News
FG under fire as NNPC confirms refineries not working
Opposition leaders on Saturday criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration following remarks by the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which cast serious doubt on the viability of the country’s refineries despite the billions invested in their rehabilitation.
On Thursday, the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, stated that the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries might never resume operations, even after about $18bn had been spent on their turnaround.
On Friday, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, echoed similar concerns, revealing that the company was now considering selling off the refineries as years of rehabilitation had failed to yield meaningful results due to the facilities’ outdated status.
Ojulari made the disclosure in an interview with Bloomberg in Vienna, Austria, noting that the country had invested heavily without any tangible outcome.
Reacting in separate interviews with our correspondents on Saturday, some opposition leaders tackled the Tinubu administration, demanding a thorough criminal investigation into the alleged corruption linked to the failed turnaround maintenance of the refineries.
They argued that the government cannot simply move on without identifying and prosecuting those responsible for the massive losses.
The leaders also accused both the current administration and its predecessor under Muhammadu Buhari of misleading Nigerians about the operational status of the refineries.
While acknowledging the failure of government-led public asset management, they warned that selling the refineries without strict safeguards could lead to a repeat of the underperformance seen in the power sector after the privatisation of the electricity distribution companies.
Ojulari took over from Mele Kyari as the GCEO of the NNPCL on April 2, 2025, following an appointment by President Bola Tinubu. The new NNPC helmsman’s approach brings a shift in tone from the previous leadership.
In 2019, Kyari had assured Nigerians that the NNPC would deliver the country’s four refineries before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure on May 29, 2023.
However, Ojulari’s comments on Thursday stood in sharp contrast to those of his predecessor.
Speaking with Bloomberg at the 9th OPEC International Seminar, he revealed that a strategic review of NNPC’s refinery operations was ongoing and expected to be concluded before the end of the year.
“We’re reviewing all our refinery strategies now. We hope before the end of the year, we’ll be able to conclude that review. That review may lead to us doing things slightly differently,” he said.
When asked whether the review could lead to selling off the refineries, Ojulari responded, “What we’re saying is that sale is not out of the question. All the options are on the table, to be frank, but that decision will be based on the outcome of the reviews we’re doing now.”
Echoing sentiments shared by Dangote, Ojulari attributed some of the setbacks to obsolete infrastructure and underperforming technologies.
“We made quite a lot of investments over the last several years and brought in a lot of technologies, but we’ve been challenged. Some of those technologies have not worked as we expected so far. But also, as you know, when you’re refining a very old refinery that has been abandoned for some time, what we’re finding is that it’s becoming a little bit more complicated,” he explained.
Dangote’s cautious optimism
While addressing members of the Global CEO Africa from the Lagos Business School at his Lekki refinery on Thursday, Dangote expressed pessimism over the functionality of the refineries. He doubted the possibility of the state-owned refineries working again.
Dangote said the refineries under the NNPC management had gulped up to $18bn, yet they have refused to work.
According to Dangote, the 650,000-capacity refinery he built after the government of late Umar Yar’adua aborted his acquisition of the government refineries now has over 50 per cent of its output dedicated to Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), saying that even government refineries committed just 22 per cent of their production to petrol.
Dangote recalled how he and his team had to return the nation’s refineries to Yar’adua, a few months after former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in 2007.
According to him, the former managers of the refinery had told Yar’Adua that Obasanjo sold the facilities below their costs as a parting gift to him and his colleagues.
“The refineries that we bought before, which were owned by Nigeria, were doing about 22 per cent of PMS. We bought the refineries in January 2007. Then we had to return them to the government because there was a change of government. And the Managing Director at that time convinced Yar’adua that the refineries would work.
“They said they just gave them to us as a parting gift or so. And as of today, they have spent about $18bn on those refineries, and they are still not working. And I don’t think, and I doubt very much if they will work,” he said.
Dangote emphasised that the turnaround maintenance of the refineries was like trying to modernise a car built 40 years ago, when technology has advanced.
“(The turnaround maintenance) is like you trying to modernise a car that was built 40 years ago, when technology and everything have changed. Even if you change the engine, the body will not be able to take the shock of that new technology engine,” he stated.
Dangote’s comment buttressed Obasanjo’s comments last year about the refineries, two of which were shut down again after they were declared operational by Kyari in Q4 2024.
Obasanjo’s warning
Obasanjo had stated that the NNPC was aware that it could not operate the refineries, saying international oil companies like Shell once refused to run the facilities when he requested them to do so.
According to Obasanjo, some Nigerians, including Dangote, once paid $750m to take over the refineries; however, his successor, Yar’adua, aborted the deal.
“I ran to him (Yar’Adua), I said, ‘You know this is not right’. He said, ‘Well, NNPC said they can do it.’ I said, ‘NNPC cannot do it’. I told my successor that ‘the refineries, from what I heard and know, will not work, and when you want to sell them, you will not get anybody to buy them at $200m as scrap’. And that is the situation we are in.
“So, why do we do this kind of thing to ourselves? The NNPC knew that they could not do it, but they knew they could eat and carry on with the corruption that was going on in the NNPC. When people were there to do it, they put pressure. In a civilised society, those people should be in jail,” Obasanjo had stated.
Again, in January after the Tinubu administration embarked on the refineries’ fresh rehabilitation, Obasanjo said, “I was told not too long ago that since that time, more than $2bn have been squandered on the refineries and they still will not work.
“If a company like Shell tells me what they told me, I will believe them. If anybody tells you now that it (the refinery) is working, why are they now with Aliko (Dangote)? And Aliko will make his refinery work; not only make it work, he will make it deliver.”
Obasanjo concluded with a Yoruba proverb, comparing inflated claims about the refineries’ performance to a farmer who planted 100 heaps of yam but falsely claimed to have planted 200.
“They say that after he has harvested 100 heaps of yams, he will also have 100 heaps of lies. You know what that means,” he said.
Displeased with Obasanjo’s comments, former NNPC spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, issued a statement, inviting the ex-President for a tour of the facilities.
Soneye boasted that the rehabilitation supervised by the Kyari-led NNPC was different from the past as it was a complete overhaul designed to meet world-class standards.
Tinubu under fire
However, since taking over the leadership of NNPCL, Ojulari had delivered a contrasting verdict on the state of the refineries, sparking wide reactions from opposition leaders in the country.
Following his admission that the refineries are not viable and may eventually be sold, opposition parties and other Nigerians on Saturday berated President Tinubu’s administration for the misleading claim that the refineries can work and have indeed started working.
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Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, accused the All Progressives Congress-led government of deceiving Nigerians over the state of the country’s refineries, saying the recent revelations about their non-viability confirm what he described as a long-standing pattern of lies and misgovernance.
According to Tanko, the government’s failure to conduct due diligence before making repeated promises on the functionality of the refineries shows a deep-seated disregard for the Nigerian people.
“These are parts of the pack of lies they have been telling Nigerians. Now, the lie has unveiled itself. That means you cannot trust this government or whatever they tell you,” he said.
According to him, the lack of integrity in both the current and immediate past administrations is evident.
“There is no truth in whatever they are doing. Moreover, integrity hasn’t been part of their governance,” Tanko added. He blamed the government for not properly assessing the true state of the refineries before making public declarations.
“That also means they did not do due diligence in the first place to know the actual status of the refinery before making pronouncements that they would ensure it is working,” he said.
Tanko traced the crisis back to the Buhari administration, noting that President Tinubu’s decision to continue on the same path has only worsened the situation.
“This did not begin today; it started with Buhari’s regime and ended up with them. No wonder President Tinubu said he would continue from where Buhari left. But not only have they taken off from where Buhari left, they have also taken us far worse than where he left us,” he stated.
He condemned what he described as the government’s disregard for transparency and accountability. “That is the situation we have found ourselves in. It is about lies, disdain, and lack of respect for the Nigerian people,” Tanko said.
Similarly, the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Mr Peter Ameh, accused both the current administration and the immediate past government of former President Muhammadu Buhari of misleading the Nigerian public.
He called on the Federal Government to open a criminal investigation into the billions of dollars invested in the country’s refineries, describing the failed rehabilitation efforts as a monumental waste of public resources.
“Before the APC government even talks about the sales, they must first carry out a due investigation into the corruption surrounding the huge amount of money invested in the refineries,” he said. “There was a lot of money, billions of dollars, wasted on that project. Who is going to give an account of that? Who will be held responsible?”
“I think the most important thing to do first now is to open a criminal investigation into the resources that have been channeled into the turnaround maintenance and restarting of the refineries,” he said. “And those people must be held accountable.”
He also expressed displeasure over the inability of the media to educate the public on the status of the refineries while the government gave false hope.
“It is an indictment of the journalists and both the current and immediate past administration of Buhari,” he said. “Journalists must be able to have basic knowledge of any information they are churning out to the public because I saw a lot of reports on social media of how journalists were taken to the refineries to give a clean bill of health that the refineries were working.”
He added that Ojulari’s admission had vindicated Obasanjo.
“I believe that what Obasanjo stood and clamoured for, which I have also written about, is the fact that the best option is privatisation,” he said.
“The government should raise a committee that will bring all the people involved in the refinery scam to a public trial, like the Oputa Panel, so that they can tell the Nigerian people publicly how the billions of dollars were spent on the refineries and yet there is nothing working. And yet they could have the audacity and temerity to announce to Nigerians that the refineries were already working. If we don’t do this, for me, we will be emboldening corruption in this country,” he maintained.
Also, former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, expressed reservations about the Federal Government’s proposed sale of Nigeria’s refineries, saying while he does not support the idea in principle, it may be the only viable option left given the country’s history of wasteful spending.
In a post made on his verified X (Formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the former lawmaker said, “I don’t like the idea of selling our refineries when other countries can efficiently run their refineries; but it looks like the lesser devil is to sell them so that we don’t have to spend another $7bn to rehabilitate them.”
Sani noted that efforts at turnaround maintenance in the past had proven to be economically draining with little to no results.
“Anything about rehabilitation is financially scary in this country,” he said, adding that he feared the proposed sale could replicate the failures recorded in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
“I also hope the refineries will not go the way of the Discos,” he warned.
Also speaking with Sunday PUNCH, political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, said, “I said it so many times, but because they wanted to spend the money, they said they could repair it. Anyone who understands how such things are run will know that such things will be a waste. It was obvious. It should have been sold a long time ago if they listened.”
On his part, the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Dr Olu Agunloye, said the NNPC MD deserves credit for saying the truth.
“At least they came out to say the truth. They now need to do what they need to do. Stop the corruption and get to work.”
Agunloye said it was a mistake to reverse Obasanjo’s sale of the refineries.
“Remember, former President Obasanjo said he wanted to sell the refinery. So, it is what we have known all along. So we expect them to do the next level. If a single man can build a refinery, why can’t the government build one?
“There are people who can handle it, but they must not do to them what they did to Dangote.”
A member of the House of Representatives, Henry Okojie, also declared that state-owned petroleum refineries in Port-Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna are critical national assets and, as such, Nigerians have a say on whether to sell or retain them.
The Edo-born lawmaker, who doubles as the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), said his committee would speak on behalf of millions of Nigerians on the fate of the refineries, at the appropriate time.
He said, “We represent millions of Nigerians who own these refineries. This is not to fault the NNPCL boss or the highly respected Alhaji Dangote. As the committee overseeing the oil company, it is our duty to advise the Federal Government in the best interest of Nigerians.
“If the committee finds out that the money being spent on the maintenance of the refineries is money not well spent, we will make our position known. At the same time, it is rather too hasty to say that the refineries would be sold.”
Further expressing concerns, Okojie added, “Just a few months ago, Nigerians were elated when they were told that the Port Harcourt refinery had resumed full operation. Kaduna and Warri were to follow suit. What then has happened that we are now being told that the refineries could be sold?” he asked.
On what the committee would do in the weeks ahead following the comments made by Ojulari and Dangote, the federal lawmaker said a comprehensive investigation is underway to unmask possible fraud in the system.
“The committee will carry out a holistic and forensic investigation to unravel all irregularities and fraud,” he pledged.
He also assured the readiness of his committee to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to unravel the true state of the refineries in the public interest.
“We will work with experts on the way forward. We will visit the refineries and see things for ourselves. One thing is clear, we cannot encourage the Federal Government to continue to pump money into a project that is not economically viable. At the same time, we will not permit anyone to sabotage efforts to get these refineries to work for the nation. This is all I can say for now,” he added.
The PUNCH reports that the Federal Government has consistently expended resources on the refineries, which went moribund many years ago. It was gathered that $1.4bn was approved for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery in 2021; $897m was earmarked for Warri, and $586m for Kaduna refineries.
N100bn was reportedly spent on refinery rehabilitation in 2021, with N8.33bn monthly expenditure. $396.33m was spent on Turnaround Maintenance between 2013 and 2017. Despite all the financial allocations, the refineries remain unproductive at the moment. (PUNCH)
…As SEDC seals deal with GasSync, commits $3m
• Tinubu says S’East must rise from potential to reality
• Mbah, governors hail Tinubu, pledge support for 400km pipeline
The Federal Government, through the South East Development Commission (SEDC) has kicked off a $100 million gas distribution pipeline project to boost industrialisation, attract investments and create jobs in the South East.
The 400-kilometre pipeline, designed to connect gas resources to industrial and commercial centres across Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states, has about 150 potential customers identified, with projected demand of 254 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The investment agreement for the project was signed on Tuesday at the South-East Gas Infrastructure Investment and Project Development Ceremony held at Hotel Presidential, Enugu, marking a significant step towards establishing a regional gas distribution network.
Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described the project as a strategic investment that would connect the region’s natural gas resources to industries, strengthen manufacturing and unlock economic opportunities across the five states.
“The Southeast’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of Nigeria’s greatest economic assets. I have always believed that the prosperity of the Southeast is inseparable from the prosperity of Nigeria,” the President said.
He said the project aligned with his administration’s commitment to building an integrated regional economy, stressing that gas infrastructure should support industrial development across state boundaries rather than serve isolated markets.
“Gas infrastructure must therefore serve industries and markets, not stop at political boundaries. That is the economic logic of regional integration,” he said.
The President said the pipeline would benefit manufacturers in Aba, strengthen industrial clusters in Nnewi and Onitsha, attract productive enterprises to Enugu, expand agro-processing and manufacturing in Ebonyi and connect Imo’s gas resources to the wider regional economy.
He, however, said the ambition extended beyond supplying existing factories to creating the conditions for new industries, industrial parks and investments that had stalled because of unreliable energy supply.
“Our ambition is not simply to deliver gas to existing factories. It is to make possible factories that do not yet exist, industrial parks yet to be developed, and investments that have remained on the drawing board because reliable energy was unavailable,” Tinubu said.
He described the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as an institution established to deliver measurable development outcomes, urging it to assess its performance by the investments it mobilised, infrastructure it enabled, opportunities it created and lives it improved.
The President said the South-East Vision 2050 development framework, supported by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the governors of the region, provided a foundation for coordinated economic growth.
He also cited his approval of the South-East Investment Company as part of efforts to attract private capital into strategic development projects, noting that governments could not finance every development ambition from public funds.
“This is the model I expect from our development institutions: identify strategic economic opportunities, prepare credible projects, commit public resources responsibly and mobilise private capital at a scale government budgets alone cannot achieve,” he said.
Tinubu commended the SEDC for committing $3 million to the gas project and establishing a framework to mobilise additional investments from state governments, institutions and private investors.
He said the project’s initial phase required approximately $100 million, describing the partnership between public institutions and private investors as essential to developing sustainable infrastructure.
“We are not investing in pipelines for their own sake. We are investing in the industries, businesses and jobs those pipelines will make possible,” the President said.
He urged the commission and its partners to uphold commercial discipline, transparency, environmental responsibility, community engagement and the highest safety standards throughout the project’s implementation.
“The true measure of government’s commitment is not what we promise, but what we deliver,” he said, expressing optimism that the investment would help create an industrial economy capable of competing in African and global markets.
Tinubu said the ultimate objective was to translate the region’s natural resources into productive economic activity, employment and improved living standards.
“Let the gas beneath our soil power our industries. Let that energy become production. Let production become employment. Let employment become prosperity for our people,” he said.
The President urged the SEDC, state governments and project partners to establish clear implementation timelines, measurable milestones and regular progress reports, stressing that the project’s success would ultimately be measured by its ability to attract investments, revive industries, create jobs and improve the economic fortunes of people across the five Southeast states.
Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, commended Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, describing the commission as the institutional vehicle needed to realise the Southeast’s longstanding industrialisation aspirations.
“Tinubu loves the Igbo. The SEDC is a commission whose time has come. It was an idea conceived many decades ago, but it took President Tinubu to establish this long-awaited dream of industrialisation of the Southeast,” Mbah said.
He described the signing of the investment agreement as the commencement of the investment process, adding that the initiative would help realise the region’s aspiration for a common market and coordinated industrial development.
“What we have just signed here today is an investment agreement, meaning that investment has commenced,” he said.
Mbah, who said he was excited that the project was advancing less than 13 months after he publicly advocated the idea, praised the commission for adopting an innovative financing model that brings governments and private investors together.
He said the project would create opportunities for young people to build their futures in the Southeast rather than migrate to other parts of the country in search of jobs.
“Before now, it was our young people running out of the region in search of greener pastures. But with what we have now, our young people can sit back and find their future here in the region. This is all thanks to President Tinubu,” he said.
The governor assured the SEDC and its partners that the Southeast governors were committed to the pipeline project, promising to expedite right-of-way arrangements and environmental impact assessment approvals.
“We, the Southeast governors, are committed to this. We will ensure that the right of way and EIA are given accelerated approval,” he said.
Imo State Deputy Governor Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, who represented Governor Hope Uzodimma, commended Tinubu and the SEDC for initiating the project, noting that Imo’s substantial natural gas resources placed the state in a strategic position to benefit.
She said the project was coming at an opportune time, particularly as companies were seeking to become offtakers of gas from the Assa North–Ohaji South development.
Ekomaru urged residents to consider the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments in the Southeast in making their political choices ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“A vote for APC is a direct vote for the continuation of this project. A bird in hand is worth more than 10 in the bush. Let’s reason wisely,” she said.
Anambra State Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, representing Governor Chukwuma Soludo, commended the commission but stressed that its success would ultimately be determined by its impact on the people.
“We will clap for you when we begin to feel the impact of what you are doing,” he said.
Ibezim noted that states across the region had gas resources that could support industrial growth if properly developed. He urged communities along the pipeline route to embrace the project and cooperate with its promoters.
“I want to urge the communities through which the pipelines will pass to have a buy-in. We are strongly behind the commission,” he said, while commending the enthusiasm shown by industrialists at the event.
Ebonyi State Deputy Governor Mrs Patricia Obila, representing Governor Francis Nwifuru, described energy as fundamental to industrial growth, lamenting that inadequate power supply had contributed to the decline of several enterprises in the region.
“Energy is power. Its importance cannot be overemphasised. With it, factories will produce, the economy will blossom and employment will be great,” she said.
Obila expressed the Ebonyi government’s readiness to support the project, promising to provide the necessary cooperation to facilitate its implementation and help moribund companies resume operations.
“We will give you all the support needed to operate in Ebonyi to ensure that our moribund companies return back to operations,” she said.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, Dr Mary Ogbe, said the SEDC was developing initiatives capable of improving living standards across the Southeast.
She assured the governors that the commission would complement their development efforts rather than compete with them, while urging investors to take advantage of the opportunities emerging from the project.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission had conducted technical, financial and legal due diligence before committing funds to the project, which received approval from its governing board.
Okoye said the commission was targeting aggregate regional investment participation of up to $30 million, including its initial $3 million commitment, as part of efforts to mobilise the private capital required to advance the project.
He said the initiative aligned with the commission’s industrialisation programme and its commitment to developing infrastructure that would benefit the entire region.
Representing GasSync, the project promoter, Callistus Mba said the pipeline would connect gas resources close to the Southeast to industrial users across the five states, reducing dependence on the expensive transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by road.
Mba said the proposed network would originate from the Ohaji area of Imo State, run through Owerri and branch towards Aba in Abia State and Onitsha in Anambra State, with extensions to Enugu and Ebonyi.
He said the company planned to begin construction at two points simultaneously to accelerate delivery, following concerns raised by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah that constructing the entire network sequentially from Imo could delay gas supply to other states.
“We are going to start at Ohaji and Onitsha at the same time,” Mba said, explaining that the approach would allow construction towards Enugu and Ebonyi to progress alongside work on the Imo and Anambra sections.
He said the company had identified about 150 prospective customers across the region and was engaging industries to secure demand for the gas, including manufacturing companies, power-generation facilities and agro-processing businesses.
Mba cited Geometric Power in Abia State among the companies with which engagement was already underway. He added that the pipeline would support efforts to revive moribund industries in Enugu and develop agro-processing facilities in Ebonyi.
On the project timeline, he said procurement activities had commenced, funding arrangements were advancing towards financial close, and preparations for engineering, procurement and construction were progressing.
“We intend to start construction in the first quarter of 2027,” Mba said, projecting that the project would be ready for first gas delivery in the second quarter of 2028, subject to the completion of the necessary requirements.
He identified regulatory approvals, right-of-way arrangements, community engagement and coordination among federal and state authorities as critical to meeting the schedule, urging the governors and relevant institutions to facilitate permits and work with host communities along the pipeline route.
News
Mbah Inaugurates Enugu APC Campaign Council, Expresses Confidence in Victory on Strength of Achievements
…Tells party faithful to campaign on performance, be unapologetically APC
…Says opposition shallow, has nothing to offer
…Sen. Nnamani, Nwobodo, Dr. Nnamani, Chime, Ugwuanyi, Prof. Nnaji, Arthur Eze, Madueke, Ogalla, Ezeilo make list
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Tuesday, inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council for Enugu State, expressing strong confidence in a resounding victory for the party in all the 2027 elections.
The Campaign Council, comprising 51 Directorates, is chaired by the Governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, while the Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Deputy National Chairman, APC (South); Dr Ben Nwoye, Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, are Vice Chairmen.
It is also headlined by an Advisory Council comprising former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; former military governor of old Anambra State and Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke (Rtd.); former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; former Minister of Information and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 governorship election in the state, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr.; business mogul, Prince Arthur Eze; Senator Chuka Utazi; and former deputy governors Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Bishop Ralph Nwoye, Dr. Sunday Onyebuchi, and Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, among other high-profile personalities.
Chief Charlie Mbah is the Director-General, while Dr. Eric Oluedo served as the Secretary-General.
Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Ikeje Asogwa, and Senator Kelvin Chukwu are Coordinators of the Campaign Council in Enugu West, Enugu North, and Enugu East, respectively.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, Mbah said his administration had justified the mandate handed to him in 2023, while President Bola Tinubu’s bold reforms had greatly stabilised the macroeconomic indicators while also making funds available for the administration to embark on impactful projects across the state on a large scale.
He, therefore, urged party faithful to campaign hard on the administration’s achievements and be unapologetically APC in doing so, saying the opposition had nothing but propaganda to offer.
The governor said he was gearing up to campaign in each of the 68 Development Centres and also commission at least two projects in each of the 260 political wards in the state.
Mbah recalled that the 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Momentum Index ranked Enugu as the fastest-improving state, having recorded a Momentum Score of +1.15, the highest by any of the 33 states assessed.
He noted that, in terms of Ease of Doing Business, the state, under his leadership, had leaped from 36th out of 37 subnationals in 2023 to sixth position nationally in 2025, according to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) report.
“So, you should be proud of Enugu. You should be unapologetically APC. I am really excited because we are going to go to all the 68 Development Centres. I will personally visit all the Development Centres. I will go to the markets with you.
“The people of Enugu cannot wait to see us. They are so excited. And as I go, I will also take time to go to every ward to commission both the Smart Green School and the Primary Healthcare Centre.
“As I go to every ward and Development Centre, I will commission all projects without exception, the Smart Green Schools and the Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres in all the wards where they are cutting the ribbon. And so, it is indeed my honour and privilege to formally inaugurate this APC Enugu State Campaign Council,” he stated.
Dr Ben Nwoye
Mbah, however, reminded them that all the achievements could not have been possible without the economic reforms and support of the President Bola Tinubu administration, which had, among other things, made more funds available to the states.
“We must also campaign hard for the President because it also took those bold and courageous policies of his to achieve what we accomplished in the last three years. You can have all this vision and conviction, but if you do not back it up with money, you cannot do anything. Therefore, we also need to recognise and acknowledge that,” he stated.
Mbah also listed several major infrastructural interventions by President Tinubu in the South East, and Enugu State in particular, noting that although the region gave him a marginal percentage of its votes in 2023, he had nevertheless shown good faith towards Ndigbo in terms of development projects, strategic appointments, among others.
The Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Dr. Ben Nwoye; Senator Osita Ngwu, who spoke on behalf of all serving and aspiring National Assembly members; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih; and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, charged the people to go all out for victory, enumerating the many achievements of the Mbah administration and the benefits of the Tinubu government to Enugu State.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Campaign Organisation, Chief Charlie Mbah, while thanking the party leaders and faithful for the confidence reposed in him and his team, promised to lead a formidable campaign that would guarantee APC’s victory in the state.
“My commitment is to build an inclusive, organised, result-oriented and issues-based campaign that reaches every senatorial zone, local government area, ward, community, and polling unit across Enugu State,” he reassured.
*Other members of the Council Composition*
Deacon Okey Ogbodo, Dr. Dan Shere, and Hon. S.K.E. Udeh-Okoye are Deputy Campaign DGs for Enugu East Senatorial District, Enugu North Senatorial District, and Enugu West Senatorial District, respectively.
Barr. Steve Oruruo is the Campaign Spokesperson and Director of the Public Communication Committee, with Dr. Austin Okolie as co-spokesperson and Dr. Malachy Agbo as Secretary.
Mazi Uche Anichukwu and Dan Nwomeh, both drawn from the Governor’s media team, head the Directorate of New Media and Strategic Communication and the Directorate of Mainstream Media, respectively. Dr. Collins Ogbu is the Secretary of the former, while Dr. Reuben Onyishi is the Secretary of the latter.
Barr. Victor Udeh leads the Administration Directorate, while Dr. Ben Nwoye and Arc. Uche Nwatu are the Director and Co-Director of the Fundraising Committee, respectively.
Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla (Rtd.), chairs the Security Directorate, while former Inspector-General of Police, Ogbono Onovo (Rtd.), is the Secretary.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology is in charge of the Directorate of Government Appointees Coordination (Federal and State), with Prof. Chidiebere Onyia as Secretary, while former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh, heads Inter-Party Affairs.
APC State Woman Leader, Mrs. Esther Edeh, is at the helm of the Women Mobilisation Directorate, with the APC South East Woman Leader, Dr. Oby Ajih, as Co-Director and Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, as Secretary.
Senator Chuka Utazi heads the Directorate of Parliamentary Mobilisation, with former Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, as Secretary, while Senator Ben Collins Ndu is the Director of Contact and Mobilisation, with Barr. Peter Okonkwo as Co-Director and Mrs. Lovelyn Obioma Nweze appointed as Secretary.
Barr. Victor Udeh is the Director of the Directorate of Election Planning and Monitoring, which has the Political Adviser to the Governor, Chief Frank Anioma, as Secretary.
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, leads the Directorate of Welfare, which has Barr. Mrs. Amaka Alinta as Secretary, while Dame Rita Mbah is the Director of Event Management, with Ifeoma Azike as Secretary.
Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Egumgbe, leads the Directorate of Monitoring, which has former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, as Secretary.
Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo is in charge of the Directorate of Works and Venue, with Engr. Christian Enebe as Secretary.
Hon. USA Igweshi has returned to his 2023 role as Director of the Directorate of Support Groups, while Dr. Chiedozie Nwafor will serve as Secretary.
Nollywood star Rachael Okonkwo, popularly known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, is the Director of the Directorate of Creativity and Entertainment, while the General Manager of the Enugu State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Monday Diamond, heads the Directorate’s secretariat.
The Town Unions Coordination Directorate is headed by Chief Arinze Ogbodo, while the secretariat will be manned by Hon. Charles Chime.
News
BREAKING: El-Rufai Tests Positive for Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Shows Signs of Possible Severe Infection—Report
…doctors recommend admission in hospital
A medical report on former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has revealed that a blood culture test detected Enterococcus faecium, a bacterium resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin, while his doctors listed possible sepsis among their clinical concerns.The findings are contained in two medical documents dated October 22, 2026, concerning the 66-year-old former governor, who is currently being detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) amid his prosecution.A laboratory report issued by Cerba Lancet Nigeria showed that both aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures tested positive for Enterococcus faecium after 24–48 hours of incubation.
The report stated: “Culture positive After 24-48 hours incubation.”
It identified the organism as Enterococcus faecium and explicitly described it as a “Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE).”
The laboratory report listed vancomycin as resistant, while several other antibiotics, including ampicillin/amoxicillin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, minocycline and linezolid, were marked as sensitive.
However, the laboratory document was marked “INTERIM REPORT” and stated: “Final Verified Report to Follow.”
This means the final verified laboratory result was still pending in the document provided.
A separate medical report issued by ASK+ Medical & Diagnostics on October 22 also documented the blood culture finding and detailed El-Rufai’s symptoms, clinical assessment and proposed treatment.
Under its clinical history section, the report stated: “The patient is a 66-year-old man with dyslipidemia, persistent headaches and insomnia. He presented with mild generalized headache and dizziness, without aura or photophobia. There is a reported history of hypotension.”
The report also noted that he appeared mildly dehydrated, with the clinical impression including dehydration in a case documented as resistant malaria and possible sepsis.
Under the clinical history section, the document described the assessment as “dehydration with resistant malaria and possible sepsis, with a suspected Para umbilical focus.”
The report recorded El-Rufai’s blood pressure at 93/70 mmHg and his pulse rate at 68 beats per minute.
His temperature was recorded as 36.2 degrees Celsius, while his oxygen saturation was 98 per cent on room air. The physical examination described him as being in no apparent respiratory or painful distress.
The report also contained an apparent difference in its assessment of his hydration status. While the clinical history described him as mildly dehydrated, the physical examination stated: “No dehydration.”
Under the investigations section, the ASK+ report confirmed the laboratory finding, stating: “Blood Culture: Enterococcus faecium (Gram-positive) isolated.”
It added that the organism was sensitive to several antibiotics, including ampicillin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, minocycline and linezolid, but resistant to vancomycin.
The report also listed gentamicin as sensitive, although the laboratory document presents the gentamicin result differently in its aerobic and anaerobic culture sections. The discrepancy requires clarification from the laboratory.
The ASK+ report stated that results from several other investigations, including a full blood count, malaria test, renal function test, liver function test, fasting lipid profile, random blood glucose, urinalysis and HbA1c, were within normal limits.
Despite those results, the positive blood culture prompted a recommendation for further medical evaluation and treatment guided by the laboratory findings.
Under its treatment plan, the report recommended admission for observation, intravenous fluids and medication for the documented clinical concerns.
It also advised that the blood culture and antibiotic sensitivity results be reviewed in consultation with an infectious disease physician.
The report stated: “Review the blood culture result and sensitivity results and, in consultation with Infectious disease physician, consider appropriate IV antibiotic therapy and admission for at least three days as advised by the clinical pathologist.”
It listed possible intravenous antibiotic options, including Augmentin, Gentalex, L-Flox and linezolid, subject to further clinical assessment and review of the culture results.
The findings come as El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody while facing prosecution. However, the medical documents do not establish any connection between his detention and the bacterial finding.
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