The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, from N880 to N840 per litre.

Spokesman for the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, confirmed the price adjustment to The PUNCH on Monday night, saying the new rate took effect on June 30.

“PMS price has been reduced from N880 to N840 per litre effective 30th June,” Chiejina said.

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Recall that the Dangote refinery hiked the price of petrol to N880 as tension escalated during the 12-day crisis between Israel and Iran, raising the price of crude oil to almost $80 per barrel.

The PUNCH earlier reported that marketers anticipated that there would be a new price regime from Monday.

Dangote’s partners like MRS, Heyden and AP are expected to adjust their pump prices soon.

Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, on Monday confirmed receipt of petitions demanding a formal coroner’s inquest into the death of former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

In a statement shared with The PUNCH, Ajulo declared that the public has every right under the Coroners Law of Ondo State to demand clarity in cases where foul play is suspected or questions linger.

“It is not out of place for citizens to demand its invocation when there are legitimate concerns.

“The Attorney General is duty-bound to act in accordance with the law once such concerns are raised by members of the public,” he stated.

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According to Ajulo, the Ministry of Justice has received multiple petitions, including from professional bodies and residents of the late governor’s hometown, urging his office to investigate what they described as troubling inconsistencies surrounding Akeredolu’s death.

Ajulo disclosed, “We have received petitions from groups both within and outside the state.

“Let me be clear: due process will be followed. The law is there to serve the people and ensure that truth and justice prevail.”

He noted that while emotions are running high, no individual will be presumed guilty, and neither will the process be derailed by sentiment or political interference.

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“If invitations or arrests need to be made, the process will not deviate from doing the needful,” he declared.

Ajulo clarified that decisions such as inspecting the governor’s remains or summoning individuals fall squarely under the discretion of the Coroner Judge.

“The law will be allowed to take its course,” he emphasized.

Calling for calm and restraint, the Attorney General urged all stakeholders to approach the matter with a “deep sense of responsibility” to the legacy of the late governor and the peace of the state.

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“We must approach this issue with civility, dignity, and a deep sense of responsibility to the legacy of the late Governor and the peace of the state,” he said.

Reaffirming the stance of the state’s leadership under Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Ajulo wrote, “No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection. “Where the law provides a remedy, the government of Governor Aiyedatiwa will not be found wanting.”

Until his death, Akeredolu was a two-term Governor of Ondo State and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Reports from the state government stated that he died on December 27, 2023, at 67, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.

The Federal Government says from July it will activate an online immigration amnesty portal to allow foreigners who have overstayed their visas to legalise their stay before stiff penalties take effect on 1 August.

“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent, and of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria,” Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said at a stakeholders’ sensitisation on major Nigeria Immigration Service innovations in international passenger travel, at the Service headquarters on Monday in Abuja.

He explained, “Please tell your people to take advantage of the amnesty,” he urged members of the diplomatic corps, adding that once the grace period lapses, the law will be enforced 100 per cent.

“I plead with you, we are opening the immigration amnesty portal in July, I think within the next one or two days. Please, for the benefit of our diplomatic corps, encourage your people to take advantage of it.

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“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent, and of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria.”

“Our laws are not meant to be abused. Our laws are meant to be respected. And wherever you are from, once you are in Nigeria, you must respect the laws of Nigeria,” he affirmed.

The amnesty is part of a broader reform package first unveiled in April and due to take effect in two phases. From May 1, the Interior Ministry introduced a $15 daily surcharge for each day a visitor remains in the country beyond the date stamped in their passport.

However, it simultaneously offered a three-month moratorium—stretching to July 31—to allow people to regularise their papers without paying the fine.

Beginning 1 August, anyone still out of status faces not only the accrued surcharge but a five-year re-entry ban for overstays of six months and a ten-year ban for those who remain a year or more, according to the implementation guidelines published by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

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The new portal enables holders of expired visa-on-arrival permits, lapsed single-entry visas, or overdue expatriate residence cards to apply online for a Stay Permit, upload supporting documents, and receive clearance without needing to visit an immigration office.

Tunji-Ojo also announced that the FG saves nearly N1bn annually after scrapping a contract for the physical archiving of passport and visa documents in late 2023.

He said, “We cancelled the physical presentation [and] manual archiving that was costing us almost a billion a year,” the minister said explaining, “It gives us opportunity to verify those documents ahead of time, so the integrity of our foundational data is better enhanced…saving us of almost a billion naira every year.”

The e-passport automation drive formally began on January 8, 2024, when the Interior Ministry ordered the NIS to phase out paper files and middlemen, and route all new or renewal requests through a revamped web portal.

Applicants at home and abroad now complete an online form, pay electronically and upload birth certificates, proof of address and passport photos. The portal’s back-end conducts preliminary security checks, allowing immigration officers to flag anomalies long before an applicant appears at the capture centre, the service said.

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A public advisory circulated to Nigerian missions abroad urged would-be travellers to “check requirements, test photos and book appointments” entirely online, eliminating the queues and ad-hoc fees that once plagued the process.

In late 2024, the ministry cleared a backlog of 204,000 passports and set an April 2025 deadline for “contactless” renewals that require only a selfie-style facial scan instead of fingerprint pads.

By May 2025, officials stated that 99 per cent of passport issuance was end-to-end digital, with the remaining tasks—biometric capture and booklet pick-up—compressed into 20-minute slots.

Tunji-Ojo said the passport automation drive has “cured the madness of scarcity” and, with it, the petty graft once fuelled by desperate applicants.

“Years ago, people waited months and paid touts N200,000, sometimes N500,000, for a N100,000 booklet,” he recalled, adding, “If you want to kill corruption, kill scarcity.”

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The minister said the recently launched electronic visa (e-visa) regime has processed over 14,000 applications within its first six weeks.

He revealed that the electronic Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card and the electronic Temporary Work Permit are set to go live within the next week.

“I can tell you that within the first six weeks of the e-visa, we were able to process over 14,000 visa applications. Within six weeks.

“So, by any standard in the world, that is a pass mark. It is a huge one and, of course, those little hitches, I tell you, within the next one to two weeks, will be history. We will correct them,” Tunji-Ojo said.

The former lawmaker gave a glimpse of the backstage work: “We are already working. Even yesterday in my house, the CGIS was there. Technological partners were at my house. The DCG visa was in my house. All of us are in my house.

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“We worked for hours yesterday, Sunday, even in my conference room at home. We were working because we understand that when you are in the process of innovation, there is no room, there is no opportunity for you to close your eyes. You must make sure it works. We are ready for the challenge.”

The minister explained that the e-visa system will spur economic growth.

“To me, when somebody needs a visa to Nigeria, and all he is looking for is who knows the minister, who knows the CG Immigration, who knows the Permanent Secretary, that is not how to grow a country. That is the truth.

“You must make it easy while not compromising national security. There must be a strategy. So, the e-visa, I want to assure you, by the grace of God, is here to stay,” he stated.

Regarding the upcoming e-CERPAC and TWP, the minister declared an end to the previous misuse of the TWP system.

“That era when people will come on TWP almost for free, keep renewing over and over, just to evade the law, is gone. So, for us, TWP is automated just like CERPAC is already automated,” he stated.

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Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, explained that the new visa regime introduces several innovative services, including the e-Visa Application Channel, e-CERPAC, Landing and Exit Cards, and Temporary Work Permit.

“The already installed e-Gates at our major Airports and the commissioned Command and Control Centre are positioned to house and harness these technologies.

“These digital solutions leverage technology to streamline processes, enhance security, and improve the overall experience for travelers and stakeholders,” she explained.

According to Nandap, “The e-Visa system allows for seamless online applications, eliminating the need for physical visits to immigration offices.”

She further added, “The e-CERPAC integrates residence permits into a digital document, simplifying processes for foreign nationals residing in Nigeria.

“Our Temporary Work Permit has also been digitised, reducing processing times and increasing efficiency.”