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Malami, Bawa summoned over forfeited assets’ transfer to AGF office

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THE House of Representatives has summoned the new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, to come forward and explain the circumstances surrounding the transfer of some forfeited assets to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The Chairman of the committee, Ademorin Kuye, noted that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Solicitor-General of the Federation was supposed to appear before the lawmakers in company with some directors on Thursday but did not show up.

The acting Director of Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Management, EFCC, Mr Aliyu Yusuf, appeared before the committee but the lawmakers expressed their displeasure with the information provided.

He said while forfeited assets had been transferred to the OAGF, operatives of the commission still guarded the properties.

Yusuf, while responding to some of the questions from the lawmakers, said, “The EFCC has not really undertaken any serious disposal of assets. The only asset that was disposed of was the trucks, which were seized in Port Harcourt (Rivers State capital).

“All the finally forfeited assets – real estate – were all intact until this new regulation came into effect, which was made by the Honourable Attorney-General that requires us to transfer all forfeited assets to the Office of the AGF for management. That regulation was made in October 2019 and we have complied with that; we have forwarded the lists and court orders for all finally forfeited assets to the Office of the AGF for management.”

Kuye, however, faulted the regulation introduced by Malami, saying it breached Section 31 of the EFCC Act, particularly Sub-sections 1 and 4.

A member of the committee, Lynda Ikpeazu, demanded the list of assets already transferred to the OAGF as well as the timeline of those transfers.

Chairman of the committee, while expressing his dissatisfaction with the development, decried that the assets were losing value.

The House had on March 17, 2020, constituted the committee with the mandate to investigate the status, use and current state of all Federal Government properties in all parts of the country.

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had later on May 12, 2020, inaugurated the committee, charging it to look into all abandoned projects, identifying the cause of such abandonment and proffering solutions by way of recovery, completion or prosecution.

The properties, according to the parliament, include buildings, ships and aircraft, among others.

 

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NDDC Prepares for Agric Summit, Meets Stakeholders, Says MD

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The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is hosting a two-day strategic meeting with commissioners, permanent secretaries, and directors of agriculture, fisheries & livestock in the nine Niger Delta states.

The meeting, which kicks off on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, would be addressed by the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who is expected to outline his plans for a retreat and agricultural summit for the Niger Delta region in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s agrarian programme.

An invitation extended to the stakeholders by the NDDC Director of Agric and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, stated that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region by ensuring food security for the people.

Recall that the NDDC Chief Executive Officer had earlier assured that the Commission would align with the President’s vision for agriculture, to ensure that agriculture served as a platform for peace and security in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku promised: “Any time from now, the NDDC will convene a mini-agricultural retreat for state governments and commissioners of agriculture. States in the region have their various areas of strength in agriculture. We aim to establish regional agricultural integration, which will later evolve into a regional agricultural summit where a comprehensive master plan for the region’s agriculture will be developed.”

The Managing Director affirmed that the NDDC was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in developing the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.

Reflecting on the Federal Government’s agricultural policies, Ogbuku stressed the need to bring them home to the Niger Delta region, noting that the NDDC would continue to promote policies and programmes that enhance food security and poverty reduction in the states .

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Update : Tinubu approves 15% import duty on petrol, diesel, aimed to protect local refineries

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the introduction of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imports into Nigeria.

The initiative is aimed at protecting local refineries and stabilising the downstream market, but it is likely to raise pump prices.

In a letter dated October 21, 2025, reported publicly on October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Tinubu directed immediate implementation of the tariff as part of what the government described as a “market-responsive import tariff framework.”

The letter, signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, and obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, conveyed the President’s approval following a proposal by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji.

The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.

Adedeji, in his memo to the President, explained that the measure was part of ongoing reforms to boost local refining, ensure price stability, and strengthen the naira-based oil economy in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for energy security and fiscal sustainability.

“The core objective of this initiative is to operationalise crude transactions in local currency, strengthen local refining capacity, and ensure a stable, affordable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria,” Adedeji stated.

The FIRS boss also warned that the current misalignment between locally refined products and import parity pricing has created instability in the market.

“While domestic refining of petrol has begun to increase and diesel sufficiency has been achieved, price instability persists, partly due to the misalignment between local refiners and marketers,” he wrote.

He noted that import parity pricing- the benchmark for determining pump prices, often falls below cost recovery levels for local producers, particularly during foreign exchange and freight fluctuations, putting pressure on emerging domestic refineries.

Adedeji added that the government’s responsibility was now “twofold, to protect consumers and domestic producers from unfair pricing practices and collusion, while ensuring a level playing field for refiners to recover costs and attract investments.”

He argued that the new tariff framework would discourage duty-free fuel imports from undercutting domestic producers and foster a fair and competitive downstream environment.

According to projections contained in the letter, the 15 per cent import duty could increase the landing cost of petrol by an estimated N99.72 per litre.

“At current CIF levels, this represents an increment of approximately 99.72 per litre, which nudges imported landed costs toward local cost-recovery without choking supply or inflating consumer prices beyond sustainable thresholds. Even with this adjustment, estimated Lagos pump prices would remain in the range of N964.72 per litre ($0.62), still significantly below regional averages such as Senegal ($1.76 per litre), Cote d’Ivoire ($1.52 per litre), and Ghana ($1.37 per litre).”

The policy comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and ramp up domestic refining.

The 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos has commenced diesel and aviation fuel production, while modular refineries in Edo, Rivers and Imo states have started small-scale petrol refining.

However, despite these gains, petrol imports still account for up to 67 per cent of national demand.

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JUST IN: Tinubu decorates Service Chiefs with new ranks

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decorated the new Service Chiefs with their new ranks in the military to suit their new positions.

The newly decorated handlers of the nation’s Armed Forces include Lieutenant General, now General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, as Chief of Defence Staff; and Major General now Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiendeye Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

Others are Major General, now Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Air Vice Marshal, now Air Marshal Kevin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff;

Service chiefs pledge improved security, local arms production, technology use

Tinubu last Friday announced the replacement of the Service Chiefs, a move that has been attributed to the need to refocus and strengthen national security.

While commenting on his action, President Tinubu, in a post on his verified X handle, charged the new military chief helmsmen to “deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour”.

Tinubu decorates Service Chiefs with new ranks
Tinubu decorates Service Chiefs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decorated the new Service Chiefs with their new ranks in the military to suit their new positions.

The newly decorated handlers of the nation’s Armed Forces include Lieutenant General, now General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, as Chief of Defence Staff; and Major General now Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiendeye Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

Others are Major General, now Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Air Vice Marshal, now Air Marshal Kevin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff;

Service chiefs pledge improved security, local arms production, technology use

Tinubu last Friday announced the replacement of the Service Chiefs, a move that has been attributed to the need to refocus and strengthen national security.

While commenting on his action, President Tinubu, in a post on his verified X handle, charged the new military chief helmsmen to “deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour”.

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