News
SERAP Seeks Reversal Of Petrol Price To N600 Per Litre

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu, requesting a reduction in the petrol price from N845 per litre to N600 per litre.
The organisation, in a suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1361/2024, filed last Friday by SERAP’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is challenging the president over “the failure to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to reverse the apparently unlawful increase in the pump price of petrol.”
The lawsuit also addresses the “failure” to investigate allegations of corruption and mismanagement within the national oil firm.
The statement, made available to newsmen, yesterday, lists the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and the NNPCL as respondents.
SERAP urged the court “to compel President Tinubu to direct the NNPCL to reverse the unjust, illegal, unconstitutional, and unreasonable increase in the price of petrol from N845 per litre to N600 per litre,” and urges him to “direct” the AGF and relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate the allegations of corruption and mismanagement within the NNPC.
The organisation also called for the prosecution of “anyone suspected to be responsible for the alleged corruption and mismanagement in the NNPCL, provided there is sufficient admissible evidence, and to recover any proceeds of corruption,” noting that the increase in petrol prices is causing “immense hardship” among Nigerians.
Oil marketers have continued to criticise the NNPCL’s firm grip on the market, requesting direct access to petrol from the Dangote refinery.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced last Friday in Abuja that the NNPCL would be the sole buyer of petrol from the refinery.
This followed the national oil firm’s statement that it was not the exclusive off-taker of products from the Dangote refinery and that the refinery was free to sell its petrol to any marketer.
However, SERAP’s statement noted that “the increase in petrol prices constitutes a fundamental breach of constitutional guarantees and the country’s international human rights obligations.
“Corruption in the oil sector and the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds to support NNPC operations have led to persistent and unlawful hikes in petrol prices.
“Increasing petrol prices at a time when millions of Nigerians face worsening economic conditions is entirely inconsistent with constitutional and international obligations to ensure minimum living conditions compatible with human dignity”, it stated.
SERAP noted that the NNPCL “recently increased the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, across its retail outlets. The price rose to N855 per litre, from about N600, with some instances exceeding N900 per litre.
“The apparent unlawful increase in petrol prices followed a scarcity caused by suppliers’ reported refusal to import petroleum products for the NNPCL over a $6 billion debt.
“The NNPC allegedly failed to remit USD 2.04 billion and N164 billion of oil revenues into the public treasury, as documented in the recently published 2020 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation,” among other issues.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Meanwhile, the NNPC announced on Saturday that it had mobilised 300 trucks to lift petrol from the Dangote refinery.
In a post on his official X handle, showing trucks lining up at the refinery, the spokesperson for the corporation, Olufemi Soneye, said, “NNPC Ltd trucks are arriving at the Dangote refinery in preparation for the scheduled petrol loading on Sunday, September 15, 2024. By the end of today (Saturday), at least 300 trucks will be stationed at the refinery’s fuel loading gantry.”
The Tide reports that a fleet of trucks was seen lifting the Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol at the Dangote Refinery, located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, yesterday.
News
CAS lauds troops for courage, sacrifices against terrorists

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
News
Nigeria Ranks Top In Africa’s Soft Drinks Market

Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
News
Soyinka Slams NBC Over Ban On Eedris Abdulkareem’s Protest Song

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”
-
News5 days ago
Nigeria’s gas sector attracts over $5bn in investments
-
News5 days ago
Adesina advocates Africa-led ‘Marshall Plan’ on conflict-hit regions
-
News5 days ago
Federal High Court judges begin 2 weeks Easter vacation
-
News5 days ago
Ibas Tasks Youths On Peace, Rivers Dev
-
News5 days ago
Military Uncovers Plot To Establish ISWAP Bases In Plateau, Bauchi
-
News5 days ago
Tinubu Orders Clampdown On Illegal Tertiary Institutions
-
News5 days ago
Soyinka Slams NBC Over Ban On Eedris Abdulkareem’s Protest Song
-
News5 days ago
RSG Warns Against Fake News In Rivers