News
Dangote refinery plans crude importation, targets 650,000bpd
Officials at the plant said the facility has ramped up production to about 500,000 barrels per day, with the target of hitting the 650,000bpd mark by June this year.
While affirming that the naira-for-crude deal is still on as directed by President Bola Tinubu last year, the sources, who spoke in confidence due to lack of authorisation to speak to the press, maintained that the facility will have to import more crude to meet its target.
For the 650,000-capacity refinery, the NNPC is reportedly struggling to supply 350,000bpd from the 450,000bpd crude meant for Nigeria’s local consumption.
With its current production capacity of 500,000bpd, officials said there is a need to look beyond the shores of Nigeria for the feedstock.
According to them, the claim is not that the NNPC cannot supply crude, but that the feedstock needed by the refinery daily cannot be solely supplied by the state-owned oil company.
Asked if the refinery plans to import more crude now that the NNPC refineries are coming back on stream, one of the impeccable sources at the plant replied, “Of course!
“This is a 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery. And as you know, we are also ramping up. You see, maybe by the middle of the year, we will hit 650,000. Do you know what 650,000bpd means?“
Another source corroborated this, saying, “It is not that anybody is saying NNPC cannot do it. No! But you look at what we have. We are not a 200,000bpd refinery. We are talking about 650,000 barrels.
“Currently, we are at 500,000bpd; we will ramp to 650,000 by midyear. You know what it means? So, it is a normal process to source crude oil anywhere it is available.”
In another chat with our correspondent, a consultant to the refinery boasted that the refinery game is for the ’big boys’, saying the refinery is one of the largest in the world.
“It is not that anybody is saying NNPC cannot do it. The game is up, and the game is for the ’big boys’.
“How many 650,000-capacity refineries do you have in this world? Even in the entire Europe? Have you seen the OPEC report? They said the refinery is affecting their PMS market in Europe. Of course, the eagle has landed,” he stated.
On the burn rate of Dangote petrol, the consultant explained, “The whole thing is simple. You know we are producing the Euro 5 standard. So, the quality is bound to be high. That’s what Nigerians are experiencing in the burn rate of our petrol.”
Naira-for-crude deal
As Nigeria’s refining capacity increases, the 450,000 barrels of crude oil allocated for local refineries is no longer enough.
This is as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission revealed that the Dangote refinery, the Port Harcourt refinery, and six others would need 770,500 barrels for daily fuel production.
From data the NUPRC sourced from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the country’s refining capacity is put at 974,500 barrels per day, taking a look at only functioning refineries.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved that the 450,000 barrels meant for domestic consumption be offered in Naira to Nigerian refineries, using the Dangote refinery as a pilot. The exchange rate will be fixed for the duration of this transaction,” Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga announced last year.
In October, the committee supervising the naira-for-crude deal commenced the sale of crude to only the Dangote refinery in naira, saying it would sell to only petrol-producing refineries.
However, with the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries coming on stream, more refineries would be considered for the naira-for-crude arrangement.
The NUPRC said 123.5 million barrels of crude would be needed by eight refineries in the first six months of 2025.
The refineries are: Dangote refinery, Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery, Kaduna refinery, Opac refinery, Waltersmith refinery, Duport Midstream Company Limited, Aradel refinery and Edo refinery.
According to the crude oil production forecast of producing oil companies and the refining requirement of functional refineries in Nigeria signed by the NUPRC Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, the Dangote refinery is forecasted to need 550,000 barrels of a blend of Nigerian crude oil daily, 17.05 million barrels monthly, and 99.55 million barrels between January and June 2025.
Opac refinery requires 5,000bpd; Waltersmith needs 4,500bpd; Duport needs 2,000bpd while Edo refinery requires 1,000bpd.
Others are: Aradel refinery, 7,000bpd; Port Harcourt refinery, 60,000bpd; Warri refinery, 75,000bpd, and Kaduna refinery, 66,000bpd.
It was learnt that the first phase of the naira crude sale would be for six months.
In April, the Federal Government would review the programme to ascertain its success or otherwise.
Already, the Dangote refinery is already building eight more tanks to store imported crude.
The $20bn refinery is planning to stockpile imported crude oil as local supplies become unreliable.
Officials of the refinery were quoted as saying that low crude supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited “is driving import dependence.”
The building of eight additional tanks will see crude storage capacity at the $20bn refinery jump by 41.67 per cent to 3.4 billion litres.
“Importing crude from other countries instead of buying locally means that our crude stockpiles will have to be higher,” the Vice President in charge of oil and gas business at Dangote Industries, Devakumar Edwin, was quoted as having said.
“So we have started building eight additional crude tanks to hold a billion litres, over and above our original storage capacity. Four of them are nearing completion,” Edwin added, saying crude supply from the NNPC is “still very low”.
With the implementation of the naira-for-crude initiative, the NNPC is expected to supply about 385,000 bpd of crude oil to the Dangote refinery to be paid for in naira. However, it could not be immediately confirmed if this has been the case.
Experts have argued that as Nigeria ramps up crude production, local refineries may have to resort to importation.
News
OYC Warns ICPC Chairman Against Alleged Bias in Uche Nnaji Case
The Apex sociocultural youth organization of the Igbo race worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has described the current arrest made by the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offence (ICPC) against former Minister of Science and Technology and the 2027 People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Enugu State, Hon. Uche Nnaji, regarding his certificate, as a deliberate political witch-hunt orchestrated by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Gov. Peter Mbah.
In a press address in Enugu on Wednesday, 8th July 2026, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), called on Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to maintain the commission’s ethical standards, threatening to seek his removal if evidence confirms the alleged bias of ICPC in favor of Governor Peter Mbah against Hon. Uche Nnaji regarding the 2027 Guber election.
*The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) revealed that the fight against Hon. Uche Nnaji is a battle for the Enugu Governorship and the “Lions Building Seat” in 2027, and dismissed the certificate forgery allegations against Uche Nnaji as a political distraction and blackmail.*
The surreptitious entry into the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to obtain a court order detaining Hon Uche Nnaji is a teleguided executive overreach attributed to Gov Peter Mbah apparently aimed at silencing Hon Uche Nnaji, which is highly censurable.
The Council stated that “A court of competent jurisdiction is presently handling the unsubstantiated certificate forgery case, and the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Hon Uche Nnaji have opted for an out-of-court settlement, following recent findings of misinformation.
Therefore, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), should maintain a neutral stance regarding the Enugu State Governorship battle to preserve his reputation built through his legal career and public service, and avoid being perceived as succumbing to Governor Peter Mbah’s alleged attempts to utilize executive power to blackmail and witch-hunt Hon. Uche Nnaji.
The Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) warned Governor Peter Mbah to concentrate on fulfilling his unfulfilled campaign promises to Enugu State rather than chasing Hon Uche Nnaji through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
News
Governor Mbah’s Compassionate Gesture Brings Relief to Enugu Fire Victims
Families displaced by the recent fire outbreak in the Asata area of Enugu have received immediate relief from the Enugu State Government following the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah, who directed that palliative support be provided to ease their suffering.
Chairman of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (ESEMA), Chinasa Mbah, disclosed that the agency promptly delivered the relief materials in compliance with the governor’s directive.
“We have given them some palliative as directed by His Excellency. Our report has equally gone in, and we await further instructions,” Mbah said.
She explained that ESEMA has completed its assessment of the incident and submitted its recommendations to the state government, adding that additional assistance for the affected families will depend on the governor’s approval of the agency’s report.
The swift response underscores Governor Mbah’s commitment to standing with citizens in times of distress. The victims, whose homes and belongings were destroyed in the fire that gutted two flats in a two-storey building on Church Road, Asata, are expected to receive further support as the government considers ESEMA’s recommendations.
News
Questions Persist As Almajiri Commissions Attempts to Defend Projects Outside Its Mandate
The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has defended the inclusion of projects outside its statutory mandate in the 2026 budget, insisting they are National Assembly constituency projects assigned to the commission for implementation.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public scrutiny, with critics questioning why a commission established to tackle the Almajiri system and out-of-school children—challenges largely concentrated in Northern Nigeria—is overseeing projects reportedly located in parts of the South-West.
The controversy has also been fuelled by concerns over the scale of the allocations, as the value of the disputed constituency projects is said to far exceed the funds earmarked for the commission’s core education programmes.
Responding to the criticism in a statement issued on Monday, the commission’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Nura Muhammad, said the projects were included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the long-standing practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.
According to the commission, once such projects are approved in the federal budget and allocated to an agency, they become part of its implementation responsibilities.
“As part of a duly enacted federal budget, every project assigned to the commission forms part of its implementation responsibilities and will be executed in strict compliance with extant laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes,” the statement said.
NCAOOSCE maintained that the inclusion of the projects does not alter its statutory mandate, stressing that it remains focused on addressing the Almajiri system and reducing the number of out-of-school children across Nigeria.
The commission cited its achievements, including the profiling of more than 700,000 out-of-school children, the establishment of 119 learning centres, ward-to-ward advocacy campaigns, and the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education, as evidence of its commitment to its core responsibilities.
This version attributes the concerns to critics and public scrutiny rather than stating them as established facts.
News
Police Inspector Dies in Alleged Police Convoy Accident in Enugu
A Police Inspector, Dr. Obodo Paul Ikechukwu, has reportedly died after he was involved in a fatal road accident allegedly involving a police convoy in Enugu State.
The deceased, who hailed from Nkpologu in Enugu State, was serving in the Operations Department of the Enugu State Police Headquarters at the time of the incident.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but sources said the inspector was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle in a police convoy.
Dr. Obodo, who was also a PhD holder, was described by colleagues and associates as a dedicated officer whose death has come as a shock to members of the police command and his community.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the incident, while further details are being awaited.
News
Mbaka Offers Prayers, Endorses Mbah’s Leadership Ahead of Election (See Video)
The Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu, , has offered prayers for , praying for God’s favour, protection, and victory as the state approaches the coming elections.
Speaking during a church gathering, Mbaka declared that Governor Mbah would succeed, expressing confidence that God, whom he said had begun a great work through the governor, would bring it to completion.
“It shall be well with Peter Mbah; may the favour of God be with him. We back him with our prayers. The Adoration family throws our prayers around him, that he will succeed, in the name of Jesus. May God grant him the power of victory at the end of the whole election,” Mbaka said.
The cleric further expressed hope that Mbah’s leadership would bring joy to the Igbo people, the people of Enugu State, and the Church, adding that the Igbo economy could witness greater advancement under his administration.
According to Mbaka, the progress recorded so far gives hope that greater achievements lie ahead, stressing that God would perfect the work already begun.
His remarks come as political activities continue to gather momentum ahead of the forthcoming elections.
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