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 Cabals still fighting our refinery – Dangote Africa’s richest man and president of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has insisted that the ‘cabal’ in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is still fighting against the success of his 650,000 barrels per day plant. Dangote disclosed this, according to Semafor, a global news platform, at an investor forum in Lagos at the weekend. He said, “For a very, very long time, those that have made a lot of money from government-subsidised oil imports into Nigeria were the ones trying to sabotage the $20 billion worth of refinery situated in Lekki, Lagos.” He further stressed that “those groups have funded resistance to the Bola Tinubu government’s removal of petrol subsidies and are opposed to the refinery operating easily in the country.” However, Dangote was confident that the battle between him and the groups would be won, priding himself on being a long-time fighter. “We’re fighting, and the fight is not yet finished. But I have been fighting all my...

 Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said that the country's economy can no longer afford to maintain electricity subsidies.  He advised Nigerians to prepare for the introduction of tariffs that reflect the true costs of electricity. At a meeting with the Chairmen of Nigeria's Generating Companies in Abuja, Adelabu emphasized that, “We have to understand that our economy cannot sustain subsidies indefinitely.” He, nonetheless, emphasized the government's commitment to offering targeted subsidies to support economically disadvantaged Nigerians. The Federal Government presently has an outstanding debt exceeding N4 trillion owed to Generating Companies (Gencos) for overdue subsidy payments. In its performance report for February, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) indicated that the average real tariff stands at N116.18 per kilowatt-hour, whereas consumers are charged N88.2 per kilowatt-hour. In February, the subsidy cost per kilowatt-hour was represente...

  Suspected Herdsmen Kill Driver, Abduct Passengers in Benue Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen hijacked a commercial vehicle along the Otukpo-Adoka road in Benue State on Sunday night, killing the driver and abducting all passengers. The attack occurred around 11 p.m. as the vehicle traveled from Abuja to Otukpo. Soldiers have launched a manhunt for the assailants. One more photo below.

 AKINWUMI ADESINA'S CLAIMS ON NIGERIA'S GDP PER CAPITA:  THE FACTS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY - BAYO ONANUGA A few days ago, outgoing AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina claimed that Nigerians today are worse off than in 1960, basing his conclusion on figures that do not align with available data. According to Nairametrics, he claimed that Nigeria's GDP per capita in 1960 was $1847 and that it is $824 today.  The quoted figures are not correct.  According to available data, our country's GDP was $4.2 billion in 1960, and per capita income for a population of 44.9 million was $93, not even one hundred dollars. Our country's GDP did not rise remarkably until the 1970s, when crude earnings ballooned. In 1970, our GDP rose to $12.55 billion. In 1975, it was $27.7 billion, $64.2 billion in 1980, and $164 billion in 1981. Up until 1980, per capita income did not exceed $880. It rose to $2187 in 1981 and dropped to $1844 in 1982. In 2014, after rebasing, it reached an all-time hig...

 World Bank: 75.5% of Rural Nigerians Now Live Below Poverty Line About 75.5% of rural Nigerians are living below the poverty line, the World Bank has revealed in its April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, highlighting deepening hardship and rising inequality. The report cites economic stagnation, inflation, and insecurity as key drivers, with poverty also widespread in urban areas. It noted that children, the uneducated, and northern regions are worst affected, and warned that high inflation continues to erode household incomes despite recent reforms. The Bank urged urgent policy action to protect vulnerable groups and create sustainable jobs.

 South Africa exit from DRC to be completed by 'end of May' South African troops withdrawing from the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have begun assembling in Tanzania and most should return home this month, the defence chief said on Sunday, AFP reported. Under the phased withdrawal that started on April 29, the troops are to exit the DRC via Rwanda by road before entering Tanzania, General Rudzani Maphwanya said. From there they will return to South Africa by sea and air by the end of May, he said. The soldiers are part of a regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) force that deployed to the eastern DRC in December 2023 during a resurgence of the M23 armed movement. Most of pullout to be complete by end of May The M23 now controls swathes of territory in the mineral-rich region. Thirteen trucks with 57 members of the SADC peacekeeping force (SAMIDRC) had already gathered at an assembly point in Tanzania, Maphwanya told reporters. The next gro...

 Shoe hurled from crowd hits Kenya's president while addressing rally Kenya's President William Ruto was hit by a shoe, which had been hurled from a crowd he was addressing in Western Kenya's town of Kehancha on Sunday, TRT Afrika reported. A short video clip of the incident shows the shoe landing on President Ruto's left arm, while he was making his address. The president's security team swung into action to protect the head of state, though the shoe had already hit his arm. No official statement of the incident had been issued as of the time of publishing this story. Development tour President Ruto started his three-day development tour of the Western Kenya county of Migori on Sunday. Migori is located over 370 kilometres west of Kenya's capital Nairobi. Migori County is largely allied to the opposition, which is led by veteran politician Raila Odinga, who unsuccessfully ran against Ruto in Kenya's August 2022 presidential election. President Ruto and Odin...