Business
Motorists groan as fuel sells for N1,400 per litre in Anambra
Motorists and commuters in Anambra State are groaning over the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol.
Our correspondent who monitored petrol situations and motor parks in major cities across the state, on Saturday, gathered that a litre of petrol sold for N1,400 in Onitsha, N1,300 in Nnewi, N1,300 in Ekwulobia and N1,200 in some parts of Awka.
Most petrol stations visited in these cities sold the product from N1,200 upward, except Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited which sold less.
Although the NNPCL petrol stations were not currently dispensing, they had long queues of vehicles waiting for them.
A filling station manager at the NNPCL in Awka, who pleaded anonymity, said they were not dispensing because they had run out of stock and waiting for supply.
“We are not currently dispensing at the moment because we have run out of stock and waiting for a new supply. Most of the vehicles you see in the queues have been there for over three days.
“We did not sell for some days because we had to wait for a directive on the new pump price. And when the directive came, we had to adjust our meter to reflect the new price.
“We were selling between N780 and 820 and when the directive came, we adjusted to N920, although, the price fluctuates. Our action depends on the signals we get, it is not by our making,” he said.
As a result of the development, transportation fares have continued to soar by as much as over 50 per cent daily, thereby leaving commuters to restrict their movements to certain areas.
For instance, movement from Onitsha to Awka which used to be N1,000 is now N1,600, and Upper Iweka to Oba which used to be N500 now goes for above N700. Likewise, every other route has been increased significantly.
Checks by our correspondent also showed that the development has impacted negatively on the prices of communities, especially foodstuffs as food vendors have also continued to hike their prices on the excuse of “high cost of transportation”.
A commercial bus driver, Mr Okey Udo, who plies the Onitsha-Nnewi routes, said, “The fuel situation is making life unbearable for us as we now spend most of our income on buying fuel. As a result of this, most of us have resorted to operating only during peak hours to quickly recoup the money we spend on fuel.
“This is because passengers are no longer on the roads as it used to be because most people have reduced their movement while some have resorted to trekking. Drivers are now working for filling station owners and spare parts dealers, from the little we make a day.”
A resident of Nnewi, Mr Nkechi Udeh, who trekked a long distance from Triangle Roundabout to the local secretariat, said before the latest fuel hike, tricycle operators were collecting N200, but now raised the fare to N400.
“I have resorted to trekking to work at the secretariat in order not to be stranded since I am still very fit and strong. If not for the dangers, I would have used my bicycle for the movement. But you know, it is a very busy road, and riding a bicycle on such a road is not advisable.
“A lot of people are now trekking to their various destinations. I don’t blame them, the current economic hardship is telling on everyone, the government should please, do something to help the masses.”
A commuter in Awka, Ifeoma Uzor, said, “This fuel situation is gradually getting out of hand and regrettably, those concerned are just watching. This is a shame for a country.
“I am at the park at Aroma Junction in Awka, to board a commercial vehicle going to Nnewi. It used to be N1,200, but today, it’s almost N1,800. Look at the suffering the common man is passing through in the country while our leaders don’t show empathy.”
PUNCH
Business
No Bad Blood Over New Cement Factories, But Our Mining Rights Run Till 2045 — Ibeto Tells Ebonyi Govt
ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE — Billionaire industrialist and Chairman of Ibeto Group, Dr. Cletus Ibeto, has clarified his position on plans by the Ebonyi State Government to establish a new cement manufacturing plant, saying he has no objection to fresh investment in the state provided his company’s existing mining rights are respected.
Ibeto, who is also a core investor in the Nigerian Cement Company (Nigercem), said the proposed development should not interfere with areas covered by valid mining leases held by his company.
“We are not against the establishment of new cement factories in Ebonyi State. However, such developments must not interfere with or overlap the specific areas where Ibeto Group holds valid Mining Lease Licences issued by the Federal Ministry,” Ibeto stated.
He said the company’s statutory mining leases covering limestone deposits in the Nkalagu axis remain valid until 2045.
Ibeto stressed the need for proper delineation and mapping of mining areas to prevent conflicts between existing title holders and new investors seeking to establish businesses in the state.
Under Nigeria’s legal framework, mineral resources are vested in the Federal Government, with mineral titles administered through the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Mining Cadastre Office.
Nigercem Ready to Resume Operations
Addressing concerns over the future of the historic Nigercem plant, Ibeto said Ibeto Group remains committed to reviving the facility and is ready to commence work once outstanding administrative issues with the state government are resolved.
He said the company’s position should not be interpreted as opposition to new investment in Ebonyi, stressing that his concern was the protection of legally acquired mining rights.
The development could pave the way for both the revival of Nigercem and the entry of new investors into Ebonyi’s cement industry, provided the respective mining areas are clearly mapped out and existing legal titles are respected.
Business
Patience Jonathan Hails Azikel Boss Eruani as ‘Small Boy’ She Mentored Into Billionaire League
She said her guidance was behind his bold entry into big business at a relatively young age.
The former First Lady spoke on Tuesday in a video which went viral on Thursday during an inspection tour of the Azikel Refinery in Obunagha, Bayelsa State, alongside other dignitaries.
She said she personally introduced Eruani to billionaire businessmen, Aliko Dangote and Aminu Dantata, and pushed him to aspire to their level despite being the youngest among them.
“He’s a boy that I brought up. We are always together. Although he’s the little one among us when we are friends — Dangote, Seyi, Dantata, Eruani — among us, he’s the smallest. But I made sure he followed the Dangotes, he followed Dantata.
“Because I’m a woman in their midst, I made sure I told this small boy, ‘Go and follow them, and stop the grammar.’ But when he told me that one day he would be like Dangote, I said, ‘You’re thinking too high.’ I prayed to God to grant him his heart’s desire,” she said.
The former First Lady also recalled how the immediate past APC administration under Muhammadu Buhari initially failed to grant Eruani a refinery licence before eventually approving three.
“During the Buhari administration, he and others came to me and told me they were going to apply for a refinery. I told him, ‘Eruani, your brother, the President, did not give you a refinery.
“Is it the APC government that will give you one?’ I prayed it would happen. But later, they came back and told me they had been given three refineries,” she said.
The 25,000 barrels-per-day plant is a private hydro-skimming refinery designed to process condensate into petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and other products.
It is set to become Nigeria’s second-largest full-slate refinery and the first major privately owned refinery in the Niger Delta.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, who joined the inspection tour, commended Eruani for his perseverance, noting that he had attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony eight years ago.
Ogbuku described the refinery as an inspiration and a potential catalyst for investment, job creation and economic growth in Bayelsa State, and urged residents, particularly youths, to key into the opportunities it would create.
He also praised the Bayelsa State Government for improving road infrastructure leading to the refinery site and called for continued support for the project.
Governor Douye Diri, who was represented at the inspection by his deputy, Peter Akpe, has consistently backed the project, which is expected to employ hundreds of workers and drive industrialisation in the state.
Other dignitaries at the event included the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo; Vice President of Azikel Group, Presley Asemota; and Isaac Yalah, among others.
A market check on Tuesday showed that NNPCL outlets in Abuja and nearby areas adjusted their petrol price from N1,155 per litre to N1,270 per litre.
The latest adjustment represents an increase of N115 per litre by the state-owned oil company.
The new price change follows recent increases by depot owners and petroleum marketers, who have adjusted their rates twice within a week.
The latest development also comes days after Dangote Refinery resumed the sale of refined petroleum products in dollars, a move that has raised concerns among industry players over the direction of fuel pricing in the country.
The Federal Government has disclosed that 13 of the 50 oil and gas blocks offered in the 2025 Licensing Round will be returned to the licensing basket after failing to attract bids from prospective investors.
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Tuesday at the 2025 Commercial Bid Conference in Abuja.
Eyesan said that although 50 blocks were initially put up for bidding, prospective investors showed interest in only 37.
“At the end of the exercise, we had 50 blocks on offer, but we only had representation for 37 of those 50 blocks. Thirteen of those blocks will be returning back to the basket,” she said.
She further disclosed that 143 companies participated in the commercial bid process, submitting about 200 bids for the available oil and gas assets.
“We have a total of 143 companies showing interest for 200 bids. That, for us, was remarkable, and I must say thank you,” Eyesan stated.
According to her, nearly 300 companies initially expressed interest in the licensing round, which she described as a sign of renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.
“When we started the journey, we got interest from almost 300 companies. I repeat, almost 300 companies. That, in my view, was an indication that the tide has turned for Nigeria,” she said.
She explained that the number of interested companies was reduced to 196 following the prequalification stage, before the process moved to the technical and commercial evaluation phases.
“From the almost 300 interests that we got, we moved to the pre-qualification stage, and that number was pruned down to 196,” she added.
The 2025 Licensing Round was launched on November 11, 2025, in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, with 50 oil and gas blocks put up for bidding across seven sedimentary basins.
The assets comprise 16 Niger Delta onshore blocks, 18 shallow-water blocks, one deep offshore block, three blocks in the Benin Basin, four in the Anambra Basin, four in the Chad Basin and four in the Benue Trough.
The bid portal opened on December 1, 2025, while a pre-bid conference was held in Lagos on January 14, 2026, to provide prospective investors with guidance on the bidding requirements.
Registration and prequalification submissions closed on February 27, 2026, with the prequalification process completed on March 16.
The NUPRC said winning bids are being determined through a weighted evaluation that considers signature bonus commitments, proposed work programmes and performance security. The process combines technical and commercial scores rather than relying solely on financial offers.
The framework is aimed at ensuring that Nigeria’s petroleum assets are awarded to investors with the financial capacity, technical expertise and operational strength required to accelerate exploration and production in the country’s upstream sector.
The new pricing template, which took effect on July 13, 2026, also pegs Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) at $1.087 per litre and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) at $0.942 per litre, while coastal deliveries of PMS have been fixed at $1,044.62 per metric tonne.
The development marks the end of naira payments for refined petroleum products, a policy introduced after the commencement of the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude initiative on October 1, 2024.
In a notice issued to petroleum marketers and customers, the refinery announced that all previously issued naira-denominated Proforma Invoices and Deal Recaps for both gantry and coastal transactions had become invalid.
The notice, signed by the refinery’s Group Commercial Operations, directed customers not to make payments against the cancelled invoices, stating that all transactions would now be conducted in United States dollars.
Under the revised pricing schedule, petrol supplied through the gantry will sell for $0.779 per litre, diesel for $1.087 per litre, aviation fuel for $0.942 per litre, while coastal PMS supplies will cost $1,044.62 per metric tonne.
The refinery, however, clarified that the transition does not affect Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which will continue under its existing payment arrangement.
Industry sources said the decision followed a growing imbalance between the currency used to procure crude oil and that used to sell refined products.
According to the sources, the refinery now receives a larger share of its crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under dollar-denominated supply arrangements, while a significant volume of its refined products had continued to be sold locally in naira.
The resulting mismatch, coupled with exchange-rate volatility and fluctuations in global crude oil prices, reportedly increased the refinery’s foreign exchange exposure and prompted the adoption of a uniform dollar-based pricing framework.
A source familiar with the development explained that the shift became necessary as the volume of naira-denominated crude supplies declined relative to dollar-based crude cargoes.
“The refinery is receiving fewer naira-denominated crude cargoes while a larger proportion of its refined products has continued to be sold in naira. That imbalance, combined with foreign exchange volatility, made the transition to dollar pricing inevitable,” the source said.
The decision is expected to have significant implications for petroleum marketers who source products directly from the refinery for nationwide distribution. It could also influence retail pump prices, depending on movements in the exchange rate, international crude oil prices, logistics costs and marketers’ operating expenses.
The Federal Government had introduced the naira-for-crude policy to encourage domestic refining, reduce pressure on foreign exchange demand and stabilise fuel prices. However, industry stakeholders have recently reported implementation challenges, noting that a growing proportion of crude supplies to local refiners has reverted to dollar-based transactions.
Analysts believe the latest development underscores the continued foreign exchange challenges facing Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector despite efforts to deepen local refining and reduce dependence on imported fuel.
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