The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Tinubu hails Pate, Anna Makanju on Devex Power 50 list

    Tinubu hails Pate, Anna Makanju on Devex Power 50 list

    • …says honour reflects Nigeria’s abundant talents at home, in Diaspora
    • …charges duo to keep pushing excellence in global development

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated two prominent Nigerians, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Anna Adeola Makanju, Vice President, Global Impact at OpenAI, on their inclusion in the Devex Power 50 List for 2026.

    In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President described the recognition as well-deserved and a source of pride to Nigeria.

    The statement noted that Pate and Makanju were selected alongside 48 other global figures, including Ghana’s President John Mahama, for their role in shaping global development.

    “By their nomination, Pate and Makanju have made Nigeria proud. The honour is another testament to the infinite talents and potentials that abound in Nigeria and among Diaspora Nigerians,” Tinubu said.

    The President commended both nominees for what he described as their significant contributions to global development and their growing influence in critical sectors that affect human welfare.

    The Devex Power 50 is an annual curated list that identifies the 50 most influential people, organisations and initiatives shaping the future of global development.

    According to Devex, Prof. Pate made the list, among other reasons, for being the leading voice “advocating for improving health care access in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with a particular focus on sourcing health products domestically.”

    The development organisation added that Pate’s advocacy goes beyond Nigeria, noting that he is pushing reforms in global health systems.

    His work, Devex said, includes efforts “to reform the international global health infrastructure, making him one of the most recognised health ministers on the African continent and beyond.”

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    Pate previously served as the global director for health, nutrition and population at the World Bank.

    On her part, Devex noted that Makanju, who leads model deployment, policy and governance at OpenAI, has become a key figure in the fast-evolving global AI space.

    “She is leading OpenAI’s global outreach to governments, helping draft the first wave of AI guardrails and advising leaders on how to balance innovation with public safety,” Devex said.

    Makanju was previously a Special Adviser to former United States President Joe Biden.

    President Tinubu urged both Nigerians to remain committed to excellence and to continue contributing meaningfully to global development.

    He charged them to “continue working assiduously and striving for excellence in their chosen fields of human endeavour to further impact development worldwide.”

  • Tinubu plays father of the day role at Matawalle’s children’s wedding Fatiha

    Tinubu plays father of the day role at Matawalle’s children’s wedding Fatiha

    • …Ceremony at National Mosque draws top dignitaries, foreign leader
    • …Imam urges Muslims to prepare spiritually for Ramadan

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday played the role of the Father of the Day at the wedding fatiha of ten children of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, held at the National Mosque, Abuja.

    The brief but well-attended ceremony attracted a distinguished gathering of high-ranking dignitaries, including serving and former governors, members of the National Assembly, and heads of key government agencies.

    Also in attendance was the President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, President Carlos Vila Nova, lending support in a show of diplomatic goodwill and personal solidarity.

    The event began with Jumat prayers, after which the presiding Imam of the National Mosque, Professor Zakariyya Lukman, delivered a sermon centred on spiritual and physical preparation ahead of the Ramadan fast.

    He urged worshippers to embrace repentance, seek forgiveness and align their conduct with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as the holy month approaches.

    Proceedings later shifted to the solemnisation of the wedding fatiha involving five grooms and five brides, marking the union of ten of the minister’s children.

    The Minister married five of his sons and five of his daughters out to their pairs.

    The sons and their new brides are 

    Abdulahi Bello Matawalle and Fatima Sumaila Mera; Fahad Bello Matawalle and Maimuna Buhari Bello Maikusa; Bello Bello Matawalle and Huseina Maiwada Gwamna; Surajo Bello Matawalle and Yasmin Saheed; 

    The daughters and their grooms are Safiya Bello Matawalle and Yahuza Shehu Danfulani; Fareeda Bello Matawalle and Ibrahim Sahibi Salim; Nana Firdausi Bello Matawalle and Hon Nasiru Muazu; Aisha Bello Matawalle and Ibrahim Muktar.

    Special prayers were offered for the continued success of President Tinubu’s administration, as well as for peace, stability and prosperity across Nigeria.

  • Jimoh Ibrahim hails First Lady’s role in reframing Nigeria’s image abroad

    Jimoh Ibrahim hails First Lady’s role in reframing Nigeria’s image abroad

    Ambassador-designate and Senator representing Ondo South, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR, has commended Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for what he described as a strategic diplomatic intervention that has helped reshape global perceptions of Nigeria, particularly in the United States.

    Ibrahim, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, said the First Lady’s engagement at high-level international religious platforms, including a prayer breakfast attended by the United States President Donald Trump, had helped correct the narrative portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as religious genocide.

    According to him, the fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is married to a pastor clearly dispels allegations of religious bias or state-sponsored persecution.

    “If the President can have a pastor as his wife, then it is evident that he has no hand in religious genocide, which Nigeria is not known for,” the senator stated.

    He noted that the First Lady’s presence at such influential forums had helped redirect international opinion to view Nigeria’s security challenges as a national issue rather than a religious agenda, adding that this would encourage fair and merit-based international support for the Tinubu administration.

    Ibrahim emphasised that diplomacy goes beyond formal meetings, describing the First Lady’s engagement as an action driven by influence rather than rhetoric.

    “For her to gain access to that level of engagement is a demonstration of influence rooted in religious diplomacy, which lies at the centre of the global misunderstanding about Nigeria,” he said.

    The senator added that international relations are interest-driven and that perceptions of Nigeria, particularly by some national and  international political interests, had been shaped by religious sentiment.

    He said the First Lady’s intervention sent a clear message that while Nigeria faces security challenges, the President has no role in any religious persecution.

    Describing her as a stabilising diplomatic force, Ibrahim said her action had achieved in one moment what would ordinarily require years of diplomatic engagement.

    “This is a case of action speaking louder than words. History will be kind to her,” he added.

  • Firm challenges court ruling on over N1b Customs duty

    Firm challenges court ruling on over N1b Customs duty

    Orlean Invest Africa Limited has formally appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja that ordered the seizure and forfeiture of a Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000 aircraft, based on the the acceptance of the Customs Duty Assessment of over N1 billion , saying the trial court presumed the figure to be correct without any evidential foundation.

    The company insists that the decision was reached without evidence and amounts to a serious miscarriage of justice.

    The firm argues that the interim order was granted on the basis of bare and unsubstantiated claims by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and that the order was obtained through misrepresentation or concealment of material facts.

    The company maintains that compelling legal and factual reasons to discharge the order were placed before the court but were wrongly ignored

    The company has filed for a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment.

    The notice of appeal, it was learnt, was filed on 23 January 2026 by the company’s lead counsel, Mr. Ama Etuwewe (SAN), a day after the Federal High Court delivered its ruling.

    The appeal, now before the Court of Appeal, sets out seven grounds challenging both the factual findings and legal conclusions of the trial court.

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    At the heart of Orlean Invest Africa’s appeal is the argument that the Federal High Court wrongly concluded that the aircraft was imported into Nigeria by the company and remained in the country without payment of customs duties.

    The appellants maintain that there was no evidence whatsoever before the court to support such a finding. They contend that the aircraft does not belong to Orlean Invest Africa Limited and that no proof was presented to establish ownership or importation by the company.

    According to the appeal, the aircraft was flown into Nigeria strictly on a charter basis as a visiting aircraft and never remained permanently in the country.

    The company further argues that the aircraft has at all times been registered on the Malta Aircraft Registry and was never transferred to Nigerian registration. It insists that unchallenged evidence before the trial court showed that the aircraft last entered Nigeria in 2018, contradicting the court’s conclusion that it was imported and remained in Nigeria.

     Orlean Invest Africa says the judge substituted speculation for proof and delivered a decision unsupported by the record.

    The appellants also challenge the order of final forfeiture, arguing that there was no evidence before the Federal High Court to justify condemning the aircraft to the Federal Government. They insist that the trial judge wrongly held them liable for customs duty on an aircraft they neither own nor imported, and that no law or evidence supports such liability.

    A further ground of appeal contests the refusal of the trial court to set aside the ex-parte order of seizure and detention made in June 2025.

    Orlean Invest Africa argues that the interim order was granted on the basis of bare and unsubstantiated claims by the Nigeria Customs Service, and that the order was obtained through misrepresentation or concealment of material facts. The company maintains that compelling legal and factual reasons to discharge the order were placed before the court but were wrongly ignored.

    The appeal also challenges the acceptance of the customs duty assessment of over one billion naira, saying the trial court presumed the figure to be correct without any evidential foundation. In addition, Orlean Invest Africa contends that the trial judge wrongly held that the Nigeria Customs Service proved its case, despite what it describes as a complete absence of supporting evidence.

    The company states that the entire judgement is against the weight of evidence presented during proceedings at the Federal High Court.

    The firm is therefore seeking an order of the Court of Appeal allowing the appeal, setting aside the Federal High Court’s judgement delivered on 22 January 2026, and dismissing in full the Nigeria Customs Service’s application for forfeiture and condemnation of the aircraft.

  • Green Africa, Access Bank partner on aircraft acquisition

    Green Africa, Access Bank partner on aircraft acquisition

    Green Africa Airways has unveiled the acquisition of its second owned aircraft packaged with asset financing partnership with Access Bank

    The incoming aircraft, an ATR 72-600 with manufacturer’s serial number 1064 and registration mark 5N-GAC, according a statement by the carrier will help it increase capacity on its existing routes across the country.

    The aircraft, the airline said is expected to enter into service shortly after customary regulatory approvals.

    The statement reads:” As with the carrier’s first aircraft acquisition, Access Bank, one of the largest financial institutions on the continent, provided the naira debt facility to partly fund this strategic fleet expansion.”

    Founder & CEO of Green Africa, Babawande Afolabi, said: “We are delighted to welcome our second owned aircraft (5N-GAC) to the fleet.

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    The addition of 5N-GAC will help strengthen a sustainable foundation for Green Africa to grow and deliver on its promise to provide safe, reliable, and affordable air travel to a broader group of customers in the country and across the continent at scale.”

    Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, Roosevelt Ogbonna, said: “At Access Bank, we are committed to empowering businesses that drive economic progress and create long-term value for society. Our partnership with Green Africa reflects our confidence in visionary enterprises that are transforming critical sectors of the economy. Following the strong performance of Green Africa’s first aircraft acquisition, we are proud to extend our support for this second aircraft, which will further enhance capacity and accelerate growth. We remain steadfast in our mission to provide innovative financial solutions that enable businesses to scale, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s development.”

  • Committee backs Customs 40% clearance time

    Committee backs Customs 40% clearance time

    The Customs Consultative Committee (CCC) has backed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as it moves to cut cargo clearance time at the ports by 40 per cent, a reform driven by digital integration and projected to unlock up to N3 trillion in annual cost savings for the economy.

    The CCC threw its weight behind the initiative, describing it as a data-driven shift that could reposition the country’s ports within global supply chains, reduce demurrage losses and hardwire efficiency into customs administration through deeper digital integration.

    The support follows the recent unveiling of the Time Release Study (TRS) by Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the 2026 World Customs Day celebration on January 26.

    The study, conducted at Tin Can Island Port with technical backing from the World Customs Organisation (WCO), quantified how coordinated reforms across agencies could dramatically shorten cargo dwell time.

    Speaking in an interview, CCC’s Secretary Dr Eugene Nweke, said the findings mark a transition point for Nigeria’s trade ecosystem—from merely measuring delays to converting data into economic impact.

    “In an era where competitiveness is measured in hours, not intentions, the TRS positions the NCS as a modern customs administration capable of diagnosing bottlenecks with precision,” he said.

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    The TRS, a globally recognised customs performance tool, measures how long it takes cargo to move from arrival to final release at ports and border points. According to the Tin Can Island findings, harmonised digital processes and stronger inter-agency coordination alone could deliver a 40 per cent reduction in clearance time, freeing capital trapped in delays and improving supply-chain predictability.

    Nweke cautioned, however, that the study must not be misinterpreted as an indictment of institutions.

    “For the NCS to achieve its reforms, the TRS should be seen as a diagnostic tool, not a fault-finding exercise; and a source of process intelligence, not institutional blame,” he said.

    From a maritime business perspective, the implications extend beyond customs operations. Faster cargo turnaround, he said, directly influences vessel scheduling, terminal productivity, freight rates and Nigeria’s attractiveness as a trans-shipment and destination market in West and Central Africa.

    According to Nweke, the TRS aligns squarely with Adeniyi’s reform pillars, particularly trade facilitation and port efficiency.

    “It does that by identifying systemic dwell-time drivers, ease of doing business through measurable improvement indicators, alongside integrity and transparency by reducing discretionary bottlenecks,” he said.

    He added that the real value of the study lies not in the data itself but in the institutional response it triggers—policy refinement, process simplification, automation optimisation and structured stakeholder compliance education.

    “Without this bridge, even the best data becomes a missed opportunity,” Nweke said.

    The CCC also argued that embedding TRS benchmarks into management scorecards and key performance indicators could strengthen revenue performance, accountability and reporting to oversight bodies, including the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and international development partners.

    “The WCO-endorsed TRS is not an end in itself. It is a strategic national asset. When leadership drives the response and collaboration is structured rather than noisy, measurement translates into progress,” Nweke said.

    He added: “As Nigeria deepens its trade facilitation and port efficiency reforms, the message is clear that measurement creates clarity and leadership turns clarity into progress.”

    At the unveiling, Adeniyi described the TRS as a cornerstone of Customs’ modernisation agenda, aimed at making Nigeria’s trade gateways “secure, efficient, predictable and globally competitive.”

    He said the service would institutionalise the TRS as a continuous diagnostic tool rather than a one-off exercise, signalling a long-term commitment to evidence-based reform in port operations.

    For shipping lines, terminal operators and cargo owners, the success of the 40 per cent clearance-time cut could mark the difference between the country remaining a high-cost port environment, or emerging as a regional logistics hub with measurable efficiency gains.

  • Why govt’s refineries are not working, by Ojulari

    Why govt’s refineries are not working, by Ojulari

    The Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Bayo Ojulari, yesterday said operations of the government-owned refineries had to be stopped after it was glaring that continuing to operate the facilities was destroying value and draining public resources.

    The NNPC boss, while speaking at a fireside chat at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES), said after an internal review by the NNPC, it discovered that continuing to run the refineries amounted to monumental losses, low utilisation rates and the absence of a credible path to profitability, despite huge financial commitments sunk into them; hence the decision to shut down the refineries temporarily.

    “There’s no way in NNPC, with the structure we are in, we can run it positively. We don’t have the capacity right now. We need to bring in additional capacity to complement what we have,” Ojulari said.

    He blamed the state of the facilities on a fundamental flaw in the operational model which placed excessive focus on financing and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), while neglecting long-term operational excellence.

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    “To make a refinery work, you need three things: financing, a competent EPC contractor, and world-class operational capacity. Unfortunately, we focused on the first two and ignored the third,” Ojulari explained.

    He explained that financiers and EPC contractors are paid and exit, while the refinery must be operated for 20 to 50 years — a responsibility that NNPC was not adequately equipped to handle on its own.

    “The system was designed for everyone to take from it, not to put anything into it,” he said.

    According to him, crude oil cargoes were supplied regularly to the refineries, but utilisation hovered between 50 and 55 per cent, while operating and contractor costs continued to rise. Yet, the refined products coming out were often of lower value compared to the crude fed into the system.

    “At the end of the day, we were leaking value with no clear line in sight on how losses would turn into profits,” he said.

    The NNPC boss disclosed that it is no longer looking for contractors to run its refineries but experienced global operators with proven track records. This, he noted informed the NNPC’s Board to take a major decision to “stop the rot” by halting refinery operations and conducting a comprehensive review.

    Admitting political pressure to keep the refineries running was intense, Ojulari said the firm insisted on applying strict commercial logic.

    He disclosed that the commencement of operations by the Dangote Refinery provided critical breathing space which has allowed the NNPC to reassess its assets and pursue a more sustainable strategy.

    “Whether you love Dangote or not, thank God it is a Nigerian refinery, built in Nigeria and working in Nigeria,” he said, adding that NNPC is also a shareholder in the Dangote refinery.

    For now, investors have continued to show interest in the refineries. “They are visiting one of the refineries as we speak, one of them is a major Chinese company with one of the largest petrochemical plants in China and there are a few other companies as well. Negotiations on equity size are still ongoing; I won’t tell you more than that for now.

    “What matters to us is not just that the refinery works; but it must work sustainably. We are not selling Nigeria, but we are open to selling some equity, as much as required, to secure sustainability.

    “Our solution is to put a sustainable structure in place, one where the refinery can finance itself and run like a proper business,” he concluded.

  • Fed Govt urges IOCs to shore up oil output

    Fed Govt urges IOCs to shore up oil output

    Determined to attain its 2.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) crude oil production output target by 2027, the federal government yesterday challenged International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country to take decisive and concrete steps to ramp up their oil production capacity.

    Making the charge while speaking at a panel session at the ongoing 9th edition of the Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES), the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, said the performance of the petroleum industry is basically tied to the success of upstream operators, especially as the country’s economy remains largely dependent on foreign exchange earnings from the sector.

    Besides, he noted that the government has created an enabling environment for oil companies to operate effectively; therefore, they should not be an excuse not to meet the target.

    “I have always maintained that the success of the oil and gas industry is largely dependent on the success of the upstream. From upstream to midstream and downstream, everything is connected. If we do not produce crude oil, there will be nothing to refine and nothing to distribute. Therefore, the success of the petroleum sector begins with the success of the upstream.

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    “I am also happy with the team I have had the privilege to work with, a community of committed professionals.”

     From the government’s standpoint, it is important to state clearly that there is no discrimination between indigenous producers and other operators.

    “You are all companies operating in the same Nigerian space, under the same law. The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) does not differentiate between local and foreign companies. While you may operate at different scales, you are governed by the same regulations. Our expectation, therefore, is that we will continue to work together, collaborate, and strengthen the upstream sector for the benefit of all Nigerians,” Lokpobiri said.

    He assured that of government’s continued support for the industry through reforms, tax incentives and regulatory adjustments aimed at unlocking the sector’s full potential.

    “We have provided extensive incentives to unlock the sector’s potential through reforms, tax reliefs and regulatory changes. Now is the time for industry players to reciprocate by investing, producing and delivering results,” he said, adding that Nigeria’s success in the upstream sector would have positive spillover effects across Africa, while failure would negatively impact the continent’s midstream and downstream segments.

  • Elumelu-backed Redtech mulls $100mcash raise, transactions hit N30 trillion

    Elumelu-backed Redtech mulls $100mcash raise, transactions hit N30 trillion

    A Nigerian financial-technology company backed by Nigerian businessman, Mr Tony Elumelu, Redtech Limited, is planning to raise about $100 million cash in the next two years to expand its footprints across Africa.

    This comes as it announced processing N30 trillion ($20.6 billion) in total transactions over the 2025 financial year, over 100 per cent more than the N12 trillion achieved in 2024, placing the company among the highest-volume processors in Nigeria.

    The milestone was driven by strong growth across its payment platform, RedPay – including point of sale (PoS) network, merchant collections, and digital payment channels.

    Its Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Ojo, said the milestone marks a decisive shift from capability building to operating at national scale, reflecting sustained trust in Redtech’s infrastructure under high-volume conditions, alongside consistent adoption across sectors.

    “This milestone reflects trust from businesses that rely on us to collect and move money at scale, and from partners who expect reliability every single day.” We have built Redtech around durability, strong governance, and regularity alignment, so SMEs, enterprises, and regulated clients can grow on our rails without worrying about downtime or friction. With that foundation in place, we are ready to take this approach into more African markets,” he said.

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    A statement explained that the firm’s transaction volumes have been driven by a mix of SMEs, enterprise customers, and financial institutions across retail, hospitality, insurance, energy, public-sector-linked services, and banking.

    This highlights Redtech’s ability to support complex transaction flows, including batch processing, reconciliations, and always-on uptime across different sectors.

    Redtech plans to expand beyond Nigeria into 29 African countries by January 2027, building towards an Africa-wide payments capability that can support businesses operating across borders, sectors, and payment types.

    The company will then consider the Series A funding round, Mr Ojo told Bloomberg.

    The startup has so far deployed more than 30,000 point of sale devices and started a payment gateway which helps businesses move money at scale through secure, reliable, and scalable systems that reduce payment failures, downtime, and reconciliation failures while meeting the compliance needs of enterprises and regulated sectors.

  • Dangote Refinery denies fuel importation

    Dangote Refinery denies fuel importation

    Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP) yesterday denied reports suggesting that it imports finished petroleum products. The firm described the claims as incorrect and based on a misunderstanding of global refinery operations.

    It said DPRP refines crude oil and processes intermediate feedstocks into premium petroleum products and petrochemicals that meet the highest international standards.

    Speaking at a media briefing, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, DPRP, David Bird, explained that processing intermediate or semi processed materials is a standard practice within the global refining industry.

    He clarified that this practice does not amount to importing finished petroleum products.

    Bird highlighted that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery operates using a European and Asian merchant refinery model, which integrates advanced refining, blending and trading systems designed to meet modern quality and environmental benchmarks.

    “DPRP produces high quality fuels aligned with international environmental and health standards. Our gasoline is lead free and MMT free with 50 parts per million sulphur, while our diesel meets ultra low sulphur specifications.  These standards help reduce emissions, protect engines and safeguard public health,” Bird stated.

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    Displaying samples of both intermediate feedstocks and fully refined products, Bird reaffirmed that the Dangote Refinery supplies only fully refined, market ready products, adding that semi finished fuels are unsuitable for vehicles and are therefore not released into the Nigerian market.

    Bird further noted that the refinery was established to end years of exposure to substandard fuel in Nigeria by providing products that meet stringent global standards. He added that DPRP’s products are now exported to international markets, highlighting their quality and competitiveness.

    Intermediate materials—such as naphtha, straight run gas oil, vacuum gas oil (VGO), reformate, alkylate and isomerate—serve as feedstock for additional refining into finished fuels like petrol and diesel, as well as petrochemicals.

    Bird stressed the refinery’s commitment to transparency in its operations and engagements with regulators. He urged the media to help properly educate the public on the clear distinction between intermediate products and finished fuel.

    “It is unfortunate that some individuals are deliberately spreading misleading narratives about a refinery that has transformed Nigeria and the West African region from a dumping ground for substandard fuels into a hub for high quality products,” he said, adding that the refinery’s flexible design allows it to process a diverse mix of crude oils and intermediate feedstocks into premium finished fuels.

    Bird assured Nigerians of sustained product availability, noting that the refinery has contributed significantly to easing fuel scarcity, stabilising the naira, and reducing pressure on foreign exchange.

    Group Chief Brand and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, urged journalists to be precise in their choice of terminology, warning that inaccurate reporting could misinform the public and create unnecessary panic.