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PETROAN Faults NNPC’s PH Refinery Retention

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National Publicity Secretary of the Petroleum Products and Retail Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Joseph Obele, has faullted the decision of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited ruling out the sale of the Port Harcourt refinery.
He said as a community stakeholder in Port Harcourt, he “strongly disagree with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s decision to rule out the sale of the Port Harcourt Refining Company.”
In a chat with The Tide’s source,  Obele said the comment by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, that the refinery would not be privatised was not good news to him, saying that plans to keep the Port Harcourt refinery under NNPC management are disturbing.
According to him, private firms tend to prioritise the interests of host communities, unlike the government-owned ones.
“This isn’t good news plans to sell the Warri and Kaduna refineries while keeping Port Harcourt under NNPC management are concerning, given NNPC’s history of corruption and favouritism.
“Private firms tend to prioritise host communities’ interests, as seen with Indorama Petrochemical”, he stated.
Obele stated that the NNPC had consistently failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations in its management of government-owned refineries.
“The NNPC has consistently disappointed Nigerians with its inefficient management of refineries, leading to fuel scarcity, price hikes, and economic hardship. Its track record of corruption, inefficiency, and neglect is well-documented. It’s time for a change”, he stated.
According to him, the privatisation of the Port Harcourt refinery would bring numerous benefits, including increased efficiency and productivity; much-needed investment and capital injection; expertise and technology transfer; job creation and economic growth for the local community; reduced bureaucratic red tape and corruption; improved accountability and transparency; enhanced competitiveness in the global market; and better management and utilisation of resources, among others.
Obele added that the gains of privatisation would far outweigh the costs, and it is in the best interest of the community and the nation at large.
The university lecturer called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by directing that the Port Harcourt refinery be privatised in the interest of transparency, efficiency, and economic growth.
“The community is ready to receive a private firm taking over the refinery with the highest sense of hospitality and cooperation.
“We assure any private firm of a warm welcome and collaborative working relationship to ensure the refinery’s success, which will in turn benefit our community and the nation.
Last week, the NNPC said it officially ruled out the sale of the Port Harcourt refinery, reaffirming its commitment to completing “high-grade rehabilitation” and retention of the plant.
 Ojulari was said to have announced this at a company-wide town hall meeting at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
He stated that the position isn’t a shift. Rather, it was informed by ongoing detailed technical and financial reviews of the Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri refineries.
The statement indicted the past NNPC executive, quoting Ojulari as saying that “the ongoing review indicates that the earlier decision to operate the Port Harcourt refinery prior to full completion of its rehabilitation was ill-informed and sub-commercial.”
 The statement read further, “Although progress is being made on all three, the emerging outlook calls for more advanced technical partnerships to complete and high-grade the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. Thus, selling is highly unlikely, as it would lead to further value erosion.
The announcement came in the wake of widespread speculation following his remarks at the 2025 OPEC Seminar in Vienna, Austria, earlier this month, where he said during an interview with Bloomberg that “all options are on the table.”
The Port Harcourt refinery was shut down on May 24 for a one-month maintenance. However, it has not been reopened two months later.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has said the refineries may never work again after gulping up to $18bn.
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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) 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, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
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.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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