Economy

Dangote refinery may not sell its fuel below N900 per litre.

Funso OLOJO

Nigerians who have been banking on cheaper fuel from Dangote Refinery may be disappointed as it may not sell the product below the benchmark price of N855 to N890 per litre set by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).

Following its admittance of cash crunch and its inability to sustain uninterrupted fuel supply at the current rate of N560 per litre it hitherto dispensed at its mega stations, the NNPCL has jerked up the price of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) otherwise known as fuel to N855 per litre in Lagos and N890 per litre in Abuja.

As the sole importer of fuel, the independent marketers took a cue from the NNPCL to hike their own price to between N1,000 to N 1,300.

However, the national oil company said the new fuel price for fuel was dictated by market forces and global trend in oil sales.

Consequently, the corporation said all local refineries, including Dangote Refinery, will sell by the dictates of the market forces.

In its reaction to the allegation made by a religious organization, Muslim Rights Concern, (MURIC), which claims that the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL) is being undermined by actions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the cooperation reiterated its earlier position of a deregulated downstream sector.

According to Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL in a statement, MURIC asserts that recent changes to the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will prevent the Dangote Refinery from offering lower prices and that NNPC Ltd. has become the sole off-taker of all products from the refinery.

However, the national oil company declared that the pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd. (DRL), is determined by global market forces.

“The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market.

“In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.

” Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL.

“The NNPC Ltd will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria.

” The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products.

“NNPC Ltd. has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole off-taker does not arise” the NNPCL declared.

Economy

News Alert! Tinubu sacks Wale Edun as Finance Minister in cabinet reshuffle, appoints Taiwo Oyedele as replacement

Funso OLOJO, Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has carried out a major reshuffle exercise in his cabinet in which he dropped the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minster, Mr Wale Edun.

Taiwo Oyedele, who was recently appointed as the Minister of State for the Ministry, has now replaced the sacked Edun.

Also removed in the reshuffle exercise was the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa.

A statement on Tuesday, April 21st, 2026,by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, said the development was contained in a memo signed by the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.According to the memo, Taiwo Oyedele has been appointed as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Also appointed was Dr. Muttaqha Darma as Minister-designate for Housing and Urban Development.

The memo directed the outgoing ministers to complete handover processes to their respective successors or supervising officials.It stated that all handing over and taking over activities must be concluded on or before the close of business on Thursday, 23rd April, 2026.

Explaining the decision, Akume said the changes were aimed at improving coordination and strengthening delivery across key sectors of the economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“These changes are aimed at strengthening cohesion, synergy in governance as well as achieving more impactful delivery on the economy to Nigerians, through the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Akume stated.

He added that President Tinubu acted in line with his constitutional powers as provided under Sections 147 and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The SGF also conveyed the President’s appreciation to the outgoing ministers for their service to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours, noting that the process of cabinet reinvigoration would remain continuous.

The statement further noted that Taiwo Oyedele was appointed as Minister of State for Finance in March 2026, while Edun was among the ministers appointed on August 16, 2023.

Economy

Tinubu assents to 2026 Appropriation bill , extends 2025 budget implementation

Funso OLOJO, Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion.

He has also signed the bill extending the implementation period for the 2025 budget from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

The N68.32 trillion budget for this year earmarks N4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and N15.8 trillion for debt service.

It allocates N15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and N32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.

According to the statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on information and Strategy, with capital expenditure accounting for about 50 per cent, the 2026 budget underscores the administration’s continued commitment to economic stability, national security, infrastructure development, and inclusive growth.

The allocations reflect a strategic balance between statutory obligations, debt servicing, recurrent expenditure, and capital investments critical to driving productivity and improving the quality of life for Nigerians.

Additionally, the President has assented to the Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which extends the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

The extension will ensure the full and effective utilisation of appropriated funds, particularly for critical infrastructure and development projects that are at advanced stages of implementation across the country.

It will enable Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to consolidate ongoing works, enhance project completion rates, and maximise value for public expenditure.

With the 2026 Appropriation Act coming into force on April 1, the Federal Government will commence full implementation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

President Tinubu directed MDAs to ensure disciplined, transparent, and efficient utilisation of allocated resources, with a strong emphasis on value for money and timely project delivery.

He commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for their diligence, cooperation, and patriotism in expeditiously considering and passing the budget.

The President reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in advancing national development objectives.

He further assured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to deepen fiscal reforms, enhance revenue generation, and prioritise investments that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen social protection mechanisms.

Economy

NNPC attributes increased crude oil production to enhanced security surveillance of pipelines in Niger- Delta

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has confirmed that national crude oil production has grown from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day and a peak production of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, owing to the establishment of the integrated energy security for pipelines in the Niger Delta.

Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made the disclosure at the Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security which held at the National Assembly, in Abuja, on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026.

Speaking on the success of the security arrangement, Ojulari explained that it was not accidental, and that it involved an “integrated energy security model that combines legislative and executive policy alignment, actionable intelligence, kinetic deployment capabilities, regulatory oversight, industry cooperation, and community‑embedded surveillance mechanisms”.

He said the resurgence of production due to the effective tackling of the twin menace of oil theft and pervasive pipeline sabotage has led to the restoration of investors’ confidence in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

In his welcome address, the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, called for collaboration among agencies and stakeholders in resolving all challenges impeding production growth.

On his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was represented by the Leader of the House, Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere, urged the forum to evaluate the progress made so far with a view to ensuring fairness and equity.

The Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security was convened by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources.

It had in attendance the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, and representatives of oil industry regulatory agencies.

The Roundtable also featured presentations by the Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director General of the Department of State Services, Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and private security companies.