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Energy Analyst, Adeoye Highlights Complexities Of Nigeria’s Petrol Pricing Amid Dangote Refinery Launch
Energy policy analyst, Adeyemi Adeoye has highlighted the complexities of Nigeria’s petrol pricing following the launch of the Dangote Refinery, stressing the importance of informed dialogue and the critical role of negotiations between private refineries and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
He shared his views during an appearance on TVC News on Friday, which was monitored by our correspondent.
Adeoye emphasized that the emotional responses to petrol pricing have diminished since the refinery’s inauguration. “When we take sentiment out of the conversation, then the real talk can begin,” he remarked, advocating for a more rational dialogue about the oil industry.
He clarified that the NNPC Ltd was not serving as a regulator in the current deregulated environment, a point, which he contends remains misunderstood by many.
He explained, “The sentiment and undue emotions surrounding this conversation since the advent of the Dangote Refinery are subsiding. When we take the sentiment out of the conversation, then the real discussion can begin.
“The oil industry has an operational manual; there is a way it functions. We all own the NNPC. Ordinarily, if it is representing the interests of Nigeria, in this deregulated system we have seen, especially since the PIA (Petroleum Industry Act) came into effect. The NNPC is not a regulator.
“This is a point many people still do not understand. If it were a regulator, its role would be to come out in the open, maybe via a press conference, and announce the price at which the government would be selling. But, as we’ve seen, it is still the Dangote Refinery that announces the prices, and we also need to take this into consideration.
“What is happening now is a joint venture. The NNPC is familiar with joint ventures. They have joint ventures all over the upstream sector with different international oil companies operating in Nigeria, and this is what has developed between the Dangote Refinery and the NNPC — it’s a joint venture.
“The NNPC supplies Dangote Refinery with crude oil and, in return, gets refined products for Nigerians. Essentially, this is the ongoing relationship, and that is why negotiation was important. If you observe, you will notice that Dangote Refinery has not announced a price.
“Dangote did not announce a price because they need to negotiate properly, and the NNPC is the chief negotiator in this instance because it supplies the crude oil, just as the government supplies crude to Dangote.
“Dangote is also sourcing crude from Brazil and the U.S., but the NNPC is supplying crude, and on the strength of that, it goes into the negotiation.
“The key takeaway for Nigerians is that the NNPC has announced that Dangote Refinery is free to deal with any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis. However, the negotiation did not start at the price announced by NNPC or Dangote. The negotiation started at a higher price, for very obvious reasons.
“In the United States (US), the average price for gas (petrol) is $3.33 per gallon. If you divide a gallon, which is about 4 liters, you get around N5,279. Breaking it down, that’s about N1,119.75 per liter. So, this is the amount Dangote would have sold it for.
“It wouldn’t have been less than N1,300. If Dangote is allowed to operate purely as a business entity, there is nothing wrong with that. But without negotiations, Nigerians could have been paying no less than N1,300 for fuel because it is an international product.
“Nigerians need to understand that to refine crude oil, you first need to produce crude oil, and producing crude oil involves what is called an oil rig.
“The cheapest oil rig you can get costs around $100,000 to $150,000 per day. So, if you have a marginal field and you are paying $150,000 per day for your crude, you will also have to pay for the vessel to transport it to Dangote.
“Dangote is not going to pay you in Naira; it is going to pay you in dollars. These are all factors that affect the pricing. It is not like other commodities; it is an internationally determined commodity, and the pricing is not something easy to determine.
“That’s why Dangote couldn’t come out to announce pricing immediately. It had to first negotiate with its suppliers, which in this case is the NNPC.” he added
Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of SPAC Nation, Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his opulent lifestyle, claiming it serves to inspire young people rather than flaunt wealth.
This statement comes amid a UK Immigration Upper Tribunal ruling ordering his deportation over visa violations.
Adegboyega, 44, faced accusations of overstaying his visitor visa, which expired after he arrived in the UK in 2005.
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He had applied to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The tribunal, however, ruled against him, citing his failure to regularize his status.
The pastor’s luxurious lifestyle, including designer clothing and expensive cars, was a focal point of the case.
Addressing the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that his lifestyle is fully funded by his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually at AON.
He said, “I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria, but I have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Defending his appearance, Adegboyega emphasized the importance of projecting success to his young congregation.
The court noted, “For instance, people have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all of his personal possessions had been paid for by Mary.
“He believes it is important for him to dress the way that he does because he needs to inspire these young people – they need to understand that there are legitimate ways of making money, for instance through entrepreneurship.”
Despite the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation concerns as insignificant.
“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I will dismiss things that have to do with retrogression; every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city that is well known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts, so the matter that they are propagating is the smallest matter,” he said.
He further expressed confidence in his resilience. “No panic, I love London city, it is my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here – pastors and leaders – I have survived everything. I’m here, I am at home, nobody should panic for me.
“I succeeded well in this country despite all challenges, and I’m in the league of people you look up to. I have survived that well; nothing has changed, nothing will change,” he added.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Aare Afe Babalola has publicly addressed the defamation allegations leveled against Farotimi.
The legal action stems from claims made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which Babalola asserts contains false and defamatory statements about him and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
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In a petition dated November 19 and submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola accused Farotimi of making “criminally defamatory” statements about him, his law firm, and two senior lawyers at his firm, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro.
The defamatory remarks are tied to the Supreme Court case Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
Babalola revealed that the allegations came to light when one of his lawyers purchased Farotimi’s book while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport.
After reading the book, the lawyer immediately brought its contents to Babalola’s attention.
Other members of his firm reportedly did the same, prompting the senior lawyer to take legal action.
In his petition, Babalola pointed to specific passages in Farotimi’s book that accused him of corruption and unethical conduct. The petition reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit No. SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
“Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers, while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. He read the book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the book and read it.”
“The defamatory statements are as follows:
- That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.
- That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro, and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had, when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”
Babalola strongly denies the allegations, claiming that they are false and damaging to both his personal reputation and the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Nigerian author and activist Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has surged to bestseller status on Amazon amid a legal battle with prominent lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola.
The controversy surrounding the book has captivated public attention, driving both online and offline demand.
The book, which critiques systemic corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary and highlights alleged misconduct by key legal figures, saw modest sales following its release in July 2024.
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However, Farotimi’s arrest on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the 93-year-old Babalola, triggered a wave of public curiosity.
By Thursday evening, it had climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller rankings, according to checks by Vanguard. Bookstores across Nigeria also reported a significant uptick in demand.
Biztellers reports that Farotimi was detained in Lagos by armed police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of the city, where Babalola is based.
The senior lawyer alleged that the book accused him of compromising Nigeria’s judiciary—a claim that has sparked heated debates about freedom of speech and accountability in the legal profession.
On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ekiti court, where the judge ordered his remand pending a bail hearing scheduled for December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team has vowed to contest the charges, framing the case as an attack on intellectual freedom.
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