Business

Group Backs Calls For Emefiele’e Resignation

Published

4 years ago

September 17, 2021

The Nigeria Citizens Action Group (NCAG), a coalition of 35 civil society organisations, has supported the call of concerned Nigerians that Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, resigns his position with immediate effect to save the country from total collapse.

Comrade Isah Abubakar, Convener, NCAG, in a joint statement, said, “The Nigeria Citizens Action Group (NCAG), a coalition of Thirty-Five (35) Civil Society Organisations, is constraint to lend its voice with that of numerous other concerned Nigerians that have been calling on Mr Godwin Emefiele, Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor (CBN) to resign with immediate effect to save the country from total collapse, which is imminent.”

The coalition noted that the call became necessary following the extensive review of the tenure of Emefiele as the head of the nation’s apex bank.

The statement explained that it has come to the sad conclusion that Emefiele should humbly step aside and allow a more competent person to step in, to save the country from total collapse.

“We understand that it will be difficult for him and his hangers on to reason with us, but we wish to beg on them to put on their garment of patriotism and save our country,” the statement explained.

The statement noted that it was during the formative stage of the first tenure of Emefiele that monies meant for the procurement of arms to fight Boko Haram terrorists and budding bandits in other parts of the country were converted to campaign funds and some given to “prayer warriors”, adding that many prominent Nigerians are facing trials for benefitting from that bazaar and wondered why he is still enjoying total freedom till date

It said that when Adedoyin Salami, a member of the country’s monetary policy in 2017, cautioned the CBN Governor against the excessive funding of the Federal Government which was 20 fold higher than the approved threshold. It added that Emefiele refused to take correction, lamenting that many sound economists described Emefiele’s Monetary Policy as “reckless and illegal” which will set the Nigerian economy for a “Big Fall”.

It noted that the big fall is here as $1 is currently equivalent to over N545.

The group noted that the CBN acted in error and was guided by copy and paste policy when its included foodstuff import prohibition lists despite having the foreknowledge that the country largely depends on subsistence farming which was under serious threat by bandits, terrorists, and farmers/herders crisis in various part of the country.

It said that currently, Nigerians have been thrown into a state of acute hunger, which is contributing to the rising insecurity in the country.

The group further stressed that the CBN under the watch of its incumbent Governor claimed to have reeled out several interventions running into trillions of Naira whose impact could only be felt on papers not in real life, stressing that many of the failed and corruption challenged programs of the CBN is not limited to Anchor-Borrowers Programme.

The statement noted that recently, the United Arab Emirates government arrested, convicted, and blacklisted some Bureau de Change Operators of Nigerian origin who have been fingered in financing terrorism globally, adding that the monies have been passing through the ineffective eyes of the CBN unnoticed into the hands of terrorists.

It said took the intervention of foreign government to block such a channel, as the CBN under Emefiele is more concerned with frivolities rather than the general well-being of the country.

The coalition, therefore, called on the CBN governor to resign with immediate effect to allow an independent and hitch-free probe of his tenure.

It also called on the Federal Government to delist rice and some food materials from import prohibition items, saying that this would help to reduce the prices of food that is beyond the reach of common Nigerians.

The statement called on the anti-graft agencies to arrest Emefiele with immediate effect to ascertain the level of his involvement in the arms procurement scandal and other programmes that failed under his watch due to growing corruption.

(DAILY POST)

Business

Tinubu Approves 15% Import Duty On Petrol, Diesel

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has approved a 15 percent ad-valorem import duty on diesel and premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.

This was announced in a letter dated October 21, 2025, where the private secretary to the president, Damilotun Aderemi, conveyed Tinubu’s approval to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Tinubu gave his approval, following a request by the FIRS to apply the 15 percent duty on the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) to align import costs to domestic realities.

With the approval, the implementation of the import duty will increase a litre of petrol by an estimated N99.72 kobo.

The latest development has led to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announcing that it has begun a detailed review of the country’s three petroleum refineries, with a view to bringing them back online.

NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Bayo Ojulari, made the announcement in a post on his official X handle on Wednesday night.

According to Ojulari, one of the options being explored by the NNPCL is to search for technical equity partners to ‘high-grade or repurpose’ the facilities.

Tagged: “Update on Our Refineries”, Ojulari said: “The NNPCL continues to remain optimistic that the refineries will operate efficiently, despite current setbacks.”

It can be recalled that despite spending about $3 billion on revamping the refineries, only the 60,000 barrels per day portion of the facility worked skeletally for just a few months before packing up.

The Warri refinery has remained ineffective weeks after it was gleefully announced to have returned to production, while the one situated in Kaduna State never took off at all.

Business

NNPCL Raises Fuel Price

Published

4 weeks ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol from ₦865 to ₦992 per litre, marking a fresh hike that has sparked widespread concern among motorists and consumers .

As of the time of filing this report, the company has not released any official statement explaining the reason for the sudden adjustment.

During visits to several NNPC retail outlets, The Nation observed fuel attendants recalibrating their pumps to reflect the new price.

At NNPC filling station on Ogunusi road, Ojodu Berger, petrol attendants at the station said they were instructed to change the price to reflect the new rate N992 per litre.

However, checks at Ibafo along the Lagos /Ibadan expressway showed that NNPC outlets still displayed the old price of N875 per litre, although they were not selling to commuters.

Most of the NNPC stations were not dispensing fuel.

Business

CBN Directs Banks To Refund Failed ATM Transactions Within 48hrs

Published

4 weeks ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Deposit Money Banks and other financial institutions to refund customers for failed Automated Teller Machine transactions within 48 hours, in a sweeping reform aimed at protecting consumers and restoring confidence in the banking system.

The directive is contained in a draft guideline released by the apex bank on Saturday, titled “Exposure of the Draft Guidelines on the Operations of Automated Teller Machines in Nigeria.”

The document, signed by Musa I. Jimoh, Director of Payments System Policy Department, was circulated to banks, payment service providers, card schemes, and independent ATM deployers, with a call for stakeholder feedback by October 31, 2025.

Under the draft, failed “on-us” transactions, where customers use their own bank’s ATM, must be reversed instantly. If technical glitches prevent immediate reversal, the bank is required to manually refund the customer within 24 hours.

For “not-on-us” transactions, involving other banks’ ATMs, refunds must be processed within 48 hours.

“Customers must not be made to suffer for failed transactions caused by system errors or network failures,” the circular stressed.

In a significant shift, the CBN mandated banks and ATM acquirers to deploy technology that automatically reverses failed or partial transactions, removing the need for customers to lodge complaints.

Institutions holding customer funds due to failed disbursements must reconcile and return balances immediately.

According to the apex bank, these measures respond to widespread frustration over delayed refunds and poor customer service and form part of a broader effort to enhance consumer protection, improve reliability, and modernise Nigeria’s payment infrastructure in line with global standards.

The guidelines will also overhaul ATM operations nationwide. Banks and card issuers are now required to deploy at least one ATM for every 5,000 active cards, with phased targets of 30% compliance in 2026, 60% in 2027, and full compliance by 2028. Any future deployment, relocation, or decommissioning of ATMs must receive prior approval from the CBN.

To ensure safety, ATMs must be fitted with anti-skimming devices, CCTV cameras, and placed in enclosed or well-lit areas.

Machines are expected to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, maintain audit logs, and display functional helpdesk contacts. At least 2% of all ATMs must feature tactile symbols for visually impaired customers.

ATMs are also required to dispense cash before returning cards, allow free PIN changes, issue receipts for all transactions except balance inquiries, display clear transaction fees, dispense only clean banknotes, and provide backup power to reduce downtime.

Downtime must not exceed 72 consecutive hours, after which operators must inform the public of the cause and expected restoration time.

The CBN will enforce compliance through regular audits, on-site inspections, and monthly reports from ATM operators detailing deployments and locations. Defaulting institutions risk sanctions, though fines were not specified.

The apex bank explained that the overhaul was necessary due to rising complaints about failed transactions, cyber fraud, and declining service quality, noting that “the goal is to build a payments system that works seamlessly for everyone, urban and rural users alike.”

Nigeria’s electronic payments landscape has grown rapidly in recent years, with 200 million cardholders and rising reliance on digital banking, but network failures, poor infrastructure, and delayed reversals have continued to undermine confidence.

The fresh guidelines, coming eight months after a revision of ATM fees, are expected to streamline service delivery, enhance transaction security, and hold banks accountable. Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback ahead of the final policy adoption, which could take effect before the end of the year.