Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Former Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Citizenship and Leadership, Nasir Bala Ja’oji declares his intention to run for the position of member House of Representatives, from Tarauni federal constituency, Kano.

The event started from Gadar Lado, to local government party Secretariat, Farm Centre, to Ja’oji quarters, in a procession of thousands of supporters, party leaders ranging from chapters, wards and the constituency, Tarauni, alongside supporters and well wishers.

Ja’oji recently resigned his position as Presidential Aide, when thousands of supporters across Tarauni and other quarters from the state called and pressured him to run for the position.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, he assured that, “This ambition is not borne out of mere ambition, but from deep sense of responsibility, commitment and consistent engagement with the people and the ideals of our great party.”

Emphasizing that, “Over the past few years, I have remained steadfast in my loyalty and contributions to the growth, unity and electoral successes of our party at various levels.”

Stating why he is fit for the position he challenged that, his experience serving as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, has further shaped his understanding of governance, nation building and inclusive leadership.

Adding that, “In that capacity, I contributed initiatives aimed at promoting civic responsibility, youth engagement, and leadership development across the country.”

Being the most outstanding politician in Tarauni federal constituency, who invested so much in youth development, women inclusion in politics and governance, through large scales empowerment programmes, Ja’oji attracted the attention of so many youth and women during the intent declaration gathering.

Participation of people across party lines, was one of the issues that attracted many observers during the event.

End

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Steering Committee on the Establishment of State Police, set up by the inspector general of police, Olatunji Disu, has recommended a four-phase architecture transition.

The recommendation, among others, is contained in the steering committee’s report seen on Friday.

The committee, led by Olu Ogunsakin, the director-general of the National Institute of Police Studies, was inaugurated by Mr Disu on March 4.

The eight-man team was tasked with creating an operational framework for state police within one month.

The committee is also to oversee the implementation of state-level policing to complement the federal force to address rising national security concerns.

It is also expected to propose frameworks for recruitment, training, and resource generation to strengthen internal security.

Outlining the four-phase architecture implementation roadmap, the committee explained that phase one (months 1-12) was for legal procedures, including constitution amendment and the enactment of the State Police Act.

The second phase (months 13-24) will be for transfer. In phase three (months 25 to 42), operations commence as state police take over local policing, and the federal police service pulls back to a national mandate. Phase four (months 43-60) is for consolidation as FPS is fully reorganised.

The committee also noted that constitutional and legal architecture must precede everything.

According to the report, phase one requires constitutional amendments to sections 213 and 215 of the 1999 constitution, the enactment of a State Police Act by the National Assembly, and the passage of the State Police Laws in all 36 states and the FCT.

“It also requires the establishment of State Police Service Commissions and Ombudsman offices in every state,” the committee explained.

The committee also recommended building institutions from scratch in all 36 states and recruiting and training new state police officers.

“Each state will be required to establish, from the ground up, a fully functional State Police service, including a service commission, an ombudsman office, community policing forums at the local government level, ICT infrastructure, custody suites and forensic linkages.

“The National Police Standard Board (NPSB) must also be constituted, staffed, and made operational with inspection capacity across six zonal offices,” said the report.

The committee recommended an establishment cost of N589 billion to N813 billion, phased over five years, “precisely because it cannot be absorbed in a shorter period”.

The committee further said that each state police service must recruit and train an entirely new cadre of officers in parallel with receiving FPS transfers. It, however, explained that the first cohort of state police recruits would only be enrolled in phase two (months 13 to 24), and their deployment would not begin until phase three (months 25 to 42).

“A mandatory 40-hour CPD programme for all officers must be embedded. This training pipeline alone spans over three years,” the report said.

The report also stressed the importance of a National Police Intelligence Portal, a national criminal records system, an upgrade to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and full ICT integration across all 36 state police services and the FPS.

It is estimated that the cost for national ICT systems alone was N65 billion to N95 billion, adding that full integration across all services would only be completed in phase four (months 43 to 60).

The committee further said that protection of officer rights must be guaranteed, as no officer must be involuntarily dismissed, and that accrued pension and welfare rights must be fully protected.

The report added that the 60-month (four-phase) transition was the minimum operationally credible timeframe for restructuring the country’s policing architecture.

It said it would give enough time to move 273,648 officers, build 37 new police services, amend the constitution, and pass legislation at the federal and state levels.

It will also create time for the construction of ICT and physical infrastructure, embed an oversight architecture, and protect officers’ welfare while maintaining uninterrupted public security.

Dangote Refinery has resumed the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to major marketers and depot owners under a revised distribution framework endorsed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The move represents a significant shift from the previous arrangement in which products were sold to all classes of buyers, including independent petroleum marketers.

Major marketers and depot owners cleared under the new model include Mobil/11 Plc, Total, Matrix, Rainoil, Nipco, Northwest, Ardova, Bovas, Pivot, AA Rano, AYM Shafa, NNPC ,SALBAS Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited ,Nipco plc and MRS.

Industry sources told Vanguard that the refinery has reverted to a controlled distribution structure similar to the framework introduced in October 2025, when only a limited number of major marketers were granted direct access to products.

An authoritative operator, who confirmed the development at the weekend, explained that the strategy is designed to allow depot owners and large marketers to moderate supply flows and influence market pricing more effectively, while independent oil marketers, including members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), will source products from depots

The Chief Executive Officer of Petroleumprice.ng, Olajide Jeremiah, who tracks downstream pricing trends, said the refinery’s gantry price remains unchanged at N 774 per litre.

“While the gantry price remains at ¦ 774 per litre, Dangote Refinery will no longer sell directly to independent petroleum marketers who typically purchase in smaller volumes,” he said.

Instead, only depot owners with established storage facilities and approved major marketers will be eligible to lift products. Approval now follows defined procedures. Buyers must operate functional depot infrastructure or qualify as recognised major marketers before receiving clearance.

The refinery will supply products through coastal vessel shipments, ship-based transactions and gantry loading for authorised buyers. Depot owners will then distribute products from their facilities and determine ex-depot prices.”

He added that early pricing signals suggest that ¦ 800 per litre could emerge as a new benchmark in Lagos, with Warri, Port Harcourt and Abuja trending around ¦ 820 per litre following recent adjustments at the depot level.

The National President of the Oil and Gas Services Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), Mazi Colman Obasi, described the development as positive.

This is a good arrangement and we hope that while deregulation remains in place, the government and operators will work toward sourcing more petroleum products locally from the refinery,” he said.

Another industry source noted that the move aims to reduce volatility and restore confidence across the downstream value chain, adding that the refinery had also reportedly absorbed losses during previous price fluctuations.

The idea is to create balance within the ecosystem. Dangote does not want depot businesses to collapse, and it also wants Nigerians to benefit from a more predictable pricing structure. It is about creating a win-win situation,” the source said.

Under the new arrangement, retail marketers will access products indirectly through depot channels rather than purchasing directly from the refinery.

Meanwhile, the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Engr. Saidu Mohammed, on Thursday hosted a high-level meeting with wholesale suppliers of petroleum products at the Authority’s headquarters in Abuja.

The engagement brought together key downstream operators to deliberate on supply sufficiency, market stability, pricing transparency and regulatory compliance in Nigeria’s evolving petroleum market.

Wholesale suppliers commended the Authority for sustaining proactive dialogue with stakeholders and reaffirmed their commitment to compliance and industry best practices.

The meeting underscores NMDPRA’s continued efforts to strengthen transparency, efficiency and long-term sustainability in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.

Dangote Refinery’s sales model and the regulator’s intensified stakeholder consultations signal a coordinated push toward stabilising Nigeria’s downstream market amid full deregulation.

For independent marketers and retail outlets, the market has entered a new phase one in which depot owners and major marketers are expected to play a more central role in price formation and supply distribution nationwide.