News
Fuel crisis: Nigeria Approves 300 Trucks To Assist Niger Republic
The West African country reached out to Nigeria despite months of diplomatic tensions and hostile rhetoric.
A delegation of senior officials of the military junta travelled down to Abuja to meet Federal Government representatives.
At the end of the deliberation, 300 trucks of Premium Motor Spirit were reportedly approved for delivery to the country.
A senior government official aware of the development said Nigeria approved the deal with the hope of using it as a “strategic bargaining tool” in ongoing negotiations with Niger.
According to the official, the delegation explained that Niger had been reliant on fuel from a Chinese refinery.
However, due to issues with the supplier, the refinery was shut down, leaving the country with limited options.
Our correspondents gathered that Niger turned to Nigeria after the fuel shortage problem became critical. However, the details of the arrangement are said to be secret.
“We do not want to blow our trumpet. Rather, we want to use it as a bargaining chip for negotiation, as we continue to engage with them to bring them back to ECOWAS.
“Let them get more from us. I am confident that gradually they will come back to ECOWAS because they do not have enough resources to import food to sustain their citizens,” the source added.
Officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited said the deal could have been done by the Presidency, as the national oil firm now operates as a limited liability company.
Similarly, a source at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery declined comments due to diplomatic concerns.
The Presidency also declined comments on the matter.
Niger fuel crisis
The fuel crisis in Niger reached alarming proportions last week after a litre of petrol sold for N8,000 in some parts of the country.
Findings by our correspondents in Sokoto State, which shares a border with Niger, showed that the price of petrol varied depending on the distance from Nigeria.
A transborder businessman from Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Usman, said, “There is serious scarcity of fuel in the country. It depends on where one is getting the fuel.
“In Konni, the border town between Nigeria and Niger, you can get a litre at 1,200 CFA, which is about N2,500. If you go to Agadez, the same litre of fuel is 3,000 CFA, equivalent to N7,500 per litre. In Arilit, a local government under Agadez, which is the border town between Niger and Algeria, it is 3,500 CFA, which is about N8,750 when converted to our currency.”
Usman attributed the scarcity to the deteriorating relationship between Nigeria and Niger.
An official of the Nigerian Immigration Service, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some trucks carrying petrol were sighted passing through the border.
Niger-China oil firm clash
The fuel crisis in Niger may have been self-inflicted after a confrontation between the ruling junta and Chinese oil companies which had long dominated the country’s petroleum sector.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, in an article he published on X, revealed that trouble began in March 2024 when the China National Petroleum Corporation granted the Nigerien government a $400m advance, using future crude oil deliveries as collateral.
The deal was to help Niger cope with crippling economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS following the July 2023 coup in the country.
However, when it was time to repay the debt, the junta was cash strapped.
Instead of negotiating, the military rulers were said to have decided to strong-arm China, slapping an $80bn tax demand on Soraz (Zinder Refinery Company) despite the state-owned Sonidep already owing Soraz a staggering $250bn.
The decision was said to have backfired and led to the collapse of Niger’s petroleum sector, which is heavily reliant on Chinese expertise and investment.
The Soraz refinery, the lifeline of Niger’s fuel supply, ground to a halt, and fuel shortages spread like wildfire.
But the Commercial Director of the state-owned Nigerien Company for Oil Products (Sonidep), Maazou Aboubacar, told AFP that the Soraz refinery in Zinder could no longer satisfy domestic demand.
According to him, the reason is principally down to the drying up of the flourishing black market supplied from Nigeria.
The country’s refinery only provides Sonidep with 25 tanker trucks of petrol a day, when the daily national requirement is up to twice that.
Domestic consumption was said to have been boosted by a cut in fuel prices introduced by the military regime that seized power in Niger in 2023.
Nigeria the good neighbour
Niger Republic’s Head of State, Brig. Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, had accused Nigeria of colluding with France to destabilise his country through the terror group, Lakurawa.
Speaking in Hausa in December 2024, Tchiani claimed that there were plans to establish a terrorist training camp in Gaba Forest, near Sokoto, as part of a supposed agreement between France and the Islamic State West Africa Province.
He further alleged that Nigerian authorities were aware of these developments.
The Federal Government denied the allegations.
In February 2025, Niger reportedly stopped some Nigerians from entering into its cities because they carried ECOWAS passports.
Makama, the counter- insurgency expert, said despite the false accusations and diplomatic snubs, Nigeria stepped in to help Niger with fuel which had been crossing into the country to ease the crisis.
While sharing videos of some of the fuel trucks going into Niger, he said the junta remained too proud to admit its dependency.
“While fuel shipments from Nigeria have already started alleviating the crisis, Niger’s state media has deliberately avoided reporting where the fuel is coming from. Instead, the government has attempted to portray the fuel availability as a result of its own internal measures, a claim that many Nigeriens are beginning to question,” he said.
Nigeria supplied 13.5 million litres of petrol
Reacting, oil marketers said although they were not aware of the deal, the export of 300 tankers to Niger Republic would amount to about 13.5 million litres of petrol.
It was calculated that 300 of 45,000-litre capacity trucks is about 13.5 million litres of petrol to be exported to Niger Republic.
The dealers, however, stated that Nigeria had enough to save the junta-led country from the current fuel crisis rocking it.
According to marketers, Nigeria may have passed the days of fuel scarcity as it now has the Dangote refinery, the Port Harcourt refinery, and others producing fuel locally even as importers bring more from other countries.
The National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, said he was aware of the fuel crisis in Niger Republic, adding that Nigeria had enough to bail out the country.
“I will not say we don’t have that capacity with the refineries we have in the country. I think we have enough to supply Niger Republic,” the IPMAN Vice President said.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced the demise of its Enugu State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Franklin O Agbakoba.
This is contained in a statement issued by FRSC Deputy Corps Commander in-charge of Enugu State Operations, DCC Kyrian C Okolo, on Friday in Enugu.
“FRSC Enugu State Sector Command received the sad news of the demise of CC Franklin Agbakoba on Thursday, July 30,2026.
“The late Sector Commander died at Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu where he was receiving treatment.
“His corpse have been deposited at the Eastern Medical Center, Enugu,” he said.
Until his death,CC Franklin Agbakoba made inter-agency collaboration and partnership his legacy and promoted safer roads within Enugu State.
The family’s head, Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi, made the demand during an interview with Arise News on Thursday.
“I think the family needs apology. The family needs to be compensated. We need sincere apology. We need sincere reconciliation,” he said.
He described his uncle as a visionary leader who was wrongly punished for a coup he had no role in.
“He was a man of vision. He was a detribalized Nigerian. He was a good leader,” he said.
Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi noted that his uncle’s tenure as Head of State was brief and ended violently.
“He occupied the seat of head of state for only six months, and he was taken away from us.
“Not because of a sin he committed, because he wasn’t part of the January 1966 coup.”
According to him, Aguiyi-Ironsi’s death resulted from his position rather than any wrongdoing on his part.
“Only because of his position as the most senior military officer, he was told to take charge. And then that cost him his life,” he said.
He expressed hope that his appeal would reach those with the power to act on it.
“Well, I hope there are people who are in positions to make this happen that are listening to you tonight,” he said.
Aguiyi-Ironsi served as Nigeria’s Head of State from January 16 to July 29, 1966, taking charge in the aftermath of the January 15, 1966 coup that had claimed the lives of the country’s political leadership.
He survived that coup and helped crush the mutiny, but his later decision to centralise power under Decree 34, along with his failure to prosecute the plotters, fuelled resentment among northern officers.
He was killed on July 29, 1966, alongside his host, Lieutenant Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, in a mutiny by northern soldiers that became known as the July counter-coup
The directive was contained in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026, and signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi.
Addressed to litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers, the circular said the order took immediate effect and formed part of efforts to uphold professional standards within the apex court.
The memorandum read, “I am directed by the Honourable the Chief Justice of Nigeria to notify all Litigation Staff, Legal Practitioners, Court Registrars, and Lawyers that the use of the title ‘Barrister’ as a prefix to names is inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
It further directed all affected officers to immediately stop using the title in official correspondence and other official materials.
The memo stated, “Consequently, all officers concerned are hereby directed to discontinue the use of the title ‘Barrister’ before their names in all official correspondence, records, documents, identity materials, and any other official engagements with immediate effect.”
The memorandum added, “Heads of Departments and Unit Heads are requested to ensure strict compliance with this directive by all officers under their supervision. Please be guided accordingly.”
The directive comes weeks after the Council of Legal Education cautioned prospective lawyers against wearing wigs and gowns or presenting themselves as qualified legal practitioners before they are formally called to the Nigerian Bar.
The council said such conduct undermined the dignity of the legal profession and warned that violators could face disciplinary measures.
It also reminded candidates that the use of legal regalia is governed by the Rules of Professional Conduct and is reserved for duly qualified legal practitioners
The Enugu State Government says it has intensified fight against quackery across all health professions, particularly in the laboratory practice within the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, revealed this on Friday while receiving the National President of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Dr. Casimir Ifeanyi, on a courtesy visit to his office in Enugu.
Ugwu decried the growing trend of unprofessional practices and establishments where laboratory services are combined with pharmacies, patient treatment areas, provision stores, and other unauthorised activities.
According to him, such practices are unacceptable and dangerous to public health.
He reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eliminate quackery especially in laboratory practices and operations through sustained monitoring, regulation and enforcement.
The commissioner also commended the association for its dedication to promoting excellence in medical laboratory science and public health advocacy.
He assured the team of the ministry’s willingness to collaborate with professional bodies whose activities align with the government’s vision of delivering accessible, quality, and people-centred healthcare services across the state.
Ugwu stressed the remarkable strides recorded under the administration of Gov. Peter Mbah in transforming the health sector, including investments in healthcare infrastructure, workforce development, primary healthcare revitalisation and improved service delivery.
He urged the association to remain steadfast in upholding professionalism and ethical standards, emphasising that stronger partnerships between government and healthcare professionals remained essential in building a healthier Enugu State.
Earlier, Ifeanyi, who made the visit with some members of his national executive and Enugu State Chapter of AMLSN, briefed the commissioner on the association’s forthcoming AMLSN Annual Public Health Lecture.
He solicited the state government’s goodwill, support and participation in the event, which would be held in Enugu.
“The annual lecture is aimed at advancing quality healthcare delivery, promoting public health awareness, and fostering stronger collaboration among healthcare professionals and government institutions,” he said.
He noted that the association remained committed to improving professional standards and supporting initiatives that would enhance healthcare outcomes for residents of Enugu State and Nigeria at large.
…Inaugurates Amufie Town Union executives
By Chinedu Sabastine
The Enugu State Government has urged Town Union President Generals (PGs) across the state to adopt inclusive leadership that promotes peace, unity and sustainable development in their communities.
The Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Chief Charles Egumgbe, gave the charge on Wednesday while inaugurating the newly elected 14-member executives of the Amufie Town Union in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.
The executive committee, led by the President-General, Engr. Kenneth Okechukwu Ogili, was presented with certificates of return at the ministry’s headquarters in Enugu.
Egumgbe urged the new leadership to ensure transparency, accountability and regular engagement with members, stressing that women and youths must be carried along in decision-making.
He advised the executives against operating exclusive caucuses, noting that town union affairs should be conducted openly through regular meetings where decisions are collectively taken.
“You must carry everybody along. Let your policies be all-inclusive and ensure that members are well informed about your activities. Matters should be tabled before the executive and decisions reached collectively,” he said.
The commissioner warned against abuse of office, particularly in matters relating to community land, stressing that anyone found working against the interest of the community could be removed under the state’s Town Union law.
“I don’t know whether you will receive remuneration because this is service to humanity. But whatever you do, don’t sell community land illegally. Land has a way of fighting for itself,” he cautioned.
Responding, the new inaugurated President-General, Ogili, pledged to lead with transparency and work closely with his executive to promote peace, unity and development in Amufie.
He said the administration would prioritise security by strengthening the neighbourhood watch and collaborating with security agencies to flush out criminals from identified flashpoints.
Ogili also promised to maintain a cordial working relationship with the traditional ruler of the community.
“The Igwe is our father. We have different constitutional roles, and there will be no conflict between us. We shall work harmoniously for the peace and progress of Amufie,” he said.
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