The reemergence yesterday of fuel queues in many parts of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, and its neighbouring Ogun and Oyo states, leaving passengers stranded across the states dominate the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Guardian reports that barely one week after President Muhammadu Buhari approved an additional N10 for transporters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) across the country, petroleum marketers have decried the prolonged inability to load from NNPC depots, leaving them to depend on private depots that equally impose additional charges.
With additional charges from depots, marketers are decrying the cost of lifting products from depots, alleging that it is no longer sustainable to sell petrol at N165 per litre, despite a running subsidy, while subtly making moves to push the price to N180 per litre.
Indeed, fuel queues re-emerged, yesterday, in many parts of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, and its neighbouring Ogun and Oyo states, leaving passengers stranded across the states.
A survey by The Guardian showed that while filling stations claimed to have run out of stock, a few major marketers that were selling had long queues. Earlier, the filling stations that claimed to have run out of stock had told The Guardian that they had stock that could last many days.
Long queues created as a result of fuel scarcity have further worsened traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and within the Lagos metropolis.
Marketers also told The Guardian that NNPC has significantly reduced the level of daily truck out of the products even as tanker owners have reportedly started converting their vehicles to lift other goods instead of petrol.
The newspaper says that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has finally signed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with its consultants, 3R Company Nigeria Limited, for the execution of the Revenue Assurance Solutions (RAS) to strengthen and manage the integrity of the revenue generation process in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
The agreement-signing ceremony, which heldin Abuja over the weekend, was witnessed by representatives of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). The ICRC has been guiding the partnership implementation process to give expression to the decision to procure the RAS solution within a PPP framework due to the scope of the project.
While the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, signed the agreement on behalf of the Commission, the Chief Executive Officer, 3R Nigeria Limited, Raymond Wodi, signed on behalf of his company.
Speaking at the event, Danbatta said the decision of the NCC to opt for RAS was to bolster the efforts of the Federal Government in increasing revenue generation, especially at a time when the resources at the disposal of the government are dwindling by the day.
The EVC stated that the deployment of RAS would enhance monitoring and regulatory activities concerning Annual Operating Levy (AOL) administration in the telecommunications industry and to confer higher levels of integrity and fidelity on the AOL figures obtainable in the industry.
The Punch reports that the Federal Government on Monday charged all parties – Nigeria, Niger and Algeria – involved in the construction of the $13bn Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline to fast-track measures for the completion of the multibillion dollar project.
It said this was vital because many European countries were currently asking Nigeria and its partners for alternative gas supply due to the negative impact on gas supply by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The TSGP is a planned natural gas pipeline from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria. In February this year, the three nations signed an agreement that would see development resume on the project.
The agreement was finalised during the Economic Communities of West African States Mining and Petroleum Forum in Niamey, Niger.
In his address on Monday at the Ministerial Meeting on the Reactivation of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline Project in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said the three nations must hasten efforts to start supplying gas to Europe.
He said, “Before now, we should have invented this project, because it is now important more than ever before for us to take our gas to the European markets. A lot of European countries are asking for alternative gas supply from us in Africa.”
The newspaper says that at least, 3,478 people were while 2,256 others were abducted across the country from December 2021 to June 15, 2022, a tally collated by The PUNCH has shown.
The figures were obtained from the daily incidents recorded by the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think-tank, during the period under review.
The data captured by our correspondents included those killed by non-state actors such as terrorists, bandits, gunmen, armed robbers, cultists and security operatives, among others.
A monthly breakdown showed that in December 2021, no fewer than 342 innocent Nigerians were killed while 397 were abducted. Those killed in the month included 45 farmers in Nasarawa. Also, 34 women were abducted in Zamfara.
In January, at least 844 people were killed and 603 abducted by non-state actors. Prominent among the incidents that happened during the month was the bandits’ attack on Zamfara communities where over 200 residents were killed. Also, suspected bandits reportedly killed 220 persons and kidnapped 200 others in Niger state.
In February, at least 495 persons were killed, while 326 were kidnapped. In the month, bandits attacked a Zamfara community for failing to pay a N40 million levy and killed 33 victims.
Also, terrorists killed 44, and abducted 31 others in Niger communities.
The Nation reports that a Nigerian firm, Anthorad Nigeria Ltd in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, at the weekend unveiled a new Coolbox technology for meat retailers and other perishable commodity sellers in Lagos State.
At the unveiling of the technology in Ode-Eran meat market in Igando area of Lagos State, the Managing Director of Anthorad Nigeria Ltd, Engr. Adegboyega Samson Adeosun, said the new product would help meat, fish and fruit retailers to keep their product fresh and hygienic for consumers.
“As the day wears on, fruits, fish and meat can sell at less than half of their original value, slashing profits for retailers but with this new coolbox technology, the products can stay fresh throughout the day.
“This is food meant for human consumption that we typically lose along the supply chain. The mission really is to reduce food spoilage due to lack of cold food storage at key points along the food supply chain.”
According to Adeosun, the Coolbox, which comes in different sizes from Columbia and India, will not only help to make the meat stay fresh but also protect them from germs.
“The big dream for us is to solve the problem of food spoilage in Nigeria, and expand our technology and service to other states in the country that have these challenges,” he said.
GIK/APA