Business
Tinubu was misled, import waiver won’t crash food prices – Buhari’s ex-aide, Dolapo

Published
1 month agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog
A former Special Adviser to ex-president Muhammadu Buhari on agriculture, Dolapo Bright, has said that President Bola Tinubu was misled by his advisers that the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of food staples through land and sea borders would reduce inflation.
Bright made this statement on Sunday’s edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
The ex-aide said the surge in the cost of diesel and petrol which are essential to the transportation of food items, have grossly affected the prices of commodities.
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Tinubu was misled, import waiver won’t crash food prices – Buhari’s ex-aide, Dolapo
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A former Special Adviser to ex-president Muhammadu Buhari on agriculture, Dolapo Bright, has said that President Bola Tinubu was misled by his advisers that the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of food staples through land and sea borders would reduce inflation.
Bright made this statement on Sunday’s edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
The ex-aide said the surge in the cost of diesel and petrol which are essential to the transportation of food items, have grossly affected the prices of commodities.
“I don’t think it happened. The person who advised the government to do that, the person is clueless, if you understand what is happening, you won’t give such advice.
“The person is misleading the president. Do you know why? Let’s assume that you are going to import. Importation is going to be into Lagos. Are you not going to transport the thing to other states? It doesn’t make sense because that is going to make our agriculture stagnant,” he said
Ekwutosblog reports that food and commodity inflation have skyrocketed as Nigerians battle what can pass for the worst cost of living crisis since the country’s independence over six decades ago.
Recall that when President Tinubu was sworn in as president in May 2023, Nigeria’s inflation rate was 22.41%, according to official numbers by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.
The inflation rate increased astronomically to 34.6% in November 2024, more than 12% higher, a development that economic wizards have attributed to Tinubu’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex rates.
Significantly, the food inflation rate in November 2024 was 39.93% on a year-on-year basis, from 32.84% recorded in November 2023.
The surge in food inflation has increased the average prices of fish, rice, yam flour, millet whole grain, corn flour, egg, milk, milk, frozen chicken, among others.
To stem food inflation, the Tinubu administration in July 2024 announced the suspension of customs duties on imported food items but the policy has reportedly not seen the light of the day due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
According to Bright, who was Buhari’s aide on agriculture from 2015 to 2023, the government has been partly responsible for inflation because the administration is trying to sit on the driver’s side of agriculture instead of allowing the private sector to do so.
He further stated that farmers won’t necessarily need the government’s intervention if the right environment is set for them to make a decent profit.
“A lot of farmers are not producing the capacity they were producing before because of high input costs,” he said.
Recall that on December 23, 2024, during the president’s first chat, he said he has “lover 2,000 tractors coming into this country for mechanised farming to make farming easier.
However, Bright said tractors only won’t solve the food shortage problem in Nigeria.
He argued that using local labour would ensure job creation for locals and that over 80% of farmers in Nigeria are into subsistence farming.
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Business
Energy expert urges Tinubu to end petrol import, prioritise local refining

Published
19 hours agoon
February 14, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Energy expert, Dan Kunle, has warned that the continued importation of petrol and diesel by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited and certain marketers, despite the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s capacity to meet domestic demand, is a disservice to the country.
Recent reports indicate that NNPC, Oil Marketers spent N5.5tn on petrol, diesel importation in four months.
Speaking on a programme on Arise TV on Sunday, Dan Kunle likened the massive importation of petrol and diesel by NNPCL and some marketers over the past four months to the notorious ‘cement Armada’—a scandal from the 1970s, during Nigeria’s oil boom, where hundreds of cement-laden ships flooded the ports, causing years of congestion.
Kunle expressed his disappointment that, despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive and the Federal Executive Council’s decision to allocate local crude oil to domestic refineries, relevant government agencies is blatantly disregarding these directives with no consequences.
He said: “I was expecting a transition following the Federal Executive Council’s decision in October 2024 to allocate local crude to domestic refineries, with Dangote Refinery being the key player due to its technical capacity.
“However, the situation hasn’t changed, and we’re still seeing a massive influx of imported fuel. It’s still a full import Armada, similar to the cement Armada. The level of imports we’re witnessing is unprecedented, raising serious concerns about what’s really going on. Is it an attempt to flood the market, introduce substandard fuel into Nigeria, and possibly frustrate Dangote Refinery?
“The mistake here is that Dangote Refinery is operational, already refining 550,000 bpd and producing high-quality products. This importation is completely unnecessary. It’s time to urge the president to act and end this petrol import racket once and for al.”
Kunle emphasised that it defies logic for certain individuals to continue pushing for imports, especially when countries like the United States are protecting domestic industries to boost their own economies. He added that the Dangote Refinery could ensure energy security, something the regulatory authorities have neglected for years.
He called on President Tinubu to demand a transition timetable from the relevant authorities outlining when Nigeria will shift from being an importer of refined products to a net exporter. Stressing that Dangote Refinery is a strategic national asset, Kunle urged the government to remove obstacles to its smooth operation.
He said: “The Dangote Refinery is a national strategic asset. There’s no need for a court case. The federal government should step in. We don’t need a legal battle; the government should ask the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA for a transition timetable to move us from importing petrol to self-sufficiency. If the president stays aloof, it will harm the country. No new investments will come if you treat an investment like Dangote’s as an enemy. The importers are the true enemies.”
Kunle stressed that with Dangote Refinery’s capacity and the reported revival of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, Nigeria should be transitioning from reliance on oil imports to becoming a net exporter of refined petroleum products.
Business
Did CBN Unveil ₦5000 Note With Tinubu’s Image? Fact Emerges

Published
1 day agoon
February 13, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
The claim that the CBN has unveiled a new ₦5000 note with the image of President Bola Tinubu has been fact-checked Several social media users claimed that the new note would be released later in 2025 and the first sample was released in January However, fact-checking revealed that the image being shared on social media was generated by Grok, an AI tool embedded in the social media platform X
There have been claims on social media that the Central Bank of Nigeria has unveiled the first sample of a single ₦5000 note and the image the new note carries is President Bola Tinubu.

CBN has not released any new ₦5000 note with President Bola Tinubu on it Photo Credit: Express, Asiwaju Bola Hammed Tinubu Source: Twitter
The Facebook post reads in part: “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled the first sample of the ₦5000 note, which will soon be distributed to banks.
The note features a portrait of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to the CBN Governor, this decision honours Tinubu for his commendable contributions during his presidency.”
Recall that in 2012, the apex bank announced plans to introduce the ₦5000 note to Nigerians. However, the CBN backtracked these moves in 2022. Over the years, the elites have been calling on the government to introduce the ₦5000 notes.
AI-generated ₦5000 notes on social media The claim about the new ₦5000 has been made on several other Facebook pages but Africa Check has confirmed that the ₦5000 image in circulation was an AI-generated image.
Recall that the CBN initiated the move to redesign Nigeria’s currency in 2022. The development led to a temporary shortage of the new notes over ineffective distribution.
However, the claim that the apex bank plans to create a new ₦5000 notes in 2025 has not been reported by any credible media. Such news would have made the headlines if the report was genuine. Source of fake ₦5000 note online
The social media users who shared the questionable ₦5000 notes tried to crop out the “Grok” watermark on the image.
The watermark was an indication that the ₦5000 note being shared on Facebook was generated by Grok, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) embedded in the microblog, X.
Over time, many people on social media have used AI tools to spread misinformation. Such claims have been fact-checked and debunked by several recognised fact-checking organisations.
Seyi Tinubu receives the president’s appointee Legit.ng earlier reported that APC national youth leader Dayo Israel took his appointment letter as the chairman of the governing board of FMC Abeokuta, Ogun state, to Seyi Tinubu.
The APC youth leader started generating mixed reactions from Nigerians, receiving condemnation and commendation.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Dayo Israel and 43 others as chairs of the board of directors at different government agencies and ministries. Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
Business
New ATM charges could push Nigerians back to bank halls – Sani warns CBN

Published
1 day agoon
February 13, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticized the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for removing free Automated Teller Machine (ATM) withdrawals for customers using ATMs of other banks.
On Tuesday, CBN announced the removal of the three free monthly withdrawals that were previously allowed for such transactions.
A circular issued on February 10, 2025, and signed by the Acting Director of the Financial Policy and Regulation Department, John Onojah, instructed banks and financial institutions to implement the new ATM withdrawal charges starting March 1, 2025.
The revised policy stipulates a fee of N100 per N20,000 withdrawn at another bank’s ATM within bank premises.
For withdrawals made at off-site ATMs, an additional surcharge of up to N500 will be imposed. The surcharge, which will serve as income for the ATM owner, must be disclosed to the customer before the transaction.
Reacting to the decision in an X post on Thursday, Sani warned that the rising ATM charges could force Nigerians to return to the practice of cashing cheques in person at bank branches.
He wrote, “If the CBN continues to increase ATM charges, people will return to the era of physically entering the Bank to cash their cheques.”

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