Protesters on Monday brought parts of Kaduna to a standstill as they marched in solidarity with the Dangote Refinery, accusing a well-connected oil importation cartel and elements within the labour movement of trying to frustrate the country’s nascent local refining drive.
The protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” called for urgent government action to protect the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery from “systematic attacks” by elements of the oil importation cartel.
Marching under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress, the demonstrators gathered at Murtala Mohammed Square before winding through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way and Muhammadu Buhari Way, brandishing placards with messages such as “Protect Local Refining,” “End Fuel Import Cartel” and “Support Dangote Refinery.”
One of the movement’s leaders, Igwe Ude-Umanta, told the crowd that the Kaduna demonstration formed part of a nationwide campaign that began in Abuja on October 2.
Protesters in Kaduna on Monday. Photo Godwin Isenyo
Ude-Umanta described the rallies as a “national liberation effort” aimed at saving Nigeria’s economy from forces he said were determined to keep the country dependent on imported fuel.
“This struggle is against the cartel that destroyed our public refineries, killed the textile industry, and now wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery. We will not let them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over,” Ude-Umanta declared to thunderous applause.
Ude-Umanta drew an explicit historical parallel with Kaduna’s once-thriving textile industry, saying the same pattern of sabotage that gutted that sector was being replayed in the petroleum industry.
“Kaduna used to be a textile hub before the same pattern of sabotage destroyed it. Today, they want to replicate that in our petroleum sector by frustrating local refining. We will resist them,” he said.
PANEP leader accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria of complicity, describing recent union actions as tantamount to “economic terrorism.”
PANEP urged either an outright halt to fuel importation or the imposition of heavy tariffs to protect domestic refining and related industries.
“Countries that place tariffs are not stupid; they are protecting their economies,” Ude-Umanta said, adding that importers were frightened by the prospect of local refining exposing price manipulation and corrupt practices.
Dahiru Maishanu, who also addressed the rally, said the union’s conduct had gone beyond legitimate labour protest and was instead assisting the importers’ agenda.
“What PENGASSAN did was not unionism, it was sabotage. The Federal Government should have arrested their leadership to serve as a deterrent. We cannot allow people to hide under labour unions to commit crimes against our economy,” Maishanu said.
Protesters in Kaduna on Monday. Photo Godwin Isenyo
The protesters demanded urgent intervention from President Bola Tinubu, who also holds the portfolio of Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries, notably the Dangote Refinery, are supplied with crude oil on terms equal to those offered to foreign refiners.
“President Tinubu must stamp his feet,” the group said in a statement read at the rally.
“Local refineries must receive crude at the same price offered to foreign refiners. That is key to sustaining the refinery and boosting investor confidence,” he said.
Maishanu also accused the cartel of actively blocking the sale of locally produced Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Aviation Turbine Kerosene, insisting those actions were intended to keep prices artificially high and preserve monopoly profits.
“They are punishing Nigerians to protect their greed. How can importers compete with producers? They are scared because local refining will expose their fraud and end their control over pricing,” Maishanu said.
The demonstrators praised the Dangote Refinery for what they called its early impact on prices of Premium Motor Spirit and diesel, saying ordinary Nigerians were already “breathing fresh air” because of local refining.
They warned that if the refinery were undermined, the consequences would be severe for investor confidence and the wider economy.
“This movement is about economic salvation. If we allow them to kill Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever risk bringing money into this country again. We must protect this refinery as our own,” Maishanu said.
PANEP added the Kaduna leg with a renewed call on the Federal Government to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress,” urging swift policy and enforcement actions that would protect local refining capacity and punish those found to be undermining it.
The September 29 meeting between the PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery management over the ongoing industrial dispute ended in a deadlock after stretching from 4 p.m. into the early hours of Tuesday.
Following the stalemate, the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, announced that negotiations would resume at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
The follow-up session eventually began at about 3:50 p.m. at the Office of the National Security Adviser and lasted into the early hours of Wednesday, when a breakthrough was finally reached.
The dispute arose from allegations by PENGASSAN that the refinery engaged in mass transfers and sackings of union members, while replacing some Nigerian workers with foreign nationals, accusations the company repeatedly denied.
The federal government waded in to forestall further disruption, citing the dispute’s potential impact on the economy and national energy security.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has released an updated step-by-step guide for Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports through its Contactless Passport Application System.
The Service announced the update in a post on its official X handle on Tuesday, encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform.
According to the Service, the application process involves the following steps:
1. Visit the official NIS Passport Application portal. 2. Select Continue from the pop-up window. 3. Click Apply for Renewal/Re-issue. 4. Create an account and verify your identity using your National Identification Number and date of birth. 5. Complete the application form and choose your preferred processing embassy or high commission. 6. Upload the required documents. 7. Pay the passport fee for your selected booklet. 8. Obtain your Application ID and Reference Number. 9. Select the Contactless option under the Application Status/Book Appointment section. 10. Review the contactless instructions and click “I Understand and Opt In.” 11. Download the NIS Mobile App. 12. Log in or create a profile on the app. 13. Select Passport Application Services. 14. Click Passport Biometrics Enrolment, enter your Application ID and Reference Number, and check your eligibility. 15. Capture your facial image and fingerprints. 16. Complete the liveness verification. 17. Pay the contactless service fee. 18. Submit your biometrics.
The Service, however, noted that not all applicants would qualify for the contactless process.
“If response is INELIGIBLE, then it means applicant should return to the landing page of the portal to book physical appointment at the Embassy/High Commission,” it stated.
For applicants who successfully complete the contactless biometric enrolment, the NIS said additional documents must be forwarded to the selected processing mission.
“Upon successful completion of biometrics via Contactless App, applicant should print-out the Application form, passport booklet payment, biometric payment, current Passport and enclose all in a self-addressed return envelope to the processing embassy selected during the application process,” the Service said.
It added that applicants would be able to monitor the progress of their applications after submission.
“Applicant may track successful application two weeks after submission via https://track.immigration.gov.ng or on the NIS Mobile App,” the Service added.
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has called for a judicial inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Fiscal and Infrastructure Projects Council (PFIPC), arguing that the scandal points to deep institutional failures rather than a simple administrative error.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Lawal said the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency suggested the existence of a wider network that enabled it to function within government processes despite questions over its legal status.
He insisted that an administrative investigation alone would be insufficient. “I don’t think it should even be administrative alone; it should be a judicial inquiry”, the former SGF clearly stated.
Lawal questioned claims surrounding an alleged ₦27.5bn take-off grant reportedly linked to the agency, asking how such funds could have been approved and released if the organisation had no legal basis.
“Nigerians are talking about how N1.3bn was inserted into the budget. The man himself first said the quarrel came about because he refused to part with 48% of the 27-point-something billion Naira take-off grant. That money has been spent before this budget office was looking for the budget.
“Who gave him the money? It was not appropriated for; it’s not in any budget, that N27.5bn Naira for which he says somebody demanded 48%. Who gave him the money? How did the process of generating the request for the release come up? How did it go through?
“We are just talking about the tip of the iceberg here. Down there, before we got to here, N27.5bn had already been disbursed, according to him, as a take-off grant. How did that money get to him? It was not in the budget. So this is what should frighten us. If such money can go to a fictitious organisation, we only now begin to see it when we are quarrelling about how it got into the budget. How did that money get to them?”, Babachir queried.
The former SGF argued that the controversy only became public because of disagreements over the sharing of funds rather than because government oversight mechanisms functioned effectively.
He continued,… “So you see, that’s how we got to know this to start with. That is the reason why we got to know this on his side of the coin. It’s about the sharing of the N27.5bn. That’s why the thing came up. So it didn’t work. It should have worked before that money left the government coffers into the account of the agency.”
Lawal also alleged that the scandal reflected broader institutional weaknesses within the current administration, arguing that the Office of the SGF should have detected any irregularities before the matter progressed through official channels.
He maintained that the SGF’s office bears responsibility for identifying and flagging agencies without legal backing before their requests or budgets proceed through government.
He said, “It’s institutional compromise, because in this, I sense there’s quite a big racket going on somewhere along the line. If the agency was created by maybe one big man alone, and then he wants to go through the budget process, the budget office assigns the budget code according to the chart of accounts in GIFMIS. So, how did they manage to assign the budget code for this agency that does not exist? Who inserted it?
“Because first of all, the budget office issues a budget call circular to MDAs, and everybody starts to prepare his budget according to the budget line. They give you ceilings, and you prepare your budget and forward it to the budget office as an agency or ministry. Now, the Ministry of Budget and Planning would, in our time, call every MDA to come and defend its budget. Now, if you don’t exist, how did they recognise that you are a genuine entity? Who gave out the budget code and allowed their budget to pass?
“That’s what oversight is. The SGF should be able to know, because before it gets to the National Assembly, that budget goes through the SGF. Unless there’s a dereliction of duty by the SGF’s office, the responsibility to flag that this is a fake agency would have come from them.”
Lawal further criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to thoroughly scrutinise budget proposals.
“It is a legislative oversight. This government—this National Assembly—has no interest in scrutinising the budget that comes before them. Most of the legislators just go in there to earn their salaries and collect allowances and go. They don’t scrutinise the budget line by line. We all know how this particular government works. There are some people that when they talk, nobody else has the authority to contravene.”
He also suggested that public attention should focus not only on the agency’s legal status but on the individuals who allegedly enabled its operations.
“Why are you interested in N27.5bn that had already been collected and spent? We are talking about an agency that we are claiming doesn’t exist. Maybe it exists, but it doesn’t have a legal framework for its existence. But it exists. And there are a lot of powerful people that make sure it exists in that form.
“Those are the people we need to expose. The Chief of Staff, in particular, is so powerful. The SGF is there, just reneging on his responsibilities. And nothing has happened now”, he concluded.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, ha threatened to initiate legal steps against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, and demand N10 billion in damages over allegations linking him to murder, bribery and other criminal activities.
The move was conveyed in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of Pinheiro LP, the Chief of Staff’s legal representatives.
The dispute stems from a press conference held by Adeyemi on June 25, during which he accused Gbajabiamila of seeking a share of the alleged take-off funds of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), receiving money through intermediaries, abusing his office and participating in efforts to conceal wrongdoing.Death & Tragedy
During the briefing, Adeyemi also referred to the Chief of Staff as “a murderer” and “an assassin”.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation, despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers dismissed all the allegations as entirely false and defamatory, saying they were intended to damage his reputation.
The letter stated: “not only false but gravely defamatory,” adding that the allegations were “designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.”
According to the legal team, Adeyemi is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations including forgery of an appointment letter bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and the alleged counterfeiting of Presidential letter-headed papers to present himself as a government official.Nigeria Investment Guide
The lawyers further rejected Adeyemi’s claims that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of a purported N27.4 billion take-off grant for the council, amounting to about N12.5 billion, or that he received N400 million through proxies connected to appointments within the organisation.
Other allegations dismissed in the letter included claims that the Chief of Staff intimidated individuals and media organisations, manipulated budget processes, attempted to misuse security agencies and performed official duties while under the influence of intoxicating substances.Trending News Feed
Gbajabiamila also denied ever having any relationship with Adeyemi.
“You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the lawyers wrote, adding that the decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”
The legal team also criticised the timing of the allegations, noting that they were made after criminal proceedings had already been instituted against Adeyemi.
“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal Charge had been filed against you,” the letter stated.
It added, “Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”Nigeria Investment Guide
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers demanded that Adeyemi immediately stop making further defamatory statements, remove all related videos, recordings and transcripts from every platform, issue a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms used to circulate the claims, and provide a written undertaking that he would refrain from making further allegations.
The letter warned that failure to comply would result in both criminal defamation proceedings under the laws of the Federal Capital Territory and a civil lawsuit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages, it said, would be donated to a charity chosen by Gbajabiamila. The legal action would also seek a perpetual injunction and a court order compelling the publication of an apology.
The controversy centres on the PFIPC, which was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the title Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and received more than N1.3 billion in budgetary allocations, including about N803 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.
Adeyemi had argued during his June 25 press conference that an agency included in a budget signed by the President could not be regarded as non-existent.
However, the Presidency insists the council is fraudulent and has no legal existence.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has argued that the Presidency lacks the constitutional authority to clear anyone involved in the dispute and has called for an independent investigation into the allegations against both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.
Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court on July 27, 2026.
