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Refining Fraud Through Oil
Refining fraud through oil
By Emeka Obasi
The Nigerian oil industry is a multi billion naira venture capable of creating one of the leading economies in the globe. It is the mainstay of robust nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait where results of transparency visit investors.
Unfortunately, this same Black Gold has become a curse in one of the largest oil producing nations of the world. There is nothing to show for the trillions of naira earned by successive governments, either military or civilian.
It is criminal that all the four refineries in Nigeria, with a capacity of 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) have been grounded since 2019. The two in Port Harcourt, one in Warri and another in Kaduna are not different from war relics, reminding compatriots of the pains of failed leadership.
The truth is that Nigerians have been told more lies by the government and Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited, than those who colonised Africa during the years of Imperialism. Deceit has become an official policy.
Port Harcourt refinery was built to turn out 210,000 bpd. There are reports that about 1.5 million dollars went into it in 2015 for Turn Around Maintenance (TAM). The only visible result is a moribund site that continues to create long lines in filling stations nationwide.
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, made several attempts to show how much he cared about the people. He began to issue statements of fact, raising hope that Port Harcourt refinery was ready to roar back to life.
It is impossible to determine how many times those promises turned empty and evaporated through the rough creeks of the Niger Delta. Hope was raised, D Day fixed for December 2022. Nearly two years after, D Day has moved as many times as it takes water to pass under the bridge.
The Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company attracted positive attention when the Managing Director, Desmond Inyamah, announced a December 2023 date as definite period of production. There are worries that after another year, nothing has happened. The story in Kaduna is not different.
While Nigerians remain in perpetual agony, some politicians and importers are growing fatter, gaining from the corrupt system that allows crude oil to be exported, refined and brought back to the country at perilous costs.It takes only the devil to understand why an oil producing nation enjoys the death of its refineries.
The shame is that there are citizens who are blessed with the ingenuity to stem this robbery. During the Civil War, the only refinery was in the Garden City, under the breakaway Republic of Biafra. When Port Harcourt fell in May 1968, the war did not end.
Biafrans went to work. A new refinery was built in Uzuakoli, by the Petroleum Management Board (PMB). How striking that one former Nigerian Oil Minister chose the acronym, PMB. Another refinery emerged in Amandugba, through the Research and Production Board. It took impoverished and landlocked Biafra months to build two refineries. For decades, Nigeria in peace time, has been unable to maintain four refineries.
Dangote Refinery is here; why are we unhappy? By Dele Sobowale
Dangote Fallout: Scotland’s only oil refinery to close next year, 400 jobs to go
During the war, Biafra found an alternative to oil. Dr. Clement Onyemelukwe, regarded as the Father of Electricity in Nigeria led efforts to produce fuel from coal. Today, there are coal deposits in the Enugu area, no attempt has been made to think out of the box.
What Nigerians gain from oil is lamentation. When President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015, a litre of Premium Motor Spirit was less than 100 naira. He was Petroleum minister as a soldier. The first thing he did as Oil minister and President, was to hike the price astronomically.
His successor, President Bola Tinubu, who is also the Oil minister jumped from 165 naira per litre to over 600 naira per litre. Today, Nigerians are struggling to see fuel to buy at over 1000 naira per litre after yet another hike.
This price hike is strange, coming less than one year after the NNPC flaunted a three trillion naira profit. It is only in skewed climes that a company that made trillions in profit will blame fuel scarcity on debt it owed global partners.
Aliko Dangote has been in a cat and mouse game with the NNPC. His resolve to open a new refinery was met with blackmail, politics and all sorts of damaging stories. Behind the facade, is the feeling that he has come to block leakages that gave thieves access to free loot.
In 1999, Dangote and his friend Femi Otedola, pioneered Blue Star Consortium to acquire 75 percent stakes in Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries. They were frustrated. He is back with Dangote Refinery. The oil bandits are fighting him and punishing the people.
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. If Biafrans could build refineries while killer bomber jets hovered around the them, why is the same not happening in Nigeria where there is no Civil War? It is obvious that those who decide our fate are killers of talent.
I feel so bad anytime news is made of government agencies raiding communities in the Niger Delta and destroying refineries. All the brains managing our oil feel threatened by the ingenuity of people who have no degrees in Petrochemical Engineering or any formal training but are able to do what government failed to do.
The world cannot understand how Nigerians continue to tolerate their leaders in big offices who relax at the back seat of fuel guzzling Sports Utility Vehicles while the masses spend days and nights watching over chaos in gas stations that grind them with high prices.
By: Divine Perezide
Bayelsa State has recently dominated media conversations – for both challenges and remarkable achievements. While reports of insecurity, cult clashes, and kidnapping occasionally surface, the state’s transformation under the administration of Senator Douye Diri continues to overshadow the negatives. From the Bayelsa Central Bus Terminal and the International Stadium to the Power Plant and now Bayelsa Air, the state’s development trajectory bears the mark of purposeful leadership. Indeed, the story of Governor Douye Diri aptly reflects the saying: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road.”
Good governance advocate and Editor-in-Chief of IduwiniVoice, Prince Dr. Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie, has described Governor Douye Diri as not just “The Miracle Governor” but “A Miracle-Working Governor.” According to him, it is rare to see a second-term governor working with such intensity while many of his peers are content showcasing their first-term achievements. “Only a miracle,” he asserts, “can inspire such dedication and passion.”
From the outset, Governor Diri’s journey has carried divine undertones. His emergence as Bayelsa’s fifth democratically elected Governor remains one of the most extraordinary twists in Nigeria’s political history a clear testament to the hand of God. Many across the political and social spectrum agree that his leadership was divinely orchestrated for a special mission, not just for Bayelsa but for the entire Ijaw Nation.
Upon assumption of office, Governor Diri inherited a near-empty treasury. The state could barely afford basic operations, including fueling vehicles and generators in Government House. Yet, rather than despair, he focused on service delivery, setting aside personal comfort for the work at hand.
Just as his administration was finding its footing, the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, shutting down economies and stalling progress. Hardly had the state recovered when the catastrophic 2022 flood one of the worst in Nigeria’s history ravaged communities. Being largely below sea level, Bayelsa was particularly devastated, with rivers and tributaries converging into the Atlantic Ocean across Ofits terrain.
At that point, many believed the governor’s tenure was doomed to fail. However, what seemed like setbacks were, in hindsight, divine tests preparing him for greatness. Each crisis became an avenue for providence to showcase grace. Today, the unfolding developments reveal a leader destined for transformation Generational Leader.
Such leaders appear once in a century figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, Chief Ernest Sisei Ikoli, High Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, and Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro. They share uncommon humility, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to peace, unity, and people-oriented governance. Governor Douye Diri exemplifies these virtues. Those close to him attest to his calm disposition, forgiving spirit, and tireless devotion to service.
Observers with spiritual insight often say that the spirits of Chief (Sen.) Dr. Melford Okilo, High Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, and Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro dwell within him, guiding his actions and shaping his vision for Bayelsa.
Indeed, the governor’s record speaks volumes. Beyond rhetoric, tangible projects now redefine the state’s landscape:
New Gas Turbines ensuring 24-hour power supply for Yenagoa and environs, Nembe-Brass Road, Yenagoa-Angiama-Otuan-Oporoma Road, New Yenagoa City Development Project, Glory Drive Phases II & III, Polaku-Sabagriea Road, Akaba-Ogu-Okodi Road, 25,000-capacity FIFA-standard Stadium, Angiama-Enewari Road, 9-storey New State Secretariat Complex, Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road, among others
The latest addition – Bayelsa Air – has again stunned Bayelsans and the world. The state recently acquired two aircraft to operate routes from Yenagoa and Port Harcourt to Abuja, Lagos, and other destinations, with plans for additional fleets underway.
This bold move has sparked public admiration and curiosity: Is the governor campaigning for a third term? Though constitutionally impossible, such speculation underscores public awe at his relentless pursuit of progress uncommon trait among second-term an leaders who often retreat into complacency.
With uninterrupted power supply, improved infrastructure, and expanding connectivity, Bayelsa is poised for an economic renaissance. Investors, entrepreneurs, and tourists will soon flood the state, unlocking new opportunities and prosperity.
In all, the people of Bayelsa have every reason to give thanks – for the gift of Governor Douye Diri, the Miracle Governor, and for the dawn of a new era of hope, growth, and transformation.
News
Just In: Ogulagha Community Mourn As Family Set To Lay Late Brateide Karawei To Rest October 10.
By: Favour Bibaikefie
The Karawei family of Ogulagha Community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State has announced the burial arrangements for remains of Late Mr. Brateide Karavei, who died on August 6, 2025,at the age of 73.
Until his death, Brateide, a cherished elder of the Karawei family, was a descendant of late Pa. Kalaoru Karawei of Ofou-Ware in Ofougbene Community and Mama Ayan Olukpa Karawei of Egbenebo Idumu in Agge Community, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was widely regarded as a devoted husband, father,grandfather, uncle, and community figure whose life touched many across Ijaw land and beyond.
According to a statement released by the family and signed by Chief Prefugha Karawei (JP), for the family and Tamarau-Layefa Karawei, for the Children, burial writes will begin on Friday, October 10, 2025. At 8:00AM., his body will leave Vennell Mortuary for his hometown, Ogulagha, where a brief Christian Funeral Service will be conducted by the Rock of Christ Evangelical Love Ministry (RCELM) at his residence in Obuko Idumu, Ogulagha town, followed immediately by interment.
Guests are billed to be entertained later in the evening during an All-night Social Wakekeeping from 7:00PM till dawn, at Ogulagha Hotwater/Garage.
An Outing/Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2025, by 8:AM, at the Rock of Christ Evangelical Love Ministry (RCELM), Ogulagha.
The death of Elder Brateide marks the departure of a respected figure in Ogulagha, Agge, and Ofougbene leaving behind memories of love, leadership, and community service as the Karawei family express deep sorrow over the home call of their father and patriarchal.
2027: Jerry Gana says Jonathan will Return as PDP Presidential candidate
Abuja – former of information, prof. Jerry Gana, has stirred Nigeria’s political space with a declaration that ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will return as the presidential candidate for the people’s Democratic party (PDP) in 2027.
Speaking during a political gathering, Gana recalled Jonathan’s famous word in 2025 when he started that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian. He noted that after Jonathan left office, another president served for eight years, and the current administration has spent two years in power. According to him, Nigerians have now experienced the difference and are calling for Jonathan’s comeback.
I can confirm that former president Goodluck Jonathan will contact the 2027 election as the PDP candidate, Gana affirmed.
The PDP Chieftain further expressed confidence in the resilience of his party, stressing that internal disputes would not derail it’s resurgence. He described the PDP as the most democratic political structure in the country, anchored on grassroots participation and popular support.
Gana maintained that Jonathan’s expected candidacy reflects the will of Nigerians who yearn for stability, utility, and credible leadership as the nation prepares for another election cycle.