Business
NNPCL invites Obasanjo to tour PH, Warri Refinerie

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo received a special invitation yesterday: a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to confirm their operational status.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) assured Obasanjo the days of inefficiency were gone and that the one-time corporation is now a profit-driven company.
NNPCL was reacting to an interview Obasanjo granted Channels Television, in which he said Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) told him that the NNPCL could not run a refinery.
According to him, SPDC was invited to buy equity in the plant but complained that corruption would never allow it to function.
Obasanjo expressed the view that NNPCL had been very deceptive about the functionality of the refineries.
The Port Harcourt Refinery started working in November, while Warri began operation last month.
NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, extended the company’s invitation to the former president for a tour of the refineries.
He said: “We extend an open invitation to President Obasanjo for a tour of the rehabilitated refineries to witness firsthand the progress made under the new NNPC Limited.
“We invite our esteemed former president to join us in this effort as we continue to deliver energy security for our nation and provide tangible benefits to Nigerians.
“His wisdom and experience are invaluable, and we assure him that his advice will always be welcomed and appreciated.
”According to Soneye, NNPCL did not merely carry out turnaround maintenance but did a complete overhaul of the refineries.
He said: “As part of this transformation, NNPC Limited has gone beyond oil and gas to become an integrated energy company.
“One of our notable achievements is the complete rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PhRC) and Warri Refinery.
“This process was not merely the Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) of the past but a full-scale overhaul designed to meet world-class standards.
“Similarly, we are currently conducting the same comprehensive rehabilitation of the old Port Harcourt Refinery and Kaduna Refinery.”
The spokesman said NNPCL has also moved on from being a loss-making organisation to profit -driven international energy firm.
The new NNPC Limited, Soneye said, is committed not only to enhancing the refineries but also to maintaining them to global standards.
He said: “The NNPC has undergone a transformative journey, evolving from a government corporation into a private entity—NNPC Limited.
“This transition has marked a significant shift from being a loss-making organisation to a profit-oriented global energy company.
“We deeply respect and hold President Obasanjo in the highest regard as a distinguished statesman who has contributed significantly to the progress of our nation.
“He has every right to share his perspectives on national issues, and we value his insights and counsel.
“We remain grateful for his leadership and enduring commitment to the growth and development of Nigeria.
“Together, we can continue to build a brighter future for our great nation.”
Obasanjo said his successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, rejected a $750 million offer from Aliko Dangote to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries in 2007.
Speaking on the television programme, the former president said he sought external help to rehabilitate and manage the facilities but faced resistance.
“When I was president, I wanted to do something about the three refineries: Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna.
“Aliko got a team together after I asked Shell to come and run it for us. And Shell said they wouldn’t.
“Later on, I called them. I called the boss of Shell to come and tell me what the problem was and he gave me four or five reasons.
“He (Shell boss) said, first of all, they make a major profit from upstream, not from downstream. He said they run downstream just to keep their head above water.
“Two, our refineries were too small: 60,000 barrels, 100,000 barrels and I think 120,000 barrels. He said that at that time, the average refinery was going for 250,000 barrels.
“Three, he said our refineries were not well maintained. Four, he said there was too much corruption around the activities of our refinery and they would not want to get involved in that.
“After that, Aliko got a team together and they paid $750million to take part in PPP (Public–Private Partnership) in running the refineries.
“My successor refunded their money and I went to my successor and told him what transpired.
“He said NNPC said they wanted the refineries and they could run it. “I said: ‘But you know they cannot run it.’
”Obasanjo was confident in Dangote’s ability to manage his refinery effectively, unlike those of the NNPCL.
“I was told not too long ago that since that time, more than $2 billion have been squandered on the refineries and they still will not work.
“If a company like Shell tells me what they told me, I will believe them.
“But here we are, over $2 billion squandered, and the refineries still won’t work,” Obasanjo said.
Business
FG Announces New Procurement Policy Shift Favouring Local Manufacturing

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a “Nigeria First Policy” aimed at prioritising the use of locally made goods and services in all government procurements.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, made the disclosure saying that the policy seeks to domesticate all government processes.
The Nigerian government expects that with the new policy, local manufacturers will get priority in the provision of goods and services.
“No procurement of foreign goods or services already available locally shall proceed without justification, and where there is an exceptional need for these services to procure from outside, there must be a waiver to be obtained, written waiver to be obtained by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP),” Mr Idris said.
“Where no viable local option exists, contracts must include provisions for technology transfer, local production or skills development.
For example, the provision of portal allocations under the sugar master plan should take into consideration participants’ backwards integration plans and investment in Nigeria and ensure compliance with the Master Plan.
“The MDAs have also been directed to immediately conduct an audit of all procurement plans and submit revised versions in line with these directives. Breaches will attract sanctions, including cancellation of procurement processes by such MDAS, and indeed disciplinary action against responsible officers,” the minister noted.
The federal cabinet approved these proposals on Monday and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation has been directed to prepare an Executive Order to be issued by President Bola Tinubu.
This is a major shift in government policy, Mr Idris added. “It puts Nigeria – not foreign companies, not imports – at the heart of our national development.”Once signed into law, Mr Idris said, the legislation will “foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian, and it aims at making the government invest in our people and our industries by changing how the government spends money, how we procure and how we also build our economy.”“Going forward, Nigerian industry will take precedence in all procurement processes,” the minister said.
This is a major shift in government policy, Mr Idris added. “It puts Nigeria – not foreign companies, not imports – at the heart of our national development.
”Once signed into law, Mr Idris said, the legislation will “foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian, and it aims at making the government invest in our people and our industries by changing how the government spends money, how we procure and how we also build our economy.”
Where local supply falls short, contracts will be structured to build capacity domestically, according to Mr Idris. “Contractors will no longer serve as intermediaries sourcing foreign goods where local factories die. I take the example of the sugar industry.”
“For example, we still have so much importation of sugar coming into this country, yet we have the Nigerian sugar council that was set up to look inward to see how sugar production can be produced, you know, for the benefit of Nigerians.
President Tinubu has proposed that we will no longer just sit there and allow importation to come into this country where there is the capacity for production of these commodities locally.
Now, as I said, the president has proposed the following directives, and all of them have been approved by the Federal Executive Council.”
President Tinubu has proposed that we will no longer just sit there and allow importation to come into this country where there is the capacity for production of these commodities locally. Now, as I said, the president has proposed the following directives, and all of them have been approved by the Federal Executive Council.”
Business
Dangote Group Sponsors Nasarawa Trade Fair
The fair is a collaboration between NASSI and the Nasarawa State Chamber of Commerce Agriculture and Industries.

The Dangote Group is sponsoring the 2025 Nasarawa Trade Fair Exhibition, which officially opens this Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital.
The Theme for this year’s Fair is: Investing in Nasarawa’s Future: Fostering Economic Development Through Mineral and Agricultural Cottage Industrialisation
The trade fair, according to the Chairman of the Nigeria Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Nasarawa State Chapter, Nidan Sambo Manasseh, will be declared open by the state governor, Abdullahi Sule.
He said the fair is a collaboration between NASSI and the Nasarawa State Chamber of Commerce Agriculture and Industries.
Business
Rite Foods Drags Mamuda Beverages to Court Over Products Semblance
Justice Nwite has scheduled a hearing for May 28, where the court will deliberate on Mamuda Beverages’ objection to the case and determine whether Rite Foods’ lawsuit can proceed.

Rite Foods Ltd, the manufacturer of Fearless Energy Drinks, has filed a N1.6 billion lawsuit against Mamuda Beverages Nig. Ltd, producer of Pop Power Energy Drinks, citing trademark infringement and unauthorized replication of its product design.
The lawsuit seeks both damages and an injunction to prevent Mamuda Beverages from continuing to manufacture energy drinks that bear a striking resemblance to Rite Foods’ registered products.
In the writ of summons filed on April 14 before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Rite Foods claims that Mamuda Beverages has violated its intellectual property rights by introducing a nearly identical design for its Pop Power Energy Drinks.
The plaintiff alleges that the defendant has copied its distinctive bottle design, ornamental features, and brand identity, leading to consumer confusion.
Rite Foods Ltd, stated that its Fearless Energy Drinks feature a unique 500ml plastic bottle design incorporating a lion head logo, a specific shape, and color scheme, all of which were officially registered under the Patents and Designs Act on August 24, 2020.
The plaintiff argues that Mamuda Beverages’ 330ml Pop Power Energy Drinks replicate the shape, color, and overall aesthetic of the Fearless brand, with some consumers referring to it as “small Fearless” due to its resemblance.
The lawsuit demands an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mamuda Beverages, its distributors, and associates from further infringing on Rite Foods’ trademark, including manufacturing, distributing, or selling energy drinks that imitate its design.
The plaintiff also seeks N1 billion in damages for losses incurred due to the alleged unlawful use of its registered design, as well as N60 million in legal costs.
Previous injunction Rite Foods had previously secured an injunction against Mamuda Beverages in January 2025 before Justice Inyang Ekwo, restraining the defendant from continuing the production and distribution of Pop Power Energy Drinks.
The parties later reached a settlement agreement , which required Mamuda Beverages to alter elements of its product design to ensure differentiation from Fearless Energy Drinks.
However, Rite Foods claims that Mamuda Beverages has since violated the terms of the settlement, reintroducing a “remodeled” version of the Pop Power Energy Drinks that remains substantially identical to the original design.
This alleged breach prompted the fresh lawsuit, as Rite Foods insists that court intervention is necessary to protect its exclusive rights over its registered trademark and product design.
Mamuda Beverages has responded with a preliminary objection, urging the court to dismiss the case because the lawsuit constitutes an abuse of the court process.
The defendant argues that the matter was already litigated and resolved in an earlier consent judgment, rendering the court functus officio—a legal principle preventing the relitigation of settled disputes.
Justice Nwite has scheduled a hearing for May 28, where the court will deliberate on Mamuda Beverages’ objection to the case and determine whether Rite Foods’ lawsuit can proceed.
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