Politics

Fuel queues form in Nigeria as NNPC claims operational glitch

Published

5 months ago

July 29, 2024

Fuel queues stretched across major Nigerian cities on Monday as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) struggled to provide petrol to local traders and depots.

Last year, President Bola Tinubu authorized petrol imports to private enterprises, but foreign currency shortages and a price ceiling have left NNPC the only importer.
The new Dangote Refinery in Nigeria has not started processing petrol.

“The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the Federal Capital is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” Olufemi Soneye, NNPC spokesperson said in a statement over the weekend when queues began forming.

Retail petrol prices have climbed to above 800 naira ($0.5063) from 617 naira per litre in May 2023 after the government ended gasoline subsidies. The price hike has exacerbated Nigeria’s inflation and cost of living crisis.

The NNPC Ltd. needs cash to settle its $6 billion debt to gasoline suppliers, which is impacting deliveries.

The scarcity has also been linked with hoarding and uncertainty surrounding the planned #EndBadGovernnace protest scheduled to begin on the 1st of August.

Nigerians have had to endure extreme hardship as a result of fuel scarcity; in fact, it would have been quite unusual for a full year to go by without the problem of fuel scarcity briefly entering the economic spotlight.

Related Topics:#NNPC Featured Nigeria Petrol Scarcity

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

6 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

7 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.