Business News
Subsidy Removal: PMS Price Jumps to N537 Per Litre
Following Monday’s removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), yesterday jerked up pump prices of petrol, also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N195 per litre to 537 per litre at its fuel stations nationwdie.
According to a statement signed by the NNPC Ltd’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, the increment is part of measures to provide the public with quality service.
The statement also said that the NNPC Limited is committed to ensuring a ceaseless supply of products.
“NNPC Limited wishes to inform our esteemed customers that we have adjusted our pump prices of PMS across our retail outlets, in line with current market realities.
“As we strive to provide you with the quality service for which we are known, it is pertinent to note that prices will continue to fluctuate to reflect market dynamics.
“We assure you that NNPC Limited is committed to ensuring a ceaseless supply of products.
“The company sincerely regrets any inconvenience this development may have caused.
“We greatly appreciate your continued patronage, support, and understanding during this time of change and growth,” the statement read.
According to a new price template disclosed by NNPLC yesterday, Lagos State has the least price of N488 per litre, while Maiduguri and Damaturu have the highest pump prices of N577 per litre.
Yesterday, most filling stations in the nation’s capital, Abuja, had adjusted to the new pump price.
Similarly, pump prices had been adjusted across the states.
For instance, in Benue State, the fuel price had been adjusted to N537 per litre.
The price adjustment represents an over 200 per cent increase.
The implication is that nearly all prices of goods and services would drastically increase.
The development is coming barely two days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inaugural speech, where he said fuel subsidy would be removed.
In the first half of 2023, Nigeria spent N3.6 trillion on fuel subsidy alone.
The country will save close to N6.7 trillion if fuel subsidies payment is discontinued.
Nigeria has spent N13.7 trillion on fuel subsidy in the last 13 years, according to Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
NLC Kicks over Price Increase
The umbrella body of labour unions in the country, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday fumed over the adjustment of pump prices by the Nigerian National Petrol Company Limited (NNPCL).
Barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu announced an end to the subsidy era during his inaugural speech at Eagle Square, Abuja on Monday, the NNPCL confirmed the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol.
Since the presidential pronouncement, fuel queues have resurfaced across the country as Nigerians forage for the premium product which was rose from around N185 per litre to between N400 and N600 per litre.
Worried by the situation, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, issued a statement expressing worry that the national oil company would announce an increment.
Describing the development as unfortunate, Ajaero said the NNPCL’s action was coming on the heels of an ongoing meeting with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to manage the unilateral but unfortunate announcement by the President.
“It is therefore unacceptable and we seriously condemn it. Good faith negotiation is key to reaching agreement. What the government has done is like holding a gun to the head of Nigerian people and bringing undue pressure on the leaders thus undermine the dialogue,” the NLC President said.
“We call on the federal government to immediately instruct the NNPC to withdraw this vexatious Pricing template to allow free flow of discussions by the parties. Nigerians would not accept any manipulations of any kind from any of the parties especially from the representatives of the Government.
“Our commitment to this process is buoyed on the fact that all the parties would be committed to ensuring that it is carried out within the ambits of liberty without undue pressure. The release of that Template may not allow us to continue if nothing is done to withdraw it so that the dialogue can continue unhindered. It is clear that Government is actually trying to scuttle the process.”
IPMAN Sanctions over 100 Petrol Stations for Price Violation
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has said that over 100 petrol stations have been sanctioned for increasing pump prices.
National Spokesperson of the Association, Yakubu Suleiman, disclosed this yesterday.
Briefly after President Bola Tinubu’s speech on May 29 that the petrol subsidy has been cancelled, panic buying erupted in some parts of the country as some marketers closed shops, leading to large queues in filling stations across the country.
In Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of the country, it was observed that since May 29, some filling stations ceased operations; while those that dispensed petrol increased prices.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television yesterday, Suleiman said there is a penalty for filling stations increasing pump prices, adding that over 100 sanctions have been placed on defaulters.
“We have a task force that goes around all the filling stations in the country and I want to assure you that they are there, working right from yesterday,” he said.
“Any filling station caught increasing the price just because of this announcement, there has to be a penalty against such stations. We sanction those who default. We close the stations. Our task force is there doing its job.
“As of yesterday, more than 100 filling stations have been sanctioned. Some of them, when we go through their reports, are not real petroleum marketers. Real ones cannot go against the rule of their administration.”
Mike Osatuyi, the national operations controller of IPMAN, had earlier told TheCable that the reflexive action of customers who wanted to stock up on cheap petrol before the price of the product increased, was to be blamed for the unprecedented level of queues.
He advised that, although there is currently enough petroleum stock to supply the nation, there would be a price increase eventually.
Meanwhile, the representatives of the federal government are expected to meet with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) today, over the planned removal of the petrol subsidy – the root cause.
NMDPRA: We’re Ready to Issue New Petrol Import Licences
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said it is ready to issue licences to companies interested in petrol importation.
Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, Farouk Ahmed, chief executive officer of NMDPRA, said the criteria for importing kerosene and diesel will be applicable for the importation of the product.
However, Ahmed said several conditions have to be met before the applicants are granted licences.
“There are a lot of conditions to be met before you are given a licence to import petrol,” he said.
“I cannot give you all the rundown now but I can tell you that just the way marketers import diesel or jet kero, there are conditions for all that and the same condition will apply to those who want to import premium motor spirit (PMS).”
Only companies that are lessees producing crude oil and/or condensates or who are holders of crude oil refining licences are eligible to supply wholesale petroleum liquids (including petrol importation), according to section 197 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
While the PIA empowers the NMDPRA to issue licences to refiners or producers of crude oil, the regulation, in sections 73 (3) and 111 (1), provides that the minister of petroleum must approve such licences.
Currently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is the last-resort supplier, tasked with importing refined petrol to ensure adequate supply and distribution in the country.
Through the direct sale, direct purchase (DSDP) scheme, the country exports crude oil and exchanges it for refined petroleum products.
A graduate of the University of Maiduguri, Shianya Ebwaseh, said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) helped improve her Grade Point Average (GPA) to 3.50 through financial support that enabled her to concentrate on her studies.
Ebwaseh, who graduated from the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, said this in an interview on Monday in Maiduguri.
She said financial difficulties had previously affected her academic performance, as she struggled to meet her daily needs while pursuing her degree.
The graduate said she resorted to selling fried chips and groundnuts on campus to support herself, sometimes missing lectures because of the time and energy required to run the business.
According to her, the introduction of NELFUND’s student loan scheme relieved her financial burden through tuition support and a monthly N20,000 upkeep allowance.
“Before NELFUND, I struggled with my GPA because of financial challenges. I sometimes missed lectures after spending hours frying and packaging chips for sale.
“But when NELFUND came, I stopped the business and concentrated on my studies. My GPA improved to 3.50, which is Second Class Upper,” she said.
Ebwaseh said the financial support also enabled her to attend lectures regularly, purchase learning materials and prepare adequately for tests and examinations without constant worries about money.
She added that her examination scores improved significantly after she began receiving the support, attributing the change to increased concentration and financial stability.
The graduate, who said she accessed the scheme in her third year, described the application process as simple and encouraged other eligible students to apply.
She also said the programme had helped financially disadvantaged students remain in school, particularly those whose parents could not afford tuition fees and upkeep.
Ebwaseh appealed to the Federal Government to sustain the initiative, emphasising that withdrawing the support could expose many students to financial difficulties and possible dropout.
She said the scheme had given beneficiaries an opportunity to pursue their academic ambitions with fewer financial distractions.(NAN)
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Muttaqha Darma, has called for synergy among government agencies in the housing sector to improve coordination and accelerate housing delivery.
Darma made the call in Abuja on Monday at the stakeholders’ conference on the proposed National Real Estate Regulatory Authority (NRERA).
The conference, themed “One vision, One Ecosystem, One National Housing and Real Estate Plan”, was organised by the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, and the House Committee on Housing and Habitat.
The minister said the lack of coordination among government agencies had affected the effective delivery of houses to Nigerians, noting that institutions in the sector operated independently.
“The players within the industry, all of us, operate in silos.
“Federal Housing Authority (FHA) does not even know what the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) is doing. FMBN does not know what the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) is doing,” he said.
According to him, the various institutions must work together towards a common goal rather than operate independently.
“Our target is to build houses for Nigerians. We are wasting our time because if we fail, it is us who fail, not the President,” he said.
The minister expressed support for the establishment of NRERA, saying the proposed authority would address the regulatory gaps in the real estate sector.
He said the ministry had reviewed the proposed legislation and recognised its potential to improve the sector.
Darma also disclosed that abandoned housing projects funded by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) across the country were worth about N38 billion.
He said a survey conducted by the ministry revealed abandoned FMBN-funded housing developments in every state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
“We realised about N38 billion of contributors’ money, your own money, all the Nigerian workers’ money. N38 billion is wasted,” he said.
He said that the poor management of workers’ contributions could discourage Nigerians from contributing to the National Housing Fund.
The minister urged the committee handling the proposed legislation to ensure that state governments were included in the regulatory framework.
He also called for safeguards to protect homebuyers, tenants, developers and mortgage lenders, including mandatory escrow accounts for buyers and standardised tenancy agreements.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr Armstrong Takang, said effective regulation was necessary to restore investor confidence in Nigeria’s real estate sector.
Takang said the sector contributed 12.71 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of June 2026, but remained largely unregulated.
He said the absence of a national licensing system had allowed unqualified individuals to operate as estate agents and developers without adequate accountability.
“Anyone can sell land, anyone can collect off-plan payments, run into tens of billions and get away with it. There are very few countries in the world where these are allowed,” he said.
He called for mandatory licensing of real estate operators and the protection of buyers’ funds through designated project accounts.
“An operator must be licensed with the authorities. No one should be operating in the real estate sector without a licence, no matter which part of the value chain they are involved in,” he said.
He added that buyers’ funds should be kept in protected project accounts and released to developers based on evidence of progress on construction.
Takang said effective regulation would attract domestic and foreign investment, protect citizens and support the Federal Government’s one-trillion-dollar economy target.
He urged the National Assembly to ensure the passage of the proposed legislation, describing it as critical to bringing order and transparency to the real estate sector.
From Tony Nwachukwu, Lagos
Fintech company OPay has announced the postponement of its planned public offering on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), following careful consideration of an ongoing inquiry by a regulatory authority.
The company said the decision to postpone the offering was taken in the best interests of the business and its customers.
In a statement shared with DAILY ASSET, OPay explained that the ongoing inquiry does not affect the services it provides to customers or how it operates in Nigeria and its other business markets.
The company also reassured customers, merchants, agents and other business partners that its operations would continue as usual, with all services remaining fully available.
“Customers can continue sending and receiving money, making payments and saving without interruption,” the statement noted.
OPay expressed appreciation to its customers, merchants, agents, business partners, employees and other stakeholders for their continued trust and support.
The company also reiterated its commitment to making financial services more inclusive through technology
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