, the conversation must now move beyond measuring progress to defining what the next decade requires.’

‘PNC 2026 provides a platform for stakeholders to collectively shape those priorities, from funding and project delivery to the policy frameworks needed to sustain and deepen this progress.’

The forum will focus on four major priorities: mobilising capital, project opportunities, advancing Nigerian Content, and policy and legislation.

Discussions on capital mobilisation will examine how improved access to finance, stronger financial partnerships and innovative funding structures can enable indigenous companies to scale operations, compete for larger contracts and execute increasingly complex projects.

Stakeholders will also explore ways to improve visibility of procurement plans, strengthen supplier development and deepen collaboration between operators and indigenous businesses to unlock opportunities across the energy value chain.

The forum is also expected to examine strategies for closing existing capacity gaps, improving competitiveness and accelerating industrialisation through local content.

On policy and legislation, participants will consider how Nigeria’s regulatory framework can respond to changing market conditions, technological developments and investor expectations while supporting investment, compliance and sustainable growth.

The organisers said the forum would feature strategic leadership panels, executive debates, a town hall, breakout sessions and a Local Content Impact Stage.

The sessions are expected to provide opportunities for government and industry leaders to discuss policy and investment priorities, address compliance challenges and develop practical solutions, while the Impact Stage will facilitate major announcements, memoranda of understanding and partnerships.

Among the speakers expected at the forum are the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Felix Omatsola Ogbe; Shell Companies in Nigeria’s EVP and Country Chair, Elohor Aiboni; TotalEnergies Nigeria Country Chairman and Managing Director, Matthieu Bouyer; and Chevron Nigeria-Mid-Africa Business Unit Chairman and Managing Director, Jim Swartz.

Others include ExxonMobil Affiliates in Nigeria Chairman and Managing Director, Jagir Baxi; Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Wole Ogunsanya; President of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Chris Osarumwense; and senior directors of the NCDMB.

With Nigeria’s local content drive approaching a critical transition point, the forum is expected to provide an avenue for stakeholders to define the financing, policy, investment and capacity-building priorities that will shape the next phase of implementation.

Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have foiled two separate abduction attempts and rescued 10 victims in different locations across Zamfara State.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col Aliyu Danja.

According to the statement, on 27 September 2026, troops of Sector 2 in Maru Local Government Area received information that terrorists had abducted villagers at Kade Daba Village, Kanoma District.

It explained that the Troops swiftly mobilised to the location and engaged the terrorists, resulting in the immediate rescue of three victims.

It added that further exploitation of the area led to the rescue of an additional victim, bringing the total number of victims rescued in the operation to four.

The statement further explained that similarly, on the same day, troops of Sector 2 on a picketing operation along the Tsafe-Funtua road in Tsafe Local Government Area heard sporadic gunshots ahead of their position at Kwanoni.

According to it, ‘ the troops immediately mobilised towards the location, where they encountered the terrorists withdrawing through the surrounding high ground.

The troops engaged the terrorists, forcing them to flee from the area in disarray.

It pointed out that prior to the arrival of the troops, the terrorists had set a Sharon vehicle ablaze while attempting to abduct its occupants.

According to it, fortunately, the occupants were able to escape before the vehicle was completely engulfed by fire.

‘In the course of the incident, the troops also rescued six persons from another vehicle that had lost control as a result of the sporadic gunshots.

‘The affected vehicle was subsequently towed off the main road to facilitate the free flow of traffic.

The statement pointed that the Theatre Commander, JTF NW OPFY, commended the troops for their vigilance, swift response and professionalism in protecting citizens along major routes and communities within the Joint Task Force’s area of responsibility.

It added that the Theatre Commander further reaffirmed the resolve of JTF NW OPFY to sustain offensive operations against terrorists and deny them the freedom to operate across the North West, while urging members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information on suspicious movements and activities to the nearest security agency or through appropriate official channels.

Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has warned Nigerians against the consumption of unlabelled and unregistered alcoholic and herbal concoctions following the deaths of at least 48 people in Ondo from suspected methanol poisoning.

The association said over 182 people had been affected by the consumption of an adulterated alcoholic and herbal concoction popularly known as ‘Monkey Tail’ in Odigbo, Irele and neighbouring local government areas of the state.

In a statement signed by the Chairman, NMA-NAFDAC Liaison Committee, Dr Azim Adekunle Ashimi, made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Tuesday, the association said five victims had been rendered permanently blind. In contrast, two others suffered partial loss of vision.

The NMA said laboratory findings by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) confirmed high concentrations of methanol and Cannabis indica in samples collected from the implicated beverages.

Ashimi explained that methanol is an industrial solvent which, when ingested, is converted by the liver into formic acid, a toxic substance capable of causing irreversible blindness, severe metabolic acidosis, multi-organ failure and death.

NMA, therefore, urged healthcare providers to maintain a high index of suspicion when treating patients who develop sudden visual impairment, unexplained metabolic acidosis or altered consciousness after consuming alcoholic drinks or herbal mixtures.

The NMA also called for prompt medical intervention, including resuscitation, correction of metabolic acidosis and appropriate antidote therapy, as well as urgent haemodialysis where indicated.

It further demanded a comprehensive crackdown on informal distilleries, illegal herbal mixture blenders and open-market distribution networks, noting that 15 suspects had already been arrested by security agencies.

The Body also called for a sustained nationwide public enlightenment campaign against unlabelled and unregistered alcoholic beverages, including locally mixed drinks and unverified herbal bitters.

The NMA urged government agencies to strengthen controls over the supply of toxic industrial chemicals such as methanol to prevent their diversion into beverage production.

The association commiserated with families of the deceased and urged anyone experiencing sudden vision changes, severe headache, or breathing difficulty after consuming any drink to seek immediate medical attention.

The contest for the Ilorin Government House in February 2027 is revving up by the day, and the contestants appear not to be leaving any stone unturned in their push to succeed Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. While, to a large extent, political watchers in the state have limited the contest to the two leading candidates. Namely, Engineer Salihu Yakubu Danladi of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Engineer Bolakale Kawu of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there are 11 other political parties in the contest, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, outside the two leading political parties, only the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Associate Professor Yinka Ajia, appeared to be showing some visibility compared to the others in the race.

To the chagrin of political enthusiasts in the state, Governor Abdulrazaq, a few days ago, approved the appointment of Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, the former cabinet member and member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015, as the leader of the state’s contingent to the 2027 Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Before his appointment, Alhaji Mustapha, popularly known as MM, was the PDP candidate for the Kwara Central senatorial district, but the ticket was given to the incumbent officeholder, Senator Saliu Mustapha, who recently defected from the ruling APC to the opposition PDP.

While no one suspected any ill feeling in the candidate swap, the leader of the PDP, Senator Bukola Saraki, and the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Engineer Bolakale Kawu, had visited MM at his Abuja residence after the announcement of Saliu Mustapha as eventual PDP candidate. Even the picture of the visit was circulated in the media, just as MM also did not indicate that he was hurt by the political development.

Hitherto, some political analysts in the state had thought that Saliu Mustapha would give Governor Abdulrazaq a hotter race to run as two were set to lock horns for the Kwara Central senatorial race in 2027. It was thought that the strength of Mustapha informed the decision to drop MM and swap the PDP ticket. But with the Amir Hajj appointment, where MM would coordinate the state’s 2027 Hajj exercise along with other statutory bodies at various levels of government, no one is left in doubt of his allegiance to the leader of the APC in the state, who is Governor Abdulrazaq.

MM, the traditional title holder of the Wakili of Ilorin, is a seasoned entrepreneur, public servant, and community leader. He is the chairman of Crystal Group of Companies. He is an alumnus of Kwara State Polytechnic, Lagos State University, and Rome Business School (Italy), and he is expected to garner votes for all candidates of the APC in the Kwara Central district, where the PDP governorship candidate hails from. Political watchers are keenly waiting to see the effect his decision to team up with Abdulrahman would have on the 2027 general elections.

The ruling APC, which is anchoring its 2027 political campaign on continuity and change, said that the implications of the governorship contest are beyond the search for a successor for Governor Abdulrazaq. According to coordinator of the Kwara North Integrity Youth Forum (KNIYF), Aliyu Likofu, the governorship election represents an opportunity to change the political history of a state where the governorship has never been held by an elected politician from Kwara North since 1999.

‘For the APC, Danladi’s candidacy represents both continuity and change: continuity with the political order established in 2019 and change through the elevation of a younger generation into the race for executive power,’ he said.

On the other hand, the state chairman of the PDP, Mallam Isa Bawa, said that the party is ready to provide improved performance and governance in the state through its flag bearer, Bolakale Kawu, arguing that the opposition party had done it in the state before now.

Mallam Bawa, who said that PDP is already gaining wider acceptance among the people, said that the 2027 general election would offer an opportunity to prove that it is a force to reckon with.

Meanwhile, in his analysis of dynamics that could offer victory to one of the political parties in the 2027 governorship poll, an erudite political commentator, a professor of Political Science, University of Ilorin, Hassan Ajisafe Saliu, said that there are variations in electoral geography of each state of the federation, arguing that the only common national denominator revolves around the poverty level.

The political scientist, who said that what recently happened in Osun State may not be replicated in other states of the federation, added that the Osun electoral geography differs from that of Kwara State in some fundamental ways.

Talking on what he described as Ancestry Politics and Voter Sophistication, the university don said that ancestry politics that defined the Osun election is absent in Kwara State, adding, ‘Kwara is just one of the states.’

‘It is instructive to note that Osun State has a relatively more sophisticated voting population than Kwara State. Until the 2019 general elections, Kwara voters had been made docile on account of historical political antecedents. Regrettably, the 2019 electoral revolution has since been replaced by another era of docility incubated in people’s strong belief in transfer earnings. This means that Kwara voters can vote either way if properly motivated,’ he said.

Professor Saliu also said that Kwara’s politics is defined by three senatorial districts with different power blocs: Kwara Central with the highest votes, Kwara North, and Kwara South.

However, he said that no single district can deliver victory alone, adding that alliances must be built. ‘Political alliances in the state are fluid and unpredictable because of the state’s diversity and sharp ethnic divisions. In Osun State, by contrast, people tend to vote more as a bloc, and swings are often statewide. It’s just like Kwara’s three senatorial districts versus Osun’s Unity,’ he said.

While discussing money politics and vote buying, the university don said that major political parties offered high sums of money during the Osun election.

Relating that scenario to Kwara State, he said that money will be a significant factor, ‘but I doubt the N50k and N100k figures reported in Osun State will be on offer here in Kwara State because of the high stakes of that election.’

‘Politicians will definitely give money to voters, but I am not sure the state can beat the Osun record because of the imposed orientation of the voters,’ he said.

Professor Saliu said that the governorship contest in Kwara State will also fall within the neo-liberal tendency just like that of Osun.

‘Nothing spectacular is on offer to make the election highly interesting and competitive beyond the goal of gaining control and ego. People have argued that there is no fundamental difference between the old order and the current: PDP and APC. A capitalist orientation has driven the state’s actions since 1999 and even before, when the Fourth Republic kicked off. In other words, the Kwara election will be more like an ego war between different sides of the capitalist orientation, engaged in expanding the scope of their political control and the allied benefits that come with it,’ he said.

He also added that most people have not realised this is the simple truth. ‘Moreover, that is why, whichever way the election goes, no fundamental changes may happen unless God takes control. Wherever huge sums of money dominate every step in the political process, the outcome hardly favours the masses. The Kwara case may prove to be different this time around. This represents a challenge to those jostling for elective and appointive positions in the state,’ he added.

Talking about the timing of the election, the political scientist said that one needs to appreciate that the Kwara election will be coming up during the general elections. ‘This means it will not be an isolated election, as the recent Osun election was. As a result, not all eyes will be on it, though current political developments in the state are already drawing attention to it,’ he stated.

President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted a bill seeking to expand the mandate of the National Postgraduate Medical College to include the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Degree in Clinical Medicine, Dentistry and related fields.

Tinubu had in a cover letter with Reference No: PRES/134-1/HR/36/EB dated: 24th August, 2026, solicited for expedite consideration and passage of the proposed legislation.

According to the letter titled: ‘Transmission of National Postgraduate Medical College (amendment) bill, 2026 for passage into law’, Mr. President explained that the ‘purpose of the Bill is to, among other things, reflect the change of the institutional name, expand the mandate of the College to include the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Degree in Clinical Medicine, Dentistry and related fields.

According to him, Federal Ministry of Justice subsequently vetted and finalized the Bill in line with drafting standards and constitutional provisions.

‘In consequence of the above, National Postgraduate Medical College (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is hereby forwarded to the House of Representatives for legislative action by the National Assembly.’

The Anambra State Government has launched a decisive clampdown on individuals denying female citizens their legal right to property inheritance, declaring the discriminatory practice is a criminal offense.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Tobechukwu Nweke (SAN), announced the development on Tuesday in Awka, the state capital.

He disclosed that he has directed the Nigerian Police Force to thoroughly investigate all complaints regarding female disinheritance and transmit the resulting case files directly to his office for immediate prosecution.

According to Barr. Nweke, this enforcement drive stems from a formal letter he personally signed and released to newsmen.

The Attorney-General emphasised that subjecting women and girls to such obnoxious customs solely because of their gender constitutes a direct violation of Section 22 of the Anambra State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017, carrying a penalty of up to four years’ imprisonment upon conviction.

Highlighting the operational framework for the crackdown, Barr. Nweke stated that the Ministry of Justice has designated its Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit to spearhead the prosecution of offenders under the law, alongside existing mandates to tackle domestic violence and sexual offenses.

He expressed grave concern that despite landmark rulings by the Supreme Court declaring customs and practices excluding females from inheritance as unconstitutional and illegal, certain members of the public continue to flout the law through these discriminatory acts.

The State Government therefore urged members of the public to report violations to law enforcement agencies to ensure justice is served and the rights of women and girls are fully protected across the state.

No fewer than 85.2 percent of Nigerians are without effective social protection coverage, leaving the vast majority of the population exposed to poverty, economic shocks and other vulnerabilities, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said.

The development means only 14.8 percent of Nigerians are effectively covered by social protection, highlighting a major gap in the country’s efforts to protect vulnerable households and workers from economic hardship.

ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Dr Vanessa Phala, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the National Social Protection Statistics Dialogue and Data Collection Engagement organised by the ILO, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), European Union (EU) and UNICEF.

Phala said the 14.8 percent coverage figure represented more than a statistic, stressing that behind it were millions of Nigerians struggling without adequate protection against economic shocks.

‘Effective coverage in Nigeria stands at 14.8 per cent. Behind this figure are real families: mothers, workers in the informal economy, persons with disabilities, and children who remain vulnerable to economic shocks,’ she said.

She said closing the gap required government and stakeholders to move beyond broad estimates and develop a comprehensive statistical system capable of identifying those covered, those excluded and areas where social protection interventions were most urgently required.

Explained that effective policy decisions could not be based on assumptions, noting that reliable, timely and disaggregated data was essential to improving social protection delivery.

Phala said the ILO, through the European Union-funded Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems in Nigeria (SUSI) project, was partnering with the NBS to strengthen the generation, coordination and use of social protection statistics.

She said that the initiative, which initially covered Abia, Benue, Oyo and Sokoto states, was being expanded nationwide to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with the aim of equipping state statistical institutions to collect, analyse and harmonise social protection data.

She said that stronger sub-national data would enable Nigeria to better understand regional disparities, identify excluded groups and improve reporting on Sustainable Development Goal indicator 1.3.1, which measures the proportion of the population covered by social protection systems.

Phala added the exercise would support the production of a national Social Protection Statistics Bulletin to expose coverage gaps, guide resource allocation and improve interoperability among state registers, the National Social Register and other social management information systems.

‘To transform this reality, policy choices must be grounded in precise, reliable, and timely data.

‘We must equip every state directorate of statistics with the technical tools to gather, analyse, and harmonise social protection data,’ she said.

Also speaking, the Statistician-General of the Federation, Mr Semiu Adeniran, noted that the dialogue was taking place at a time when Nigeria’s social protection landscape was undergoing significant transition.

Adeniran said government was taking steps to strengthen national ownership, coordination, financing and delivery of social protection and poverty-reduction interventions.

He said the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction was also advancing a more integrated approach through its ‘One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System’, aimed at moving the country away from fragmented interventions towards a coordinated national social protection architecture.

According to him, the NBS has a responsibility to ensure that government reforms and programmes are supported by reliable, timely, comparable and disaggregated data.

‘Our role at NBS is to help ensure that as Nigeria strengthens its social protection architecture, we also strengthen the evidence architecture.

‘This will enable government to know what is working, who is being reached, where the gaps are and how the system is performing over time,’ Adeniran said.

He disclosed that work was ongoing to establish a Social Protection Management Information System (SPMIS) to bring together data currently held by different institutions and make it available in a coordinated and harmonised form for national and sub-national statistical production.

Adeniran said Nigeria must stop treating social protection data as occasional reporting and instead establish sustainable systems, standards, institutional arrangements and data flows for regular statistical production.

He called for stronger coordination of social protection data at the sub-national level, particularly at the ward level, noting that the NBS’s recent ward demarcation exercise provided an important statistical foundation for understanding development conditions at a more disaggregated level.

‘If development planning is increasingly taking place at the ward level, our social protection statistics must also start to tell us what is happening at the ward level,’ he said.

He, however, clarified that the objective was not to conduct a new large-scale survey for every social protection programme in every ward.

Rather, he said the NBS would explore developing a ward-level social protection data layer by bringing together information already available across government systems and complementing it with targeted statistical data collection.

Representing the Head of Human Development at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Ben Amor Mathieu, Chioma Osuji said effective social protection planning was impossible without credible data.

She said the EU viewed the engagement as part of a continuing process to strengthen institutions, coordination and data systems rather than a one-off exercise.

‘When we say we want to reduce poverty and we don’t know how many people that are poor, the level of vulnerability, we can hardly come up with programmes that would be able to help us address the reduction of poverty,’ Osuji said.

She added: ‘We cannot build effective and responsive social protection systems without data. High quality, timely and disaggregated data is a very good foundation on which sound policy and effective planning is going to be built.’

Osuji urged participating institutions to establish practical mechanisms for routine data sharing, validation and accountability, rather than treating social protection statistics merely as information produced for reporting purposes.

She also supported the institutionalisation of the proposed Social Protection Statistics Bulletin Committee, saying it could help sustain coordination and ensure that data generated continued to inform policy and government action.

The EU, ILO and UNICEF have continued to support Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen social protection systems, including institutional capacity, integrated management information systems and the extension of coverage to vulnerable groups and workers in the informal economy.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has revealed that he began engaging in spiritual activities as a teenager, saying he started ‘casting out demons’ when he was 17 or 18 years old.

The governor made the disclosure while addressing young people during a church service at The Votage Church, where he reflected on his early experiences and the challenges he encountered around insecurity and cultism.

‘When I see young ones standing in the presence of God, I remembered at 17, 18, I’ve also started casting out demons,’ Okpebholo said.

Drawing from his experience as a young person, Okpebholo said the challenges associated with cultism and insecurity were not unfamiliar to him.

‘Fighting insecurities, especially cultism, is not a new thing to me. It is something that has been happening,’ he added.

The governor also recalled the influence of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa as he spoke about the spiritual experiences that shaped his background.

His visit to the church was also used as an opportunity to highlight the role of faith and spiritual guidance in leadership.

The lead pastor welcomed Okpebholo and said the church was pleased to have him, while prayers were offered for the progress of Edo State.

The pastor also encouraged leaders to continue seeking spiritual guidance and working towards peace and development in the state.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed that crude oil producers offered 182 million barrels to domestic refiners between January and August, of which 112 million barrels were transacted.

The 112 million barrels represent 61.4 percent of the volume offered, leaving a shortfall of 70 million barrels between offers and completed deals.

Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, disclosed the figures, on Monday, at the third Nigeria Oil Refining Summit, in Lagos. She was represented by Mr Boma Atiyegoba, Deputy Director at the commission.

Eyesan said producers offered 182 million barrels against domestic refiners’ declared requirement of 154.6 million barrels during the period, meaning the volume offered stood at 118 percent of the refiners’ stated needs.

She stressed that the gap between offers and completed transactions did not amount to failure by either producers or refiners.

‘This gap is not a failure on either side. It is a shared commercial challenge,’ she said.

Eyesan attributed the incomplete transactions to issues such as pricing, payment security, crude grade and delivery timing. Producers, she noted, remained concerned about payment security, off-take reliability and existing export commitments, while refiners worried about crude availability, delivery schedules and pricing.

‘The Commission is listening, and we are active,’ she added.

She said NUPRC would improve visibility of refinery demand and producer availability, strengthen monitoring and compliance, deepen stakeholder engagement and enforce domestic supply obligations where necessary.

Eyesan disclosed that the commission had completed stakeholder consultations on a proposed domestic crude swap arrangement. Under the plan, producers located close to export terminals could swap their domestic supply obligations with those whose crude is nearer to local refineries. The mechanism, she said, would cut logistics costs and delivery times while improving crude availability and compliance.

She added that NUPRC was accelerating field development and efforts to restore shut-in wells and marginal assets, stressing that higher production was essential as domestic refineries expand capacity.

‘Domestic refining cannot thrive by distributing a shrinking cake. It must be fed by a growing one,’ Eyesan said.

Earlier, Mr Adegbite Falade, Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and Managing Director of Aradel Plc, warned that Nigeria must raise crude production to sustain its growing domestic refining capacity.

‘Nigeria cannot refine barrels that are not produced,’ Falade said.

He noted that in the medium term, domestic refineries could require more than 1.5 million barrels of crude per day, depending on rehabilitation, expansion and the commissioning of modular plants. This would approach Nigeria’s current liquids output of 1.68 million barrels per day as of August 2026, according to NUPRC data.

Falade said such demand would leave only a narrow margin for export commitments, government revenue needs, joint-venture offtake, production outages, OPEC obligations, grade mismatches and infrastructure disruptions. He therefore urged that the upstream sector be placed at the centre of the refining conversation.

Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate reserves stood at approximately 37.01 billion barrels as of January 1, 2026, with natural gas reserves at about 215.19 trillion cubic feet. The challenge, he argued, is converting reserves into production, production into secure supply and supply into competitive domestic refining.

Falade called for incentives for exploration, faster development of marginal fields, improved access to capital, protection of evacuation infrastructure and the creation of a transparent domestic crude market that allows volume aggregation, grade blending and efficient swaps.

He commended progress under the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) established by Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act, noting that compliance rose to about 97.4 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from roughly 41 percent in the first quarter. IPPG member companies, he added, now account for more than half of Nigeria’s total oil and gas production.

Also speaking, Mr Momoh Jimah Oyarekhua, Chairman of OPAC Refinery and of the Crude Oil Refineries Association of Nigeria (CORAN), said some domestic refineries still struggle to access crude on commercially viable terms even as fuel imports continue and local capacity remains underutilised.

He called for full institutionalisation of the Naira-for-Crude scheme, a domestic crude pricing template that reflects quality and delivery costs, stronger enforcement of the DCSO while preserving commercial arrangements, proximity-based crude swaps, progressive reduction of product imports, a refinery development financing framework, shared product infrastructure and strategic petroleum reserves.

Oyarekhua urged a clear national refining roadmap with targets for capacity, domestic market share and eventual export capability.

‘Nigeria should not continue exporting crude, exporting jobs and importing the same petroleum products at considerable economic cost,’ he said. ‘Our crude must increasingly power our refineries. Our refineries must increasingly supply our market. And Nigeria must ultimately become a refining hub for Africa.’

The former Kogi State Commissioner for Information during the administration of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, Mr Dan Okolo, has urged stakeholders in Kogi East to make grassroots development their foremost priority.

Okolo, a pioneer Director General and Special Adviser to successive administrations, made the call during the commencement of a series of grassroots town hall meetings across the nine Local Government Areas of Kogi East Senatorial District.

The meetings, organised by the Kogi East APC Legacy Group, are aimed at promoting development, political dialogue and collaboration among the three senatorial districts of Kogi State.

The initiative began with town hall meetings in Dekina and Bassa Local Government Areas, bringing together ward-level stakeholders, political leaders and veterans of previous administrations.

The group said the engagements were designed to identify the pressing needs of communities, strengthen communication with government and promote political alliances capable of attracting development to Kogi East.

According to the group, although Kogi East constitutes the state’s largest voting bloc, its nine Local Government Areas are insufficient to independently meet the constitutional spread requirement for winning a governorship election.

It noted that under the Nigerian Constitution, a governorship candidate must secure the highest number of votes statewide and at least 25 per cent of votes cast in at least two-thirds of the Local Government Areas in the state.

With Kogi having 21 Local Government Areas, the group said a candidate must achieve the 25 per cent threshold in at least 14 LGAs, making cooperation among Kogi East, Central and West important.

The group cited the performance of the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the initial 2015 governorship election as an example of the importance of statewide political alliances.

It said the APC won 16 of the state’s 21 LGAs in that election and secured more than 25 per cent of the valid votes in all 21 LGAs.

Speaking during the meetings, Okolo called for sustained engagement with governments at all levels to address infrastructure deficits, improve living conditions and promote equitable political representation.

He said the group’s engagement with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had yielded responses, particularly on infrastructure requests submitted on behalf of communities in Kogi East.

Among the interventions, he cited the invitation to tender for the reconstruction of the 37-kilometre Idah-Onyedega Road in Ibaji and the 13-kilometre Odenyi-Oguma-Sheria Road in Bassa.

He added that approval had also been secured for 12 solar-powered water schemes, with four each located in Bassa, Ibaji and Omala Local Government Areas.

According to him, the Bassa projects, covering Mozum, Gboloko, Oguma and Ikende, had commenced, while the geophysical survey had been completed.

Okolo further disclosed that the state government had approved the reconstruction of nine secondary schools in Kogi East, with one project allocated to each of the nine Local Government Areas under the World Bank-assisted AGILE program.

He said the group would continue to monitor the implementation of the projects while pursuing other development priorities contained in its memorandum to the state government.

Also speaking, Alhaji Abdullahi Haruna, SAN, a former Solicitor General and Attorney General of Kogi State who served during the administration of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, urged political stakeholders to promote governance that delivers tangible benefits to citizens.

Haruna said the town hall meetings were aimed at bringing government closer to the people, identifying community needs and ensuring that political participation translates into measurable development.

He also advocated unity and equity among the three senatorial districts, warning against ethnic and partisan rivalry that could undermine the development of the state.

Haruna recalled that the Obajana Cement project faced opposition during its early stages but argued that the project eventually became a major industrial asset because the government remained focused on its development objectives.

He urged stakeholders to place the transformation of Kogi State above narrow political and ethnic interests.

At the Dekina meeting, a former Majority Leader of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Idoko Ododo, urged Kogi East stakeholders to prioritise development-oriented politics over individual ambitions for political power.

He said the district had experienced significant developmental challenges and expressed support for efforts by the present administration to address infrastructure needs in the area.

In Bassa, another former Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly and long-standing supporter of the late Prince Audu, Hon. Salisu Adakeke, commended the state government’s interventions in the area.

Adakeke said the projects had renewed hope among residents and expressed optimism that sustained development would strengthen public support for the APC.

The group, however, said several critical infrastructure needs remained unresolved and called for greater attention to them.

Its demands include the establishment of a national electricity transmission substation in Kogi East, sustainable rural water schemes, rehabilitation and equipping of general hospitals, and phased improvements to primary and secondary schools.

It also identified the Ankpa-Abejukolo, Anyigba-Iyale-Abejukolo and Ejule-Alloma-Otukpa Junction roads for priority attention.

The group further called for continued engagement with the Federal Government on the Itobe-Anyigba-Ankpa-Otukpa, Idah-Odolu-Nsukka and Dekina-Shintaku road corridors.

On security, it urged stronger protection for boundary communities, farming settlements and transit routes.

The group also called for host communities in Ankpa, where coal is mined, and Ibaji, where oil extraction takes place, to receive fair and visible benefits from the natural resources in their areas.

At the conclusion of the town hall meetings, the group urged ward leaders to strengthen party cohesion, maintain regular dialogue with residents and channel community development priorities through appropriate government and party structures.

It reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders across Kogi East, Kogi Central and Kogi West to promote inclusive development, equitable political engagement and greater public confidence in governance.