A coalition of aquaculture professionals under the aegis of National Aquaculture Professionals Alliance (NAPA) has welcomed the appointment of Yazeed Shehu Danfulani as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), but with a clear message: it must not be business as usual.

In a statement signed by its President, Engr. Ibrahim Ayotola Bamidele, the group applauded President Bola Tinubu for what it described as a “strategic choice”.

But while NAPA acknowledged the appointment as a potential turning point, it stressed that farmers are tired of symbolic appointments that fail to deliver results on the ground.

“For years, fish farmers have suffered in silence—plagued by floods, disease outbreaks, and unpredictable production costs—with little to no insurance support,” Bamidele said.

“Mr. Danfulani’s appointment is a moment of renewed hope, but it must lead to action.”

The group pointed out that NAIC, despite its mandate, has remained distant from everyday farmers, especially smallholder aquaculture operators who form the backbone of Nigeria’s protein supply chain.

“The truth is, NAIC has been largely invisible to grassroots farmers. This is the time to change that,” Bamidele stated, calling on Danfulani to break from the past and usher in a new era of practical insurance schemes that are accessible, affordable, and timely.

He argued that Danfulani’s background in finance, agriculture, and enterprise development gives him an edge — but only if it’s matched with the political will to reform NAIC into a truly farmer-focused institution.

According to Bamidele, the sector has the potential to contribute significantly to food security, foreign exchange earnings, and employment if it is properly supported with risk mitigation tools like insurance.

“The reason many young Nigerians avoid agriculture is because of the risks. But if NAIC is repositioned under Danfulani to offer responsive insurance schemes and timely payouts, more people will be willing to invest in farming,” Bamidele noted.

The group called on the new NAIC leadership to prioritise stakeholder engagement and bridge the existing gap between the agency and farmers at the grassroots.

“We urge Mr. Danfulani to work closely with associations like ours. Let NAIC move from being a name on paper to being a visible support system for farmers across Nigeria. Organise sensitisation drives. Meet us where we are — in hatcheries, ponds, and markets,” the group said.

Nigerian petroleum products marketers have reduced their premium motor spirit pump price downwards to attract patronage.

Ekwutosblog observed on Friday that filling station owners in Abuja reviewed their fuel price downwards by at least N10 per litre to compete favourably in the country’s downstream oil and gas sector.

Major oil marketers such as Ranoil, Shafa, and AA Rano filling stations in the nation’s capital, Abuja, now sell petrol at N900 per litre, down from N910.

The spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, Chinedu Ukadike, described the development as a benefit of the liberalisation of the oil and gas sector.

According to him, the era where the government determines the price of PMS is gone; rather, it is the forces of demand and supply.

“Price modulation is no longer done by the government but by demand and supply,” he said.

Ekwutosblog earlier reported that Ukadike said PMS price may nosedive down to N800 per litre.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets and Dangote Refinery partners such as MRS, AP Ardova, Optima, and Bovas are currently dispensing fuel at between N875 to N895 per litre in Lagos and Abuja.

According to market players in the oil and gas sector, Dangote Refinery and NNPCL may announce another petrol price reduction after the Eid-Al-Adha celebration to remain competitive.

LAGOS – There are indications that the prices of oil products may once again skyrocket in Nigeria, following the imposition of $300 helicopter landing levy on oil companies operating in the rigs by the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Also, experts in the Nigerian aviation industry have questioned the choice of NAEBI Dynamic Concepts as the con­tractor for the collection of the $300 helicopter levy from oil companies, wondering if its selection was passed by the National Assembly or received the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

They also declared that only the Ni­geria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has the right to approve any new charges or levies for operators in the industry and called on the ministry to rescind its decision.

But Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aero­space Development, has said that the levy was an additional means of generating revenue by the Fed­eral Government.

Besides, there are indications that the affected oil companies may not have been contacted about the directive two weeks after it was issued.