Business

Oil prices fall as Trump eyes Venezuela’s $2bn crude

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Oil prices fell on Wednesday amid expectations of a surge in supply after United States President Donald Trump said Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of crude to the US.

According to oilprice.com, Venezuela and the United States reached a deal under which authorities in the South American country would agree to export the oil valued at $2bn to the US.

Brent crude dropped below $60 per barrel on Wednesday evening after Trump said “interim authorities” in Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of “high quality” oil to the US at market price, thought to be worth close to $2bn.

The agreement with the US-compliant leadership in Venezuela would boost the supply of heavy crude to US Gulf Coast refineries and potentially further curb illicit Venezuela shipments of cheap crude to China, Reuters noted.

Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA has been unable to ship oil cargoes to Asia for nearly a week, as the US “oil quarantine” of Venezuela continues, shipping data reviewed by Reuters showed on Tuesday.

Chevron is the only Western oil company currently authorised by the US Treasury to operate in Venezuela. Chevron ships the crude to the US Gulf Coast. Venezuelan shipments to Asia, however, are at a standstill, and China, the top oil customer of Venezuela, is getting lower volumes of crude.

It was learnt that Chinese oil buyers have reduced their intake of Venezuelan oil as the discount between Brent and the country’s flagship Merey crude shrank from $15 per barrel last month to $13 per barrel now, according to Bloomberg.

The price rise of Venezuelan oil follows the US naval blockade that has disrupted tanker traffic to and from Venezuela, and that is not about to be lifted anytime soon, as stated earlier this week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The US is now looking to gain access to Venezuela’s crude, and Trump claimed on Tuesday that Venezuela would be “turning over” between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.

President Trump has insisted that Venezuela’s interim Delcy Rodriguez give the US and private companies “total access” to the Venezuelan oil industry. The crude exports to the US could be drawn from floating storage that has piled up since the US initiated the naval blockade offshore Venezuela in the middle of December.

Venezuela entered 2026 amid heightened uncertainty after United States forces captured President Maduro and transferred him to the US alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, to face federal charges.

Maduro was subsequently brought before a US court, where prosecutors revived longstanding allegations, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking offences. He has denied the charges.

Following the detention, Venezuela’s Supreme Court announced that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez had assumed office as Acting President, citing the need for institutional continuity. The political developments have placed renewed focus on the future of the country’s economy and its oil-dependent energy sector, even as Trump said the US would run the oil-rich country.

As Brent traded for $59.99 on Wednesday evening, WTI dropped to $56.10. There are projections that prices could dip further with more oil flowing into the US henceforth.

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Business

EFCC Begins Probe Of Ex-NMDPRA Boss After Dangote’s Petition

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced an investigation into a petition filed against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

It was gathered that Dangote formally submitted the petition to the EFCC earlier this week through his legal representative, following the withdrawal of a similar petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Dangote had initially approached the ICPC, asking it to investigate Ahmed over allegations that he spent about $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland, an expense allegedly inconsistent with his known earnings as a public officer.

Although the petition was later withdrawn, the ICPC had said it would continue with its investigation.

Confirming the new development, a senior EFCC officer at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said the petition had been received and investigations had commenced.

“They have brought the petition to us, and an investigation has commenced on it. Serious work is being done concerning it,” the source said.

In the petition signed by Dangote’s lead counsel, Dr O.J. Onoja (SAN), the businessman urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed and to prosecute him if found culpable.

The petition further stated that Dangote was ready to provide documentary and other evidence to support claims of financial misconduct and impunity against the former regulator.

“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders,” the petition read, citing recent court decisions.

Onoja also called on the EFCC, under the leadership of its chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, to thoroughly investigate the allegations and take appropriate legal action where necessary.

When contacted, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined to comment on the matter but promised to respond later. No official reaction had been received as of the time of filing this report.

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Business

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING MONEY TRANSFERS IN NIGERIA (2026)

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Starting from *January 2026*, please ensure that *any money you send* to anyone — including me — comes with a *clear description* or *payment remark*. This is *very important* for tax purposes.

Use descriptions like:

– *Gift*
– *Loan*
– *Loan Repayment*
– *House Rent*
– *School Fees*
– *Feeding*
– *Medical*
– *Support*,
– School fee etc.

*Why this matters:*

In 2026, any money entering your account *without a description* may be treated as *income*, and *IRS (or relevant tax authority)* could tax it — or even worse, ask you to explain the source.

The *first ₦800,000* may be *tax-free*, but after that, any unexplained funds might attract up to *20% tax*, or in extreme cases, lead to legal issues.

So please:

– *Always include a payment remark.*
– *Avoid using USSD or apps that don’t allow descriptions.*
– *Ask the receiver for the correct description BEFORE sending.*

As for me, *do not send me any money* without discussing it with me first.
And no, I don’t want to hear “Sir/Ma, I used USSD” – if you can’t add a description, *hold your money*.

From now on, *I will tell you exactly what to write in the payment remark.*
Let’s all form the habit of *adding payment descriptions now* to avoid problems later.

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Business

FG earmarks N1.7tn in 2026 budget for unpaid contractors

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Federal Government has budgeted the sum of N1.7tn in the 2026 Appropriation Bill to settle outstanding debts owed to contractors for capital projects executed in 2024.

A breakdown of the proposed 2026 national budget shows that the amount is captured under the line item titled “Provision for 2024 Outstanding Contractor’s Liabilities,” signalling official recognition of delayed payments to contractors amid recent protests over delayed settlements.

This budgetary provision follows mounting pressure from indigenous contractors and civil society groups who, in 2025, raised alarm over unpaid contractual obligations allegedly exceeding N2tn.

Some groups under the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria had also staged demonstrations in Abuja, lamenting the severe impact of delayed payments on their operations, with many contractors reportedly unable to service bank loans taken to execute government projects.

Earlier, Minister of Works David Umahi had promised to clear verified arrears owed to federal contractors before the end of 2025. However, only partial payments were made amid revenue constraints, prompting the inclusion of the N1.7tn line item in the 2026 budget as a catch-up mechanism.

In addition to the N1.7tn for 2024 liabilities, the government has also budgeted N100bn for a separate line item labelled “Payment of Local Contractors’ Debts/Other Liabilities”, which may cover legacy debts from previous years, smaller contract claims, or unsettled financial commitments that were not fully verified in the current audit cycle.

The total N1.8tn allocation is part of the broader N23.2tn capital expenditure in the 2026 fiscal plan, which seeks to ramp up infrastructure delivery while cleaning up past obligations.

Nigeria’s contractor debt backlog has been a recurring fiscal issue, worsened by delayed capital releases, partial cash-backing of budgeted projects, and underperformance in revenue targets.

Speaking with journalists at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance in December 2025, the National Secretary of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, Babatunde Seun-Oyeniyi, said the government’s failure to release funds after multiple assurances had forced contractors to resume protests. He said members of the association were owed more than N500bn for projects already completed and commissioned.

He explained that despite recent assurances from the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, no payment had been made. “After the National Assembly intervened, they told us that they will sit the minister down over this matter. And we immediately stopped the protest,” he said.

According to him, repeated follow-up meetings with the minister had produced no tangible progress. “They have not responded to our request,” he said. “In fact, more than six times we have come here. Last week, we were here throughout the night before the Minister of Finance came.”

Oyeniyi said that although some payment warrants had been sighted, no funds had been released. “Specifically, when we collate, they are owing more than N500bn for all indigenous contractors. We only see warrants; there is no cash back.”

He accused officials of attempting to push the payments into the next fiscal year. “The problem is that they want to put us into a backlog. They want to shift us to 2026; that 2026, they are going to pay,” he alleged. “They will turn us into debt, and we don’t want that. We won’t leave here until we are paid.”

However, The PUNCH observed that earlier in August 2025, the Federal Government claimed that it had cleared over N2tn in outstanding capital budget obligations from the 2024 fiscal year, with a pledge to prioritise the timely release of 2025 capital funds.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed this at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, where he also declared that Nigeria is “open for business” to global investors on the back of improved economic stability.

“In the last quarter, we did pay contractors over N2tn to settle outstanding capital budget obligations. That is from last year,” Edun said. “At the moment, we have no pending obligations that are not being processed and financed. And the focus will now shift to 2025 capital releases.”

By December 2025, The PUNCH reported that President Bola Tinubu expressed “grave displeasure” over the backlog of unpaid federal contractors and set up a high-level committee to resolve the bottlenecks and fund repayments.

Briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President was “upset” after learning that about 2,000 contractors are owed. “He made it very, very clear he is not happy and wants a one-stop solution,” Onanuga told journalists.

Tinubu directed the setting up of a committee to verify all claims from federal contractors. The new budget’s provisions are expected to draw from the outcome of that verification exercise and may be disbursed in tranches based on confirmed and certified claims.

The total proposed 2026 national budget stands at N58.47tn, with N23.2tn earmarked for capital expenditure, N15.9tn for debt servicing, N15.25tn for recurrent spending, and N4.09tn for statutory transfers.

punch.ng

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