News
Breaking: Petrol Price Officially Increased By The Federal Government of Nigeria.
By IduwiniVoice, January 20, 2023.
Petrol price has been increased officially by 8.8 per cent to N185 from N170 per litre by the Federal Government as the ex-depot price had shot up to N167 from N148 per litre.
Vanguard’s findings however, show that many filling stations have been selling far above this new price, a situation which may render this new price almost unrealistic.
The federal government directed that the new price regime to immediate take effect, in a notice to all fuel marketers, yesterday.
Vanguard gathered yesterday that a few members of the Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, had already adjusted their pumps prices in line with the new price directive.
A memo had been sent by the government to all marketers, including the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN a source said.
*We lift at N240 per litre —IPMAN*
However, responding to the development, the President of the IPMAN, Mr Chinedu Okonkwo, told Vanguard yesterday, “So I heard but we are waiting for the circular because without that we cannot do anything. Hopefully, by tomorrow (today) we will get a clearer picture.”
“Well, they can adjust as the product is scarce to get at the moment, but with the new approved price, we hope to get products so we can sell to consumers” when informed that some major oil marketers had adjusted pump prices to the new approved price, already.
Commenting on the development, the National Operations Controller, of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said his members had continued to lift the product at N240 per litre.
However, most independent retailers of petrol in Lagos have adjusted their pump prices to between N290 and over N300 per litre.
The few IPMAN fuelling stations which had the products were selling at exorbitant prices as most of them have no stocks of petrol.
An independent marketer, Betsy Petrol at Alimosho LGA, Lagos told Vanguard that they were actually selling the last stock they had yesterday.
“I have pity for the Keke Marwa (commercial tricycle operators) and Okada (commercial motorcycle riders) who have been coming to the filing station in search of fuel. That is why I decided to open today and sell the little stock I have”.
The Federal Government had earlier concluded plans towards achieving stability in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry by gradually removing fuel subsidy with effect from April 2023.
*Total Deregulation Required —Marketers.*
Similarly, the Chairman, of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Olumide Adeosun, had earlier called for gradual deregulation of the sector.
“MOMAN, as an association, fears that the current supply framework cannot guarantee steady and consistent supplies to the country given the current state of government finances and unpredictable international supply shortages. We, therefore, recommend a gradual price deregulation with targeted palliatives (eg. Transport and agricultural subsidies) to the public to ease implementation.” he said.
*It’s A Step In The Right Direction —CPPE*
“This development is a step in the right direction” the Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf stated during a telephone interview with Vanguard, yesterday.
“This is a step in the right direction, but insufficient to make any meaningful impact because Nigerians are currently buying at prices ranging between N200 and N400 per litre in different parts of the nation, Yusuf added.
“We need to gradually move from here to possibly full deregulation in order to attract significant investment into the sector for the benefit of the nation.”
“The present subsidy is majorly enjoyed by a few persons involved in the value chain. The government should work towards opening the sector for the benefit of everyone.”
However, it was also learnt that the oil marketers were working on the proposal that would include full deregulation and implementation of the petroleum Industry Act. PIA to the Federal Government, an industry source posited.
*Expect Subsidy Removal— Finance Minister.*
This was disclosed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed during an interview with ARISE TV on the sideline of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, monitored by Vanguard yesterday.
“Where there is not enough revenue for the government to buy the refined petroleum products, we have had to borrow to buy the petroleum products. So, if we take that out, that is about N3.25 trillion. That is a significant relief, that we do not incur any more than that number that we projected for in 2023”.
Attributing the delay in fuel subsidy removal to the prolonged aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, Ahmed had said: “It was a decision that was taken as a collective, recognizing the fact that due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and also heightened inflation, that removal of the fuel subsidy at that time, would have increased more burden on the citizen.
“The president does not want to contemplate a situation where measures are taken that is further going to burden the citizens. So, the decision was to extend the period from June 2022 (sic) to 18 months, beginning from January 2022.
“So, in June 2023, we should be able to exit. The good thing is, we hear a consistent message that everybody is saying this thing needs to go. It is not serving the majority of Nigerians.
“I listened to some of the new leaders that are campaigning for the next round of leadership in the country that is saying they will get rid of it very quickly.
“What will be safer is for the current administration to maybe at the beginning of the second quarter to start removing the fuel subsidy because it’s more expedient if you remove it gradually than to wait and move it all in one big swoop.
“So, the idea for us in the budget is that the subsidy costs should not exceed that N3.23 trillion. So, whether it’s done completely 100 per cent by June or by July, or whatever, it’s a process.”
*The Organized Labour calls for mass rejection of the APC.*
The Organized Labour have since expressed shock over the increase, describing it as the “last kick of a dying regime.”
Security anonymous status, a leader of the organized labour told Vanguard that a holistic look into this insensitive decision will be taken at a meeting of the organized labour which he believes will hold soon.
Calling on the Nigerian masses to not only resist the hike but to express their frustration during the forthcoming general elections, he said “It is shocking that this government has decided to add to the suffering of Nigerians in the midst of unbearable hardship occasion by anti-people’s policies of the government.
“This increase is totally rejected and unacceptable to organized labour and the entire suffering Nigerian masses. We see this increase as the last kick of a dying regime and Nigerians are not ready to die with the regime. We cannot continue on this lane. The government cannot continue to use its failures to punish Nigerians.
“We have an understanding that we are not going to talk about any of the issues until the local refineries are functioning. It is wicked, insensitive and the height of provocation.”
We are not only going to resist the Nigerian masses, but the Nigerian workers and the ordinary Nigerians will also express their frustration at the polls. The increase has reinforced the belief that Nigerians must take our destinies into our hands.”
By Favour Bibaikefie
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially debunked claims spreading across social media platforms that its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been dismissed by President Bola Tinubu. A widely circulated message on WhatsApp falsely alleged that Prof. Yakubu had been replaced by Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan.
Reacting to the rumors in a statement to Vanguard, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, firmly denied the claims. “Please, disregard. It is not true,” he stated.
Prof. Yakubu, currently serving the final months of his second term, is expected to step down later this year. The procedure for selecting a new chairman involves several stages: the President nominates a candidate, who is then profiled by the Department of State Services (DSS). The nominee must then be reviewed by the National Council of State before the name is submitted to the Senate for confirmation.
At this time, no official declaration has been made regarding any successor to Prof. Yakubu.
News
She Defied all Roadblocks: Prof. Jimoh Slams Security Clampdown on Senator Natasha’s Homecoming
By Favour Bibaikefie
Lagos, Nigeria – A senior academic has strongly criticized the heavy-handed security measures that paralyzed an entire senatorial district in Kogi Central during Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent homecoming.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Prof. Jide Jimoh, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Lagos State University (LASU), condemned the security clampdown, which saw major roads across the area barricaded by operatives in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s visit.
“How can you shut down literally a whole local government senatorial district just because somebody is trying to visit?” Prof. Jimoh questioned, expressing concern about the implications of the action for democratic engagement in the region.
Despite the heightened security and road closures, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan outmaneuvered the obstruction by arriving via helicopter — a move that took both her supporters and opponents by surprise.
Prof. Jimoh commended the senator’s tactical ingenuity. “In terms of strategic planning, she was ahead of her adversaries,” he said. “I never expected that she would come in on a helicopter, having seen that the whole roads leading to where she was supposed to go had been barricaded by security agencies. In terms of strategy, she was quite ahead of her adversaries.”
The LASU dean emphasized that the incident raises significant concerns about political freedom and the state of democracy in Kogi State. He described Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s bold decision as a powerful statement against forces attempting to suppress her political outreach and reaffirmed the need for fairness in political processes.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s helicopter arrival not only circumvented the blockade but also reignited public discourse on the misuse of state security resources and the importance of safeguarding democratic rights.
News
Peretengboro Blasts Lokpobiri Over Rivers Crisis Remarks, Accuses Him of Siding with His Stomach and Insulting Ijaw Nation Further
By Divine Perezide
Warri, Nigeria — April 5, 2025: Prominent Ijaw Youth Leader and CEO of IduwiniVoice, Prince (Dr.) Peretengboro KlintinBibaikefie, has condemned the recent comments made by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) National President, Jonathan Lokpobiri, over the political crisis in Rivers State, describing his remarks as “reckless, disappointing, and a betrayal of Ijaw interests.”
In a statement released to press men in Warri, Dr. Peretengboro accused Lokpobiri of unfairly and shamefully blaming the Ijaw people for the state of emergency declared in Rivers State, while carefully avoiding any criticism of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is clearly the center of the crisis.
“Jonathan Lokpobiri is towing the same shameful path with the very weak President Bola Tinubu who either has zero knowledge of the mind games Wike’s camp has played throughout the said crisis or is the real orchestra of the entire imbroglio — exonerating Wike in the face of glaring complicity, just to protect his brother, the Minister of State for Petroleum,” Peretengboro said. “If his role as an Ijaw leader conflicts with his stomach, then he should do the honourable thing and resign. Better still, keep quiet, and allow the spokesman to speak for Ijaw people. But no, he needed to show to Wike on who’s side he stands”
The video of Lokpobiri’s controversial remarks, which has gone viral across social media platforms, shows him lambasting the Ijaw people over the situation in Rivers State. However, the IYC President made no mention of Wike’s role in the political instability and carefully crafted plot by Wike and Tinubu to remove Gov. Fubara, using the emergency declaration — a silence that has drawn sharp criticism from several Ijaw stakeholders.
Peretengboro insisted that Lokpobiri should have allowed the IYC National Spokesman to address such sensitive matters on behalf of the Council rather than acting in a way that undermines the unity and dignity of the Ijaw nation, even in the glirring face of suppression by someone from a lesser minority.
“The speech was infamous and unrepresentative of the true position of Ijaw youths. All well-meaning Ijaws must rise up and condemn this disgraceful display by Lokpobiri,” he said.
He further called on the Ijaw National Congress (INC) to urgently summon Lokpobiri and call him to order, stating that his actions threaten to erode the credibility of the IYC and diminish its capacity to defend Ijaw interests.
“We all understand the dicy fix, Mr. Jonathan finds himself in this whole situation. He has been very passive since the beginning of the crisis in Rivers State because of that, but the IYC is not a personal platform. It is a collective voice of all Ijaw people with a history of struggle. Lokpobiri has failed in his leadership by letting his stomach control his brain instead of letting the IYC do its job, and the INC must act swiftly,” he concluded.
The IduwiniVoice, which also monitored the viral video, reports that discontent is growing among Ijaw communities, with many demanding a retraction of Lokpobiri’s statement and a formal apology to the Ijaw nation, and others demanding outright impeachment of the IYC President.