FG removed subsidy on kerosene and pegs price at N83 per litre

The Federal Government, weekend, hiked the price of Household Kerosene (HHK) to N83 per litre from N50 per litre, thereby, officially ending subsidy on the product, according to Vanguard.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA , in its product pricing template released, weekend, however, stated that the N83 per litre price applies only to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), meaning that other petrol stations and dealers can sell higher than the stipulated amount.

Curiously, the hike in the price of kerosene came at a time when the price of crude oil had dropped to record low, with the price of petroleum products, such as kerosene, fuel and diesel, among others, dropping significantly in a number of countries, like the United States.

This also brings to question, the recent reduction in the price of Premium Motor Spirit announced by the Federal Government and which commenced at the beginning of the year.

Again, the PPPRA’s template also showed that at N83 per litre, the Federal Government is making a gain of N10.72 for every litre, as it puts the Expected Open Market Price, which is the Landing Cost plus Total Margins at N72.28 per litre. The expected open market price is the prevailing open market rate for the product in Nigeria, after taking certain costs into consideration.

Giving a breakdown of the price, the PPPRA template put the Landing Cost of  the product at N57.98 per litre, while the total margin due for middlemen was put at N14.30.

The PPPRA further put official ex-depot price, which is the price depot owners would sell at marketers, at N68.70 per litre, official ex-depot price for collection, N73 per litre while ex-coastal price is N68.02 per litre.

Late December, the PPPRA had on behalf of the Federal Government announced that effective January 1, 2016, Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, would be sold at N86 per litre by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) retail stations, while other oil marketers would sell at N86.50 per litre.

Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, who made the announcement, said the reduction in the price of the commodity was due to an implementation of the revised components of the Petroleum Products Pricing Template for PMS and household kerosene.

According to him, the revised template, which would be reviewed on quarterly basis, is geared towards ensuring an efficient and market-driven price that would reflect current realities.

He said: “Since 2007, while crude oil price had been moving up and down, the template remained the same. This had made it necessary for us to introduce a mechanism whereby the template would be sensitive to the price of crude oil.

“However, the template is not static, as there would be a quarterly review and if there is any major shift, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources would be expected to call for a review, either upward or downward, depending on the market condition.

US and UK said they do not recognise the passports issued by Biafra

The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have said they do not recognise the passports being issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, according to The Punch.

The National Director of Information, MASSOB, Sunny Okereafor, had said two weeks ago that the passport was valid worldwide, adding that the travel document costs N5,000 while its renewal costs N2,000.

He had said, “I assure you that the Biafran passport is valid. Except Nigeria, other countries of the world accept Biafran passport and allow our citizens to travel with it. In Europe, North and South America, Biafran passport is accepted. Nigeria is the only country that seizes Biafran passport. Go to neighbouring Ghana here, they will stamp the passport for you. Don’t be confused by the propaganda of the Nigerian government that there is nothing like Biafra passport.

“MASSOB appeals to Biafran citizens to procure their passport and use it to travel. If you doubt me, get a Nigerian passport while I have my Biafran passport; when we get to Europe, you will see who they will welcome than the other. Many people with the Nigerian passport have been repatriated, but have you heard of anybody with Biafran passport receiving such ill-treatment?”

However, our correspondent sent an email to the American consulate in Lagos to inquire from the US regarding the claim of MASSOB.

In his response, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the consulate, Frank Sellin, said, “The United States does not consider passports purporting to be from a Biafra entity to be a valid legal document for purposes of visa issuance.”

 British Government in a similar response to The Punch via email.

The UK recalled that it did not support the disintegration of Nigeria during the 1967 Biafran War and had not changed its stance 49 years after.

A statement by the Press and Public Affairs Officer, British High Commission, Abuja, Mr. Joe Abuku, read in part, “The answer is unequivocally ‘no’. The UK does not recognise the so-called Biafran passport, told The Punch.

“The position of the UK Government during the Biafran War is a matter of historical record. The UK Government’s position, which reflected the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity, was to recognise the borders laid down at independence.

“The Biafran War caused great suffering and the UK supported the reconciliation work that followed the conflict. The UK supports the territorial integrity of Nigeria and the Nigerian Government’s commitment to work for a secure and prosperous Nigeria for all Nigerians.”

Trouble in federal civil service over employment racketeering

A report shown that some top Federal Civil Servants have been fired for allegedly extorting about N160million from desperate job seekers.

The deal was carried out in one of the parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture during the last dispensation, it was revealed yesterday.

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said the dismissed officials collected N400, 000 each from 400 people whose names were then included in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel System (IPPIS), according to The Nation.

Mohammed, at a meeting with On-Air-Personalities in continuation of his five-day consultations with critical stakeholders in the media industry, said the culprits included Grade Level 17 officers in  the parastatal.

“The first scandal I met in one of the parastatals when I assumed office was the illegal employment of 400 people,” he said.

“This scandal started with very senior officers up to level 17 in that department. They sent out letters and text messages asking people to apply for jobs for a fee of N400, 000 and they were given letters of employment.

“They did not stop there. They invited these people to go and be captured on the IPPIS and they even took cameras to hotels to get them captured. At the end of the day the bubble burst.

“One of the victims told these officials, ‘you cannot take my money and still disengage me. I have a valid letter.’

“That was how we got to know that there was a dedicated account these people paid into. Of course, we dismissed these officials and we even handed them over to the Police,“ the Minster said.

Mohammed said that the incident showed how faulty the IPPIS was and how it had been compromised by unscrupulous elements.

He said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was doing all it could to make the IPPIS tamper-proof and guide it from people who might want to load ghost workers on it.

He described On-Air Personalities as very important in the media industry and urged them to leverage on their platforms to educate the people on government`s policies.

The minister said the current war against corruption was a war of survival for the nation and urged all Nigerians to give it the necessary support.

Only last week, Communications and Technology Minister   Adebayo Shittu, suspended the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack indefinitely for “misconduct”.

The suspension, according to Minister’s Special Assistant on Media Victor Oluwadamilare, was on the strength of petitions over alleged wrong doings in NITDA and subsequent preliminary findings of an Investigative Committee set up by the Ministry.

Oluwadamilare said: “The petitions against Mr Jack relate to illegal employments not approved by the appropriate authority and procurements carried out in direct contraventions of laid down rules and procedure unknown to Civil Service administration in Nigeria.”

He added:” Some of the infractions identified by the Investigative Committee made up of three senior Ministry officials include unauthorised illegal recruitment of additional staff totalling 245 within a spate of seven months.

“According to the Committee’s startling findings, “as at 29th May, 2015, NITDA only had a staff complement of 74. But from May, 2015 to 31st December, 2015, additional 245 staff were employed in questionable circumstances despite clear instruction from the Ministry directing suspension of employment in the Agency.

“These disclosure were deduced from the records provided by Mr. Jack, although he was unable to provide concrete information on whose authority he embarked on the massive recruitment and who granted him the authority for officials to be seconded to NITDA from other MDAs,” the statement added.

“Prior to this development, the suspended DG was specifically directed by the Ministry not to embark on a recruitment exercise purported to have been scheduled for 17th December, 2015, but he defiantly went ahead to recruit without authority.”

Soon after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in May last year, the federal government suspended the last recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) conducted on the directives of the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan between March and April 2015.

The Board of Prisons, Immigration, Civil Defence and the Fire Service directed immediate suspension of every activity related to the recruitment until further notice.

The NIS headquarters instructed State Commands and heads of training institutes to recall newly recruited persons sent for training at the Immigration Service Training Schools at Orlu, Kano and Ahoada.

During the now suspended employment exercise, less than 5,000 Nigerians, including candidates of families that lost loved ones in the botched 2014 recruitment that resulted in the death of about 15 applicants were enlisted and sent for training to become personnel of the service.

Wenger run will be Unique - Hiddink

Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink thinks no Premier League manager will be given the same amount of time that Arsene Wenger has had at Arsenal.

Wenger, 66, has been in charge of the Gunners for nearly 20 years and has won the Premier League title three times.

However, the Frenchman went eight seasons without a trophy before lifting the FA Cup in both the last two years.

"He might be one of the last to sit on the chair that long," said Hiddink, who is in his second spell at Chelsea.

"Him being in charge in those years without a title means there is a lot of confidence from the board. It's always good to have men who have a long period at a club."

In the 19-and-a-half years Wenger has been at Arsenal, Chelsea have changed their manager 12 times - and won the Premier League title on four occasions.

Asked why Wenger's longevity might be a thing of the past, Hiddink, who replaced Jose Mourinho after he was sacked in December, added: "I don't know why. Maybe the instant result is required.

"It depends on the club, on the philosophy and the calmness of a club."

Arsenal entertain Chelsea on Sunday and will return to the top of the Premier League with a win, although the Gunners have not beaten the Blues in eight Premier League games, a run stretching back to October 2011.

But Wenger is still talking down their chances of winning the league for the first time since 2003-04.

"Sixteen games to go is a long way. Sixteen games in some countries is the championship," said Wenger.

"I believe we have a strong spirit but spirit is a bit like the weather in England. It can change very quickly. And we have to take care of that."

With BBC

Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) pointed Nigerians in the wrong direction - Audu Ogbe

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has blamed the poor run of Nigeria’s economy on the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) introduced by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida according to Channel Television.

He disclosed this during an interview in Otukpo, Benue State, at the flag off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue South Senatorial re-run election campaign for its candidate, Mr Daniel Onjeh.

The Agric and Rural Development Minister, who blamed Nigeria’s over-reliance on crude oil, claimed that the Structural Adjustment Programme pointed Nigerians in the wrong direction.

He advised Nigerian youths to take advantage of the oil crisis in other to diversify into Agriculture and non-oil sectors.

Ogbeh also expressed concern over the high rate of unemployment among Nigerian youths with the advice that they take up opportunities being created in the agric-sector, in other to earn themselves legitimate sources of livelihood.