NMDPRA: We Will Not Allow Cartels Take Over Downstream Petroleum Sector

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*Says FCCPC confirms no indication Dangote tending towards cartelisation

*NUPRC assures new regulations will soon yield results

*Energy expert argues insecurity scaring investment in pipelines

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Upstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has argued that there’s currently no cartel in the downstream oil sector, stressing that its interaction with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (FCCPC) confirms its position.
Speaking during a panel session at the just concluded Energy Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) maiden conference in Abuja, NMDPRA’s Secretary and Legal Adviser, Dr Joseph Tolorunse, also disputed insinuations that the fuel pricing templates provided by the regulator were opaque, stressing that this is published regularly by the authority.
At the conference with the theme: “Four Years of the PIA: Achievements, Gaps and the Road Ahead,” Tolorunse maintained that since the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, there has been a transformation of the sector.
The NMDPRA top official stated that the organisation will continue to protect the Nigerian people by strictly following its pricing framework to protect Nigeria’s consumers and also to ensure the development of the market.
“The role of the NMDPRA is to ensure that there is no abuse of dominant players and to also investigate whether there’s going to be a monopolistic tendency. Where there’s a monopoly, where we find out that there’s a dominant player, a monopolistic tendency, the PIA empowers us to control the price, setting the price at which it has to be sold.
“ So we discovered that of all the local refineries we have, only one is producing PMS. It’s not enough to wet the whole country. I don’t want to call figures here, but I just want to put it, it’s not enough to wet the whole country. And what do we do? We have to have a system whereby more products are coming to ‘complement’ what local refineries can produce. And that has caused controversy.
“So in other words, we have to import, give import licenses to qualified individuals to ‘complement’ local refineries. And it’s very much within our law. The PIA allows that if we don’t have enough products in the country. The NNPC is the supplier of last resort to do that.
“Secondly, if I refine that, we can even allow you to import. If you are a reputable oil trader, we can allow you to import. These are powers we have in the industry, in the PIA, which we are actually utilising,” he posited.
Besides, the organisation stated that it will not shirk its role to ensure that feedstock, both crude and natural gas are guaranteed for the refineries and the gas processing plants as well as ensuring that there’s adequate supply of products in the country.
“We’re also meant to protect the consumer and we do this in collaboration with the FCCPC, and to protect even the operators, to ensure that there’s no monopolistic tendencies or abuse of dominant players.

“You will see that we are within the mainstream and downstream space, and it covers maybe from transportation, bulk transportation of products and feedstock up to processing plants, and then from there to storage, and then from storage to distribution, then from distribution to retailing.

“These are all the things we do…We have to ensure that there’s availability of products…We don’t also want a situation whereby the marketer is selling anyhow. So we have to give a pricing framework. That’s what the law allows us to do. We give a pricing framework and ensure that they comply with the pricing framework,” Tolorunse added.

According to Tolorunse, the issue of lack of transparency in pricing of products is not fact-based, as the authority publishes the figures regularly. Although the NMDPRA does not strictly control prices, he noted that downstream operators are allowed to sell at the price that falls within the pricing framework.

“ I don’t think it’s true that there’s no template. That’s what I mean by setting a pricing framework, which we publish. In fact, the PIA says we should publish it. The pricing template is published, it is transparent. Go to our website and you see it,” he stressed. According to the NMDPRA secretary, the pricing template is meant to be cost-reflective.

Also speaking, the Head of Regulatory and Statutory Compliance, Nigerian Upstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Kingston Chikwendu, noted that the PIA has significantly transformed the petroleum sector, emphasising that the old regime for a very long time, dwarfed the growth of the sector.

“So we can say from the vantage point of a key participant and stakeholder that a whole lot has changed. That whole space has been revolutionised by the PIA, which requires that for you to make regulations, now you have to involve stakeholders.

“And both the upstream and the midstream and downstream authority have strictly followed that provision of the law. In all the regulations that have been issued, you find out that robust stakeholder engagement was carried out. And the end result of it have been regulations that have been acknowledged by everybody to accord with global best practices.

“Again, the speed of activities and action within the regulatory space has also been enhanced by the provisions of the PIA. If you recall, PIA has a very key provision that requires approvals where necessary to be given within a specific period. And where such approvals are not coming, you have the deemed approval provision that will apply.

“So what this has done also is that it has now met the regulators on both sides to improve their rules to ensure that approvals, either for permits, for licenses, for authorisations, and so on and so forth, come out as quickly as possible in conformity with the requirements of the law’’, Chikwendu said.

With the ongoing activities by the upstream regulator, he stated that the Final Investment Decision (FID) by SPDC with respect to two key major projects in the upstream sector, have now been completed .

Besides, he noted that the NUPRC conducted licensing rounds that were almost 100 per cent subscribed and concluded in record time. “Beyond all of that, you also see the proactiveness of the two regulators in this sector. This wasn’t the way it was before,” he stated.

In his intervention, the Chairman, AHA Strategies, Henry Adigun, blamed the slow progress in the growth of Nigeria’s pipelines segment of the oil and gas sector, partly on insecurity, but argued that this must be placed in the context of the whole economy.

“Investments are driven by a lot of decisions… But part of what Nigeria is facing now in the context of investment in such areas is insecurity. The level of theft of crude is reducing. But we find out a lot of more companies are barging rather than using pipelines to store their products. There are a lot of issues around how you put your money anywhere.

“You can’t get your money back if nobody is using your facility. Another principle of regulation is that it’s a thoroughfare kind of thing. I put, you put. The network could now allocate costs to each of us and how much you’ve put.

“Now, if I’m an investor and I’m coming to Nigeria and I do a scenario overview and I realise out of 11 companies there are 6,000 barges, I won’t put my investments in pipelines because nobody’s using it,” he argued.

However, in terms of gas pipelines, he noted that there has been some growth, explaining that when the AKK pipeline is completed, there will be a lot of subsidiary connectivity along the line.

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Akpabio: Tinubu Has Placed Search for Peace in Plateau at Centre of National Security

* President’s emissary already in state to restore peace, foster inter-communal harmony

* Presidential aide meets Christian clerics, Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders

* Community-based peace structure to stabilise North-central region

* DSS nabs another suspected arms supplier in zone

Deji Elumoye, Sunday Aborisade and Linus Aleke in Abuja

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has assured the people of Plateau State that President Bola Tinubu is resolute on ending the years of bloodshed and violent crisis in the state.

Akpabio spoke at the weekend in Jos, where he represented Tinubu at a grand rally organised by All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Jos Polo Field.

He said Tinubu had placed the search for lasting peace on the Plateau at the centre of his national security strategy, adding that the state’s security situation is now a top priority at the highest level of government.

That was as the president sent an emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State to help restore peace and enhance intercommunal harmony in the state.

Relatedly, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) apprehended another arms dealer linked to terrorist activities in Plateau and neighbouring states, Musa Abubakar.

The arrest came shortly after the recapture of Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee, who masterminded the Owo and Deeper Life Bible Church attacks.

Akpabio addressed thousands of APC supporters, who gathered to witness what party leaders described as one of the biggest political realignments in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a statement by his media aide, Anietie Ekong, Akpabio told the crowd that the president was deeply troubled by the years of killings, displacements, and social fractures that had shaped life in many Plateau communities.

He stated, “Too many lives have been lost. Too many homes destroyed. The Plateau deserves peace, and anyone who wants to govern this state must be committed to peace. President Tinubu’s determination to end the killings is unwavering.”

The senate president added that he felt personally distressed each time tragedy struck the state.

“I cry whenever anybody is killed on the Plateau. This state is yearning for peace, and President Tinubu will deliver peace to Plateau State,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

Although the rally was convened primarily to receive defectors from five opposition parties into APC, Akpabio anchored his remarks on national stability, insisting that the security of life and property remained the administration’s overriding priority.

He said the people of Plateau deserved to live without fear, and assured them that the federal government’s commitment to ending the cycle of violence was total.

The event signalled a major political shift, as several influential figures formally crossed over to the ruling party.

Among them were Senator Istifanus Gyang, who represented Plateau North in the Ninth Senate; Latep Dabang, former director-general of PDP’s 2023 campaign; Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Dr. Patrick Dakum; and former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate, Alfred Dabwam.

Those that joined APC also included three serving members of the House of Representatives – Hon. Fom Dalyop (Riyom/Barkin Ladi), Hon. Ajang Alfred Ilya (Jos South/Jos East), and Hon. Daniel Asama Ago (Bassa/Jos North) – as well as dozens of former legislators, political actors, and grassroots influencers.

Akpabio described the influx of defectors as evidence that APC had become the dominant political force in Plateau under the leadership of the party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.

He declared, “The calibre and spread of those joining the party reflected its growing strength. My ears have heard and my eyes have seen that from today the entire Plateau is APC. Come 2027, Plateau shall deliver the APC.”

He praised Tinubu for endorsing Yilwatda as National Chairman, describing him as “a man of valour, integrity and dignity” whose emergence had reconfigured Plateau’s political landscape in favour of the ruling party”.

The senate president stated, “You can see that he has delivered Plateau State to APC before the elections,” adding that the party’s renewed strength is bolstered by the combined leadership of the president and the national chairman.

“When you are escorted by a lion like President Tinubu, you have nothing to fear,” Akpabio added.

Addressing the rally, Yilwatda said the mass defection marked the “final consolidation” of APC’s hold on Plateau State, adding also that the political reality in the state has shifted decisively.

Yilwatda stated, “With this structure, with this firepower, Plateau will deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. All three Senate seats will be APC. All federal and state positions will be APC. The people have spoken: APC or nothing.”

He assured the newcomers of equal rights and privileges, urging them to see APC as a platform open to all who wish to contribute to what a new political era in the state.

The rally drew several high-profile dignitaries, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State; and Kogi State Deputy Governor, Salifu Joel, among other party leaders and stakeholders.

Tinubu’s Emissary in Plateau to Restore Peace, Foster Inter-communal Harmony

Tinubu sent an emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State to help restore peace and enhance intercommunal harmony in the state.

According to a statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, Essiet, a senior special assistant on community engagement in the North-central Zone, has already spent two days in the state meeting with Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders, with the efforts culminating in a town hall meeting in Jos, the state capital.

Delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen community-based peace structures and promote coexistence among diverse communities.

Essiet paid a courtesy visit to Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC), in Barkin Ladi, where discussions centred on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development.

Along with Dachomo, Essiet addressed some widows and conveyed Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation in the state.

Dachomo had been the loudest voice of the Christian communities in the state.

Essiet also met with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to foster dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.

She organised a workshop in Jos on establishing a community peace structure for the 17 local government areas in the state.

Essiet also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and representatives from the Youth Council of Bassa Local Government Area.

The discussion focused on sustaining peace and how the 17-member peace committee had strengthened dialogue, reconciliation, and coexistence between the two communities.

Essiet reiterated Tinubu’s commitment to peace and inclusive governance, stating that the community-based peace structure serves as a key instrument for grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North-central region. ‎

A quick win in the peace efforts was the resolution of the conflict between David Toma, the owner of Agha Farm in Gyel district of Jos South, and some herdsmen.

Toma had seized two cows following the destruction of his farm.

On November 15, MACBAN Chairman in Bassa Local Government Area, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid a compensation of N500,000 to Toma, who subsequently released the cows.

All parties signed an undertaking to embrace peace in the state.

DSS Nabs Another Suspected Arms Supplier in North-central Region

DSS operatives apprehended Musa Abubakar, another arms dealer linked to terrorist activities in Plateau and neighbouring states.

The arrest came shortly after the recapture of Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee who masterminded the Owo and Deeper Life Bible Church attacks.

A source said the successful disruption of the high-target arms supply network followed a precise, intelligence-led operation conducted on November 12.

The source said, “The suspect confessed to having manufactured and distributed high-calibre weapons and ammunition to armed groups involved in violent attacks in Plateau State and other northern regions.

“His arrest reportedly followed credible intelligence on the activities of the suspect, which led to a targeted raid on his arms-manufacturing workshop located in the Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State.

“Prior to the raid, DSS operatives had conducted extensive surveillance on Abubakar’s residence and workshop to gather critical intelligence.

“Abubakar was apprehended red-handed with various Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components, chemicals, and equipment, all of which have been confiscated by DSS operatives.”

The DSS had arrested a total of nine high-profile suspects involved in the Plateau and Benue attacks, including Timna Manjol, who had already pleaded guilty to two of four counts, including illegal possession of firearms, in a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/451/2025.

Manjol is of First Baptist Church, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State.

* President’s emissary already in state to restore peace, foster inter-communal harmony * Presidential aide meets Christian clerics, Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders * Community-based peace structure to stabilise North-central region * DSS nabs another suspected arms supplier in zone Deji Elumoye, Sunday Aborisade and Linus

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No More Impunity, Suppression of Will, Turaki, Assures Nigerians, PDP Members

*S’West PDP hails Makinde, congratulates newly elected officers

*Stakeholders seek immediate reconciliation, say party shouldn’t bleed to death

*Amadi: this convention has legalisation

*Why Plateau, Adamawa governors differed over expulsion of Wike, others

*Olawepo-Hashim: fate of Nigeria’s democracy linked to PDP’s survival

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The new elected National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kabiru Turaki, has assured members of the party and Nigerians, generally, of a new era of internal democracy in the once dominant, but currently distressed opposition party.

Turaki said there would be no more impunity and suppression of will in the party.

He made the assertions yesterday while delivering his acceptance speech after being declared the new national chairman of PDP at the 2025 elective national convention of the party in Ibadan.

Turaki scored a total of 1,516 votes to defeat his closest rival, Garuba Lado, who scored 41 votes, at the convention.

The convention was not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and it is the subject of litigation in courts of law.

However, the South-west chapter of PDP described the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, as the “Biblical Moses”, saying he rescued the party from aggressors determined to strangle it.

Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr. Sam Amadi, stated that the PDP convention remained valid and legally recognised, despite earlier conflicting court rulings.

Meanwhile, fresh details emerged on why Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and his Adamawa State counterpart, Ahmadu Fintiri, did not support the expulsion of Nyesom Wike, Samuel Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose and other party leaders at the Ibadan convention. The governor alluded to lack of consultation.

Nonetheless, amid the deepening tensions in PDP, former presidential candidate and founding member of the party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, urged immediate reconciliation and a return to the party’s original principles, warning that Nigeria’s democracy is at stake.

Turaki, in his address, assured party members that the confidence reposed in the new elected party executives would not be taken for granted.

He stated, “I want to assure you that the confidence reposed in the executives will not be taken for granted.

“There will be no more impunity and suppression of the will of Nigerian people and we shall open our ears wide to listen to you to determine what you want and what you want is what we shall give you.”

Turaki said PDP was currently at a crossroads, but pledged that the new executive was equal to the task.

He said the new executives would start visiting some of the aggrieved party members to appeal to those with genuine grievances to return to the party in order to “save Nigeria’s democracy from imminent collapse”.

South-west PDP Hails Makinde, Greets New Party Officers

The South-west chapter of PDP, in a press statement by the party’s zonal publicity secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said the successful conduct of the convention had restored the confidence of Nigerians, who had long yearned for genuine democratic leadership.

Atofarati said the yearnings of Nigerians contrasted with what he described as the manipulation through divide-and-rule tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The statement said, “Governor Seyi Makinde has once again demonstrated exemplary leadership and must be commended for saving the party from total collapse.

“He can best be described as the Biblical Moses of the PDP, whose collaborative efforts with other well-meaning leaders have given the party a new lease of life.

“The Tinubu administration, having been rejected by Nigerians, resorted to masterminding the prolonged crisis that has beset our party.

“However, with the election of these eminent leaders into the National Executive Committee, the PDP can now focus without unnecessary distractions and begin galvanising support ahead of the 2027 general elections.”

The South-west PDP said, “The APC’s political decline will begin with the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in 2026.

“While we congratulate all newly elected members of the National Executive Committee, we have unwavering confidence in their capacity to provide credible leadership that will entrench discipline and commitment to the ideals of the party.”

The party also commended PDP governors for standing firmly with the party, and lauded the government and the people of Oyo State for the peaceful conduct of the convention.

Olawepo-Hashim: Fate of Nigeria’s Democracy Linked to PDP’s Survival

Olawepo-Hashim, in a statement on Sunday, said PDP’s survival was linked to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. He sought

reconciliation, saying the party should not be allowed to bleed to death.

He reminded Nigerians of the party’s historic origins 27 years ago, describing the founding of PDP as one of the most remarkable demonstrations of political maturity in the country’s history.

The former presidential hopeful stated that the party’s formation brought together over 13 political associations, each robust enough to stand independently, which were united through dialogue, broad consultation, and a deep spirit of inclusion.

According to him, the founding leaders deliberately created a platform capable of preventing military adventurism, safeguarding the unity and indivisibility of the Nigerian state, and promoting genuine federalism.

He emphasised that this inclusive and consultative spirit was the reason PDP secured almost two-thirds of elected positions during the December 1998 local government election, an early success that helped stabilise Nigeria’s democratic order.

Olawepo-Hashim stressed that the current path of fragmentation, court induced confusion, and exclusionary politics was a dangerous departure from the party’s foundational ideals.

“Inclusion, not exclusion, is the tradition of the PDP,” he warned, adding, “We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy.”

He insisted that the party’s revival depended on genuine unity and purposeful reconciliation, urging leaders to commit to a single watchword: “We must not leave anyone behind.”

Olawepo-Hashim added a scriptural reminder, stating that the Bible teaches that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). He stressed that this was not the season to expel members, it was the season to reconcile and bring new members, a season to save PDP in order to save Nigeria’s democracy.

‘PDP Convention Legitimate’

Dr Sam Amadi, during an interview with Arise News, said the most recent court order issued before the PDP national convention permitted the event to hold, rendering previous contradictory orders ineffective.

He said the controversy surrounding the party’s leadership crisis was fuelled by INEC’s failure to act as a regulatory authority, as well as courts issuing “contradictory and unnecessary” ex parte orders.

Amadi stated that the convention was backed by law, and stated that the latest decision from the court supported its conduct.

He stated, “If I recall, the latest decision that came in on Friday was in favour of the convention. So you can’t say it’s not legal.

“Unfortunately, we have courts authorising and counter-authorising actions, and that is the real problem.”

Amadi stated that the situation highlighted a growing problem in Nigeria where political actors rushed to secure favourable injunctions instead of allowing established procedures to play out.

He criticised INEC for allegedly abandoning its quasi-judicial responsibilities by constantly deferring to the courts.

Amadi explained that political parties were expected to file leadership documents with INEC, which should then verify and make determinations before judicial review could become necessary.

He maintained that facts available pointed to the legitimacy of the current PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), saying it has been functional for over three years and cannot be replaced arbitrarily.

On claims that the Supreme Court forbade judicial intervention in party matters, Amadi clarified that the ruling only barred courts from selecting party leaders, not from reviewing whether parties obeyed their internal rules.

Responding to recent expulsions of some high-profile members, including Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose, Amadi stressed the need for due process, but questioned the loyalty of party figures allegedly working with rival political platforms.

Meanwhile, multiple sources confirmed that no consultation was held with PDP governors, and no meeting of the Governors’ Forum took place to deliberate on or approve the far-reaching decision on the expulsion of the party bigwigs.

Instead, the motion was said to have been smuggled into the proceedings without the knowledge or consent of key organs of the party.

A source said, “There were already ongoing consultations for an arbitration process on the whole crisis. You can also see that Fintiri, who chaired the convention organising committee, has also denied the expulsion—giving credence to the fact that it was more of a personal agenda of some stakeholders.”

Mutfwang, in distancing himself from the decision, stressed that the move “does not reflect my position”.

He insisted that such grave disciplinary actions could not stand without proper consultation, legal backing, and the involvement of constitutionally recognised organs of the party.

Sources said the Plateau governor was particularly disturbed by the timing and irregular procedure adopted by the Makinde-aligned group, warning that the action risked undermining the fragile peace efforts currently underway within the PDP.

“At a time when the party is grappling with significant internal challenges, what is required is unity, dialogue and collective responsibility—not actions that deepen division,” Mutfwang reportedly told close associates.

He further said the purported expulsion did not mirror his personal relationships with either the Makinde group or the Wike faction, stressing that he remains committed to rebuilding and repositioning PDP through lawful, inclusive, and strategic engagement.

Governor Fintri, on his part, made it clear that he had no hand in the move, describing it as unhealthy and capable of worsening the party’s already fragile internal cohesion.

He stated, “I wish to categorically state that I dissociate myself from the position of expelling the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Governor Wike, from the PDP.

“I believe this decision is not in the best interest of the party, and I will not be part of anything that could further plunge the PDP into unending crisis.”

*S’West PDP hails Makinde, congratulates newly elected officers *Stakeholders seek immediate reconciliation, say party shouldn’t bleed to death *Amadi: this convention has legalisation *Why Plateau, Adamawa governors differed over expulsion of Wike, others *Olawepo-Hashim: fate of Nigeria’s democracy linked to PDP’s survival