Television Nigerian

Due to increased competition among suppliers in the downstream sector, the average price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) at private depots and the Dangote Refinery decreased somewhat on Tuesday, from ₦881.5 to ₦880.5 per litre.

Ex-depot prices were lowered from ₦890 to ₦889 per litre by major private depot operators, such as Matrix, A.Y.M. Shafa, and Sigmund Zamson, who mostly operate in Warri, Delta State, and Calabar, Cross River State.

In a same vein, Pinnacle Oil and Gas kept its pricing at ₦872 per litre, however the Dangote Petroleum Refinery changed it to ₦872 per litre, a ₦1 decrease from its prior cost of ₦873 per litre.

As deregulation continues to alter the market structure, the development comes after providers’ price competition intensifies.

Last Monday, the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) set the landing cost of gasoline at ₦829.77 per litre, which is 5.69% less than the gantry rate of ₦877 per litre at the Dangote Refinery.

However, retail rates at filling stations in Lagos, such as MRS, Ardova, and NNPC Limited outlets, continued to range between ₦920 and ₦922 per litre despite the downward revision at depots, indicating that customers had not yet felt the impact of the price reduction.

Vanguard claims that the naira was trading at ₦1,443.77 per dollar on the black market as of Tuesday, which is the reason for the tardy reaction at the pump to foreign exchange difficulties.

MEMAN clarified in its most recent Energy Bulletin, which is available on its website, that variations in the Brent crude benchmark, which is presently trading at $67.02 a barrel, had an impact on the price movements.

“The average 30-day report for PMS stood at ₦829.77 per litre, while the spot prices were ₦815.38 (ASPM) and ₦815.40 (NPSC-NOJ) per litre,” MEMAN said.

“Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) recorded ₦962.53 per litre during the same period, while Diesel (AGO) averaged ₦974.50 per litre.”

Deregulation Fueling Competition in the Market
In response, Mazi Colman Obasi, National President of the Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), told Vanguard that the price changes are a reflection of the realities of a deregulated market.

“Competition should be expected because the downstream sector has been deregulated,” Obasi stated. Competition is anticipated to give consumers in the home market greater options.

Gregory W. Meeks and Sara Jacobs, two prominent members of the US Congress, have denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to launch a military assault in Nigeria due to supposed Christian genocide.

Meeks, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jacobs, a ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee, characterized Trump’s remarks as “irresponsible and reckless” in a joint statement.

Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the Trump administration was also rejected by the senators, who claimed it oversimplifies the complicated nature of violence in the nation.

“The designation ignores the fact that land competition and resource scarcity, rather than religion, are frequently the driving forces behind conflicts between farmers and herders. Both Muslims and Christians have been targeted by terrorist organizations, particularly in northern Nigeria, where villages are still being attacked by criminal gangs known as bandits, according to the statement.

Noting that “all Nigerians deserve protection,” they applauded President Bola Tinubu’s initiatives to advance interfaith unity and enhance security.

Meeks and Jacobs further denounced as a “reckless response to distorted facts” Trump’s vow to “defend Christians” with potential military action.

“President Trump’s threat of military force is extremely reckless. Offering security support is one thing, but threatening to intervene is quite another. The politicians warned that such rhetoric could lead the US into yet another needless conflict.

The lawmakers cautioned that Trump’s proposal to stop US aid to Nigeria would harm important development and humanitarian initiatives.

The House of Representatives has stopped plenary for one week following a large protest by local contractors who barred the entrance to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja over alleged nonpayment for projects completed since 2024.

According to reports, the protest, which caused heavy gridlock and disrupted legislative activities, prompted lawmakers to postpone all sittings until next Tuesday to allow the House leadership to engage the executive branch of government and ensure that contractors receive their long-overdue payments.

The resolution came after the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), raised concerns over the contractors’ “dire plight” in a motion of urgent national importance.

“You recall that our local contractors, our brothers and sisters, besieged the National Assembly today, protesting that they have not been paid for jobs completed under the 2024 budget,” Chinda told the audience.

“This non-payment has caused untold hardship to our people, and it is our duty as a Parliament to take a stand.”

Chinda stated that the contractors’ demonstration was caused by the Federal Government’s refusal to obey President Bola Tinubu’s earlier directives for the Ministers of Finance and Budget to release monies for finished projects.

Representatives deliver a seven-day ultimatum to finance and budget ministers
The House decided to give the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Accountant-General of the Federation seven days to settle all outstanding payments owed to the protesting contractors and fully implement the 2025 budget.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu presided over the plenary and put the resolution to a voice vote, which was unanimously approved by members across party lines.

Shortly after the resolution, Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu Mai-Palace (APC, Zamfara) filed a follow-up motion requesting the House to delay plenary for one week until the executive responds to the ultimatum.

“Mr Speaker, the urgency and sensitivity of this matter demand that we suspend our sittings for one week so that the leadership can engage the executive to find a lasting solution,” Mai-Pale said.

Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, supported the proposal, saying it was practical given that demonstrators had obstructed access to the National Assembly.

“Members arrived late today because the routes were blocked by demonstrators. “It’s sensible to take a step back and let the executive act,” Waive explained.

Following unanimous consent by voice vote, Deputy Speaker Kalu said that all plenary sessions would be delayed until next Tuesday, pending the conclusion of negotiations between the House leadership and the executive branch.

The House also directed its leadership to enforce strict adherence to the resolution and to report back within one week for “further drastic legislative action” if the administration fails to achieve the deadline.

The protest began early Tuesday, with scores of indigenous contractors carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs at the National Assembly Complex gate.

They accused the government of owing billions of naira for projects completed in the 2024 fiscal year.

Security personnel, including police and civil defense, were deployed to contain the crowd as parliamentarians attempted to gain admission into the building before deciding to stop proceedings.

A resolution requesting an investigation into the purported unlawful and criminal distribution of Federal Government lands at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex sent the House of Representatives into disarray on Tuesday, November 4.

Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) sponsored the motion, which called for the formation of an ad hoc committee to look into the purported land discrepancies.

However, the plan caused MPs to become tense right away, which resulted in a contentious discussion on the House floor.

Kuye’s move was fiercely opposed by a number of lawmakers who said that the House Committee on Commerce should conduct the probe rather than forming a new ad hoc committee because the issue was within its purview.

Following a voice vote, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who oversaw the meeting, decided in favor of Kuye’s proposal despite the objections.

Some members were further incensed by the ruling, accusing the presiding officer of bias and refusing to support later motions presented to the floor.

As some members started yelling at colleagues who tried to make additional motions, tensions increased. They insisted that no further legislative business should take place until the issue was reexamined.

The Deputy Speaker’s and senior members’ attempts to reestablish order were unsuccessful because disgruntled parliamentarians persisted in complaining about what they called procedural injustice.

In the midst of the chaos, the Deputy Speaker was compelled to convene an executive session, briefly halting the open plenary to facilitate private discussions meant to restore order.

The executive session’s specifics had not yet been released to the public at the time this report was filed.

The Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, which is situated along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, has long been the focus of controversy, according to reports, with stakeholders accusing officials of improper allocations and land racketeering.

The most recent move represents a new phase in the ongoing dispute, which has now caused new rifts inside the Green Chamber.

According to US media, which quoted a family statement, former US Vice President Dick Cheney passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84.

Between 2001 until 2009, Cheney served as the 46th vice president under Republican President George W. Bush for two terms.

The family’s statement, which was reported by US media, stated that the former congressman and defense secretary “died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”

“Dick Cheney served our country for decades, serving as Vice President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, Wyoming Congressman, and White House Chief of Staff,” it said.
Cheney, a Machiavellian personality with significant influence behind the scenes, is regarded as one of the most potent vice presidents in US history.
Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and spent most of his childhood in Wyoming, a sparsely populated western state.

He attended Yale University but left the esteemed East Coast institution to pursue a degree in political science at the University of Wyoming back home.

Compared to the majority of his predecessors in the position, Cheney carried his neo-conservative philosophy to the White House and had a bigger say in important policy decisions.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a preacher from Aduna, claims that terrorists who kill, maim, and abduct innocent people for ransom are “listening and reasonable human beings” who ought to be subdued rather than put to death.

“As a human being, I’ve been attempting to figure out how we might calm these terrorists and divert them. In an interview with VOP TV, Mr. Gumi stated, “They listen and reason, but you will compound the problem and make the thing dirty if you say you want to use force against force.”

The Islamic cleric, who supports amnesty for bandits causing chaos in the nation, claimed that because the U.S. army has failed to battle terrorists and bandits in Afghanistan and Syria, they are unable to beat them in Nigeria.

“I will welcome the U.S. army if they are able to treat and destroy the terrorists. But they can’t, I know that. They have been fighting in Afghanistan for twenty years, but they have been unable to complete them. The same thing is happening in Syria now, Mr. Gumi reasoned.

“These terrorists you see, it is not easy to come and drop bombs here and there and think you will finish them because they have infiltrated the society,” the Islamic preacher continued. It will inflict additional harm. If America fires a bomb in Nigeria, more Muslims and Christians will die.

Following Mr. Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to allegations of Christian genocide and his threat to invade Nigeria in order to eradicate terrorists killing Christians, Mr. Gumi’s speech humanizes terrorists and bandits.

Over a ten-year period of terror in the Northeast, Boko Haram terrorists have killed hundreds of thousands of people, abducted hundreds of pupils, and forced almost three million people to flee their homes.

When the terrorist organization abducted roughly 276 schoolgirls in the Borno community of Chibok in 2014, it became well-known throughout the world.

Peter Obi’s remarks regarding President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria due to the supposed death of Christians have drawn criticism from the All Progressives Congress for “selective outrage.”

Seye Oladejo, the APC spokeswoman for Lagos, criticized Mr. Obi’s attempt to “turn a sensitive national issue into political theatre rather than demonstrate statesmanship” in a statement released on Tuesday.

The All Progressives Congress’s Lagos state chapter has witnessed Mr. Peter Obi’s most recent grandstanding in response to the United States’ designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” In trying times, true leaders protect their nation. According to the ruling party, “statesmen balance criticism with dignity and national pride.” However, Peter Obi only seems happy when Nigeria is under duress, seeing every obstacle as a chance for his political comeback. That’s not being patriotic. Election anguish is the source of this bitter politics.

Mr. Obi criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration in a statement on Monday for failing to halt the rampant violence carried out by terrorists and robbers, accusing the APC administration of being inept and uncommitted to improving the situation.

The Labour Party official “did not speak out of patriotic instinct, but out of public pressure and fear of further exposing his double standards,” according to the APC.

“The country saw what we anticipated when he eventually spoke: too little, too late, and too predictable. His response was devoid of any sense of unity, urgency, or sincerity.

“When his country’s reputation is at risk, a guy who professes to want national leadership shouldn’t need public prodding to speak up. The party continued, “Leadership is proactive, not reactive, and definitely not motivated by online agitation.”

The party maintained that the nation’s security issues were inherited and that Mr. Tinubu was dedicated to resolving them, even as they accused Mr. Obi of “rehearsing 2023 grievances and clinging to foreign commentary for political oxygen.”

Nigeria’s security issues were inherited; they didn’t begin yesterday. President Tinubu is bravely and strategically taking on them. Nigeria will not submit to people who want its problems to go worse. The party declared, “We implore the public to continue concentrating on the Renewed Hope agenda and reject individuals who profit politically from national difficulty.”

General Olufemi Oluyede, the recently appointed Chief of Defence Staff, has denied allegations of the purported Christian genocide in Nigeria.

According to reports, President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) this week further escalated the allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Additionally, the US President promised that the US military would step in if the Nigerian government did not put an end to the purported persecution of Christians.

Contrary to what some US lawmakers and religious freedom advocates have asserted, the CDS stated that there is no genocide against Christians in a statement made shortly after a meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA).

He maintained that terrorism is a worldwide problem that has afflicted Nigeria for many years.

“Christians in Nigeria are not persecuted,” he declared. I want Nigerians to know that. Nigeria has been dealing with insecurity for a while now, particularly with regard to terrorism.

“We have been making every effort to put an end to this act of terrorism within the nation.

“We are prepared to enlist the assistance of any nations that are willing to stand with Nigeria in order to prevent acts of terrorism in Nigeria.”