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Ganduje Unveils Dala Dry Port Logo

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By Joseph Amah, Abuja

Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has unveiled the Dala Port Investment Summit logo at a brief ceremony in Abuja, the nation’s capital. This is as the governor declared the state’s readiness for economic transformation with the expected completion of the port in the next couple of weeks.

The governor noted that the ancient city of Kano played a unique role as a commercial hub in pre-colonial Nigeria, stressing that the first aeroplane which flew into Nigeria landed in Kano.
According to him, Kano also boasted of first-generation billionaires like Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, who in his words was the richest man in West Africa closely followed by Isyaku Rabiu.

Ganduje further claimed that Kano has always had a very large commercial settlement even more than Lagos, arguing that even when the colonial masters arrived in the country through the sea, they were able to identify the economic potentials of the city which made them build a railway line to the state, unperturbed by the distance. He said: “The first aeroplane that came to Nigeria, dropped in Kano, the pilot did not identify any settlement in Lagos. There was a large settlement of people already in Kano. The richest man in Africa then, Dantata was from Kano and the second richest, Rabiu was also from Kano. Kano existed before Nigeria was carved out. Kano was able to trade with the world in the pre-colonial era. “When the colonial masters came in through the sea, they built a railway line from Lagos to Kano because of the degree of commerce already in place. You all can remember the groundnut pyramid. “When oil was discovered, everything went upside down but the Buhari administration came in and said that it will no longer be business as usual and reconstructed the railway line. Today, Kano is the largest producer of rice in Nigeria and one of the highest processors of rice in West Africa.”The governor said that with the upcoming Kano Economic and Diaspora investment summit which will take place in May, the port will create an opportunity for the Diaspora community to tap into the rich business potential in the state, promising to provide free land to any member of the Diaspora community willing to invest in the state.

In his keynote address, Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi said the dry port when completed will bring shipping facilities closer to the hinterland. Represented by Dr Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Amaechi said: “A state with a sizable number of textiles and agro-allied industries, a motor assembly plant, hides and skin industries and several manufacturing plants deserves an inland dry port”. According to Amaechi, the dry port will among other things, “bring shipping activities closer to shippers in the hinterland and increase cargoes throughput; act as a catalyst for improved trade flows; boost inland trading, revitalize export of agricultural products thus leading to multi-product economy; create employment opportunities that would ultimately stem rural-urban migration and act as a source of Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, to the host state as well as a revenue source to the federal government.”

While assuring the business community and intending investors of the government’s commitment to link all dry ports with rail lines, Amaechi said the Dala port would be linked with the Lagos-Kano standard gauge currently under construction. In his goodwill message, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Addo-Bayero frowned at the slow speed of the Kaduna-Kano, noting that the emirate has constituted a committee to work with the state government for the completion of the Dala Inland Dry Port. Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Emmanuel Jime in his remarks said the “Dala Dry port” which is among the six dry port projects being executed by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration “will give Nigeria a competitive edge in the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.

He added that the Kano state government has already released the sum of N2.5bn which was utilized in the provision of the access road, electricity, perimeter fencing, provision of water facility, among others at the project site. The event was attended by Minister of Trade and Investment Adeniyi Adebayo, Chairman Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri; Managing Director, Dala Inland Dry Port, Ahmed Rabiu; Chairman Dangote Group Aliko Dangote represented by President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Engr. Mansur Ahmed; President BUA Group Abdulsamad Rabiu among others.

BUSINESS

NNPC Posts N7.2trn Profit amid Revenue Decline

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) recorded N7.2 trillion Profit After Tax (PAT) in 2025, a 33 per cent increase from N5.4 trillion.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a media briefing after the company’s AGM and second Earnings Call.

Revenue declined to N34.

5 trillion from N45.1 trillion in 2024.

Ojulari attributed the 24 per cent revenue decline to lower crude oil prices and reduced product volumes following market deregulation.

He said earnings per share rose to N35.

90 from N27.07, while return on equity improved by 200 basis points to 16 per cent.

The company’s declared dividend increased by 35 per cent to N5.8 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other government remittances rose 39 per cent to N22.3 trillion.

 “Stronger earnings in spite of this pressure demonstrate the resilience of NNPC Limited’s operations,” Ojulari said.

He said profit grew because NNPC had improved its operations and maintained discipline across its businesses.

Ojulari said crude oil and condensate production reached a five-year peak of 1.77 million barrels per day.

He added that gas supply reached a three-year high of 7.2 billion standard cubic feet per day.

“Stronger performance gives NNPC Limited more capacity to invest, contribute to public revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.

On infrastructure, Ojulari said the mainline of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline had been completed.

He said work was ongoing on tie-ins to delivery points, beginning with Abuja, followed by Ajaokuta and Kaduna.

According to him, the next milestone is to commence gas flow through the pipeline to industries and power plants.

Ojulari said the company completed the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in 2026 after several years of challenges.

On the refineries, he said prospective partners under NNPC’s technical equity partnership model had conducted a three-month onsite review.

He said more than 34 engineers participated in the review, adding that NNPC was now concluding the report.

Ojulari said the company was targeting self-sustaining and profitable refineries, with a pathway expected to be defined soon.

He reaffirmed NNPC’s target of producing two million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027 and three million barrels by 2030.

He said gas production targets were 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030.

“NNPC plans to mobilise over 60 billion dollars of investment across the energy value chain,” he added.

Ojulari said more than 1,000 newly recruited professionals joined NNPC in 2025 under its Talent to Value programme.

He said the recruits completed a one-year internship and training programme before being deployed across the company. (NAN)

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BUSINESS

FCCPC Calls for Improved Capacity Building on Competition Reporting, Matters

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says there is a need for sustained capacity building in competition reporting and issues.

The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Bello described competition matters as a relatively new area in the country adding that it required specialised knowledge among journalists, regulators and other stakeholders.

He said that competition law and consumer protection regulations had made stakeholders’ education a priority for the commission.

Bello said that the FCCPC recently supported the training of judges through the National Judicial Institute (NJI) to deepen understanding of competition-related matters.

He noted that members of the judiciary also required exposure to the nuances of the emerging field.

“We recognised that because it is a new terrain, the judges themselves are not familiar with the nuances.

”So we brought in experts on competition,” he said.

Bello stressed that the media had a critical role in promoting public understanding of competition and consumer protection issues.

“If FCCPC is becoming more known to the public, it is as a result of the kind of publicity you have given us,” he said. (NAN)

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BUSINESS

Fire Guts Customs Western Marine Command Office in Lagos

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Fire gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, on Monday, destroying property worth millions of Naira.

The fire, which reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. from an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.

Officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.

m.

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who just resumed at the Command, to take over the affairs from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.

He said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.

“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.

“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire.”

He commended the swift response of the personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence. (NAN)

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