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Oil Marketers Demand Total Downstream Sector Deregulation

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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) have called for the total deregulation of the downstream sub-sector of the country’s oil and gas industry.
The marketers under the aegis of IPMAN and DAPPMA told newsmen yesterday in Lagos that this was against the backdrop of fuel hike and frequent scarcity in the country.
They said that the deregulation of the sub-sector was the only panacea that could bring an end to the perennial problems inhibiting the smooth operations of the sub-sector such as the lingering fuel scarcity and the payment of petroleum subsidies.
Alhaji Debo Ahmed, the Chairman, South-west Zone of IPMAN said that deregulation of the downstream sector remained the best options to address frequent fuel scarcity in the country.
According to Ahmed, the deregulation of the sector will help to provide enduring solution to the recurring problem of scarcity of petroleum products in the country.
“It will help to tackle the corruption in the subsidy regime, address the functionality of the refineries, boost investment in the downstream sector and creates more jobs in the sub-sector.
“Deregulation will also help the sector and lead to normalcy in the nation’s economy.
“We appeal to all stakeholders and the citizens to give the reform of the oil and gas sector a chance.
“The current model of managing the sector has done a colossal damage to the Nigerian economy.
“It is in the overall interest of the economy and the citizens that government should quickly deregulate the sector,” Ahmed said.
Also, Mr Olufemi Adewole, the Executive Secretary of DAPPMA, said that no marketers would import petrol at landing cost of N171 per litre and sell at N145 per litre at filling stations if the sector is not fully deregulated.
Adewole said that oil marketing companies had the capacity to import and sell petroleum products at reasonable and competitive prices if deregulated.
According to him, DAPPMA has for the past 10 years actively canvassed a complete deregulation of the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry with its attendant benefits for the sustenance and growth of that vital sector of the economy.
“If indeed implemented, one of the key features will have been the complete removal of subsidy on refined petroleum products.
“We strongly assert that based on our experience with diesel, which was completely deregulated years ago, Nigerian oil marketing companies have the capacity to import petrol and sell same at reasonable and competitive prices if also deregulated.
“Currently, NNPC is the sole importer; there are issues of distribution because it is the marketers who own 80 per cent of the functional facilities and retail outlets in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Another marketer, Mr Mike Osatuyi, the Operations Controller, IPMAN, also stressed the need for the full deregulation of the downstream of the oil sector.
Osatuyi said that the pump prices of petroleum products have not been the same even when there was no scarcity.
“For instance, the petrol that is being sold for N145 per litre in the south west is being sold for between N250 and N270 per litre in the Northern area,’’ he added.
He said if the sub-sector was deregulated, it would bring in a lot of competition that government would only need to fix the price at which the cost of the product must not exceed.
According to him, the continued regulation of the downstream sector has its positive and negative impacts on the economy, but the negative effect is more than the positive.

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FG Ends Passport Production At Multiple Centres After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.

“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.

“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.

 “We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.

“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.

He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.

Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.

He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.

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FAAC Disburses N2.225trn For August, Highest In Nigeria

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The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.

This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.

The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.

Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.

The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.

From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.

From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.

Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.

From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.

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KenPoly Governing Council Decries Inadequate Power Supply, Poor Infrastructure On Campus

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The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.

The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.

The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the  Polytechnic, recently.

Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.

He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.

This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly,  Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.

The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.

Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.

He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.

The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.

Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.

 

Chinedu Wosu

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