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Governors slam NNPC over falling FAAC funds

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State governors on Thursday slammed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for not remitting any funds at last month’s Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, also wondered how the oil firm was bold enough to declare profit when it had not been meeting its obligations.

Fayemi spoke alongside other governors during the Nigerian Governors’ Forum session on natural resources at the Nigeria International Energy Summit 2022 in Abuja.

In August last year, the NNPC declared N287bn profit after tax for its 2020 financial year, which was the first profit ever made by the oil firm in 44 year.

But while speaking at the governors’ natural resources panel session on Thursday, Fayemi wondered how NNPC was able to make a profit when it had not been meeting it obligations in terms of remittances to the Federation Account over the years.

He specifically pointed out that in the last Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting in February, the NNPC made zero remittance to the federation.

The governor, however, stated that state governments were anxious to see that the Nigerian oil sector thrived, as the bulk of the country’s earnings came from the industry.

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Fayemi said, “We are very desirous that this industry is sustained over the long term. But we see areas of concern, particularly in terms of revitalising the industry around transparency, accountability, opex (operational expenditures).

“We’ve just had the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting a couple of days ago and the NNPC contributed zero to the Federation Accounts this month.”

The NGF chairman stated that governors were aware of the fact that the rise in oil prices had not been favourable to Nigeria due to issues of fuel subsidy.

“Of course, we know why. For even though oil price in the international market is going up, maybe $110/barrel today or more, the more it goes up, it would appear that the more we suffer locally,” he stated.

Fayemi added, “So there’s an injurious relationship of sort between what is happening in the international market and what we are experiencing in Nigeria. And as critical stakeholders in the Nigerian federation, states are actually concerned about this.

“They (states) are concerned about how to grow this industry and ensure that it is sustained over the long term in a manner that it can benefit our stakeholders in the industry.”

On transparency issues in the oil sector and the inability of the NNPC to meet its obligations despite declaring profit, the NGF chairman said this was baffling.

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He said, “When you look at the statistics, transparency is central to the challenge we face in the oil sector. On my way here, I was looking at the Natural Resources Governance Institute Report and Nigeria is not doing very well.

“We ranked 40 out of 58 natural resource countries on the transparency index because we are still believed to run a largely opaque oil industry. And we see it ourselves.

“The NNPC declares profit, yet it cannot meet its obligations. My simple knowledge of economics teaches me that it is only after you’ve met all the obligations that you then talk about making profits.

“So if your obligation to the federal accounts has not been met, how can you then talk about profit-making?

Fayemi further noted that it was the desire of state governments to also participate actively in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

He explained that while he was the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, the Federal Government ensured the creation of a special purpose vehicle that enabled some states to participate in the mining sector.

The governor charged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, and other players in the sector to work towards allowing states to participate in the oil sector.

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Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, said the issue that played out in February when the NNPC remitted zero allocation to FAAC indicated that Nigeria was bankrupt.

Akeredolu, who was represented by his Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Razaq Obe, said, “With what happened last month, what that means is that we are running a country that is basically bankrupt. So we either act now or we are compelled to act perhaps when it is too late.

“Number two, we must get all the oil that can be produced from our reservoirs to surface now. The $100/barrel oil price is not going to go on forever. If we can get our production above two million barrels per day, that will be good for the future.”

On the Petroleum Industry Act, which was passed in August 2021, the Ondo governor said, “And for PIA, it has not delineated correctly or clearly what a host community is.

“If we don’t work on that, we may begin to create a kind of crisis and warlords would take advantage of the ordinary people that the PIA intended to take care of.”

 

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: 2027: S’West ADC leaders revolt against Atiku

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1. Many leaders of the African Democratic Congress in the South-West have expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the marginalisation of the party’s structure in the region by the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC leaders, including some state chairmen and governorship candidates, alleged that Atiku had been conducting his political activities in the region through his friends and allies, while leaving the party structure sidelined as presidential campaign activities prepared to gather momentum.

2. A United States federal court has rejected an attempt to obtain discovery from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

3. The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Bello, has confirmed the “rescue of three of the six Islamic clerics kidnapped on September 12 while travelling to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State.” Bello gave the confirmation in an interview with select reporters in Gusau. He said the rescue followed a multi-agency collaboration and seamless synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, the Department of State Services, DSS, and police operatives.

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4. The Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, have set a target of at least 1.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. According to a statement, the target was announced on Saturday in Osogbo during the inauguration of the movement’s state and local government structures.

5. Nigerians lose no less than N75bn annually to visa application expenses across foreign missions, with rejected Schengen visa applications alone accounting for an estimated €11.5m, equivalent to about N19bn in 2025.
This is according to a visa-cost analysis report obtained by Sunday PUNCH from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

6. With one accord, the governors of Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, and Anambra States yesterday urged the people of the Southeast to avoid political distractions, and vote massively for President Bola Tinubu in next year’s presidential election. Governors Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodimma, Francis Nwifuru and Charles Soludo, said it was necessary for the zone to support Tinubu’s re-election bid to enable him consolidate the gains of his administration’s economic reforms

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7. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria’s security challenges predate the administration of President Bola Tinubu, noting that terrorism, insurgency and banditry had been entrenched in the country before 2023 when Tinubu assumed office. He said the country’s security problems were rooted in years of porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, youth unemployment and the spread of extremist ideologies.

8. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike has directed supporters of President Bola Tinubu to deliver their polling unit in the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Addressing the supporters, Wike framed the upcoming general elections as a critical opportunity for residents of the nation’s capital to rectify past electoral missteps and unite under a strategic development banner.

9. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the name of the Kano State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 general elections. A check on the commission’s website shows that the names of Gwarzo and his deputy were conspicuously missing from the updated list.

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10. Four young men have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command for allegedly abducting and gang-raping a 12-year-old girl in Sakwa District, Zaki Local Government Area of the state. The suspects were arrested following a complaint by the victim’s 50-year-old father, who reported the incident at the Sakwa Divisional Police Headquarters on Thursday.

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Wale Tinubu, Rabiu, others Join President Tinubu in Makkah for Umrah

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The Group Chief Executive Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and several other Nigerian business mogul have joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.

The presence of the prominent Nigerian business leaders alongside the President in the holy city has drawn attention, bringing together three influential figures from Nigeria’s political and business communities in a moment of religious observance.

Tinubu and Rabiu, both prominent names in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, were seen alongside the President dressed in the traditional white Ihram garments worn by Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah.

Umrah, unlike the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. It involves a series of religious rites in Makkah and holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims across the world.

For the Nigerian business community, the appearance of the corporate leaders alongside the President also offers a glimpse into the intersection of faith, business and public life, particularly when influential figures come together outside the usual settings of boardrooms, corporate engagements and official functions.

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The development comes as President Tinubu undertook the pilgrimage to seek divine guidance and offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.

According to the Presidency, the President performed the Umrah rites early Friday, October 30, at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, where he circumambulated the Holy Ka’abah.

Speaking after completing the spiritual exercise, Tinubu described the pilgrimage as significant, linking it to his commitment to Nigeria and its people. He also expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to pray for the country.

The President’s prayers reportedly centre on national harmony, security, economic prosperity and the need for Nigerians to live together peacefully.

Rabiu also used the occasion to express his hopes for the country, describing it as an honour to accompany the President on the spiritual journey. He prayed for lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria.

For Tinubu, whose Oando Group occupies a prominent position in Nigeria’s energy industry, the journey offered a departure from the familiar world of corporate leadership and business engagements. Rabiu, similarly, is a major player in the country’s industrial sector, with interests spanning manufacturing, cement and food production.

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Their appearance in Makkah alongside the President underscores the presence of leading figures from Nigeria’s private sector at an important spiritual moment for the country’s leader.

Umrah, often described as the lesser pilgrimage, is a significant act of worship in Islam. Unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.

President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing his spiritual engagements in Saudi Arabia.

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