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Dangote Refinery Appoints David Bird CEO

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Nigeria’s Dangote Group has appointed a former head of Oman’s Duqm refinery, David Bird, as chief executive of its petroleum and petrochemicals business.

This is coming as it strives to overcome production challenges and advance its next wave of expansion, S&P Global reported yesterday.

Effective July 2025, David Bird, the new pick, stepped in as CEO of the Dangote Group’s fuels and petrochemicals business, which commissioned the world’s largest single-train refinery last year, the report said.

However, Dangote Group founder, Aliko Dangote, will stay on as chairman of the refining business and CEO of the wider conglomerate, which is also active in cement, fertilizers and sugar refining, the report added.

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The business is expected to tap Bird’s experience expanding the Duqm refinery and diversifying its crude slate as CEO of OQ8, a role he adopted months before the Omani complex began its first test runs in 2023.

In written comments to Platts, Part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, Bird said his focus at Dangote would involve advancing the group’s footprint beyond the Nigerian market and across the African continent.

As CEO of the refining business, he will be responsible for ensuring maximum output and efficiency for the refinery, and aims to make the group a leader in the global market, he said in a LinkedIn update.

The appointment comes after a string of unit upsets and “design issues” that have stalled the ramp-up process of the 650,000 bpd refinery, while its leadership has called out a hostile business environment for challenging its operations.

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Since it was commissioned in January 2024, Dangote has quickly grown its market share in the Nigerian fuel sector, displacing large volumes of petrol imports that the country once relied on.

However, Aliko Dangote has railed against “rent-seeking” trade partners and substandard fuel imports for putting strain on the business.

In a previous interview with Platts, Bird emphasised a trading-led approach to achieve a competitive edge in the refining sector, with a focus on high utilization rates, efficiency and feedstock flexibility.

His approach aligns with a recent shift from the Dangote complex to process a wider range of crude grades, partially spurred by limited availability of the Nigerian oil it was designed to process.

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But the Nigerian refinery is still obliged to sell fixed volumes of its oil products into the domestic crude market under a naira-based trade agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), a 7.2 per cent stakeholder in the business.

As the Dangote Group eyes its next wave of growth, it plans to expand the capacity of the Lagos refinery to 700,000 bpd, build out port infrastructure and establish foreign storage assets in Namibia and other countries, the S&P report added.

In August, the $20 billion facility located in Lagos is set to roll out its own distribution business with a fleet of 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered trucks.

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‘It’s out of place’ , don’t compare Ogbomoso and Adelabu kidnaps – Presidency tells Nigerians

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The presidency has cautioned Nigerians against comparing the kidnapping incidents involving the relatives of a former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and those of schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

In a statement on Sunday, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, explained that the motivations and agendas behind the two kidnapping incidents are entirely different.

According to him, urban kidnappers who want to make money are responsible for the Adelabu family episode, while a band of terrorists operating deep inside the bush are responsible for the kidnapping of schoolchildren, which happened in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The presidential media aide, who spoke against the backdrop of calls for the government to move swiftly and rescue the schoolchildren in captivity, just like the Adelabu relatives were rescued, assured that the government and security agencies are not being selective, as claimed in some quarters.

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He reiterated that the two situations are different and that those accusing the government of being selective are totally wrong.

Ajayi also gave fresh assurances that the children and teachers in the bush will be rescued very soon.

“Those who are comparing the Adelabu’s sister and her twins situation to the Ogbomoso kids and their teachers are totally wrong.

“It is wrong to compare the urban gang of kidnappers who engage in copycat crime to make money and hide victims inside a flat within the community to a band of terrorists operating deep inside the bush. The two sets of criminals have different motivations and agenda.

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“The Ogbomoso children and their teachers will be rescued, and government/security agencies are not selective, as falsely claimed. The approach to the two incidents can’t be the same.

“We should be happy that the woman and his twins are safely home while we pray for quicker rescue of those still in the bush with their abductors,” he wrote on 𝕏.

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Large quantity of opioids intercepted in Taraba as NDLEA nabs 75-year-old in Ebonyi(Photos)

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. Arrests four notorious female dealers in sweeps across Edo, Imo, Kano, Gombe

Large consignments of various opioids and illicit substances concealed in building materials have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a relentless nationwide offensive against drug cartels leading to the arrest of a 75-year-old grandpa in Ebonyi, and four notorious female drug dealers in Edo, Imo, Kano, and Gombe states.

A major blow was dealt to opioid trafficking networks in Taraba state on Saturday 6th June 2026 following credible intelligence which led to the interception of a truck conveying building materials from Onitsha, Anambra state to Jalingo. A thorough search of the vehicle by NDLEA operatives at the Nukkai Timber Shade, Jalingo, led to the discovery of a massive drug stash concealed beneath the cargo, while a 22-year-old suspect, Buhari Abdullahi, was promptly arrested.
Recovered from the truck include: 320,840 capsules of tramadol; 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 4,500 pills of rohypnol; and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

Demonstrating that age is no barrier to the enforcement of the law, NDLEA operatives in Ebonyi State tracked down and arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Okebe Samuel, at Okposi. The septuagenarian was found in possession of 300 grams of skunk, which he sells in retail sachets to the youth in his community.

In Imo state, NDLEA officers successfully raided a known drug enclave at Umulolo, Orlu. The raid resulted in the arrest of a notorious female dealer, 32-year-old Chioma Okeke, and the recovery of 8 kilograms of skunk.
Meanwhile, in Edo state, an intense sweep of notorious drug hotspots within Benin City by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 2nd June 2026, yielded the arrest of four key traffickers, including three females.

At Uyosa, Benin City, two female suspects, Chioma Igba (24) and Precious Ozomah (22), were nabbed with a cocktail of illicit substances including 176 grams of skunk, 65 grams of Loud, and 5 grams of Methamphetamine. Along Agbor road in Benin City, another female suspect, 21-year-old Anita Abraham, was apprehended with 95 grams of Scottish Loud and 329 grams of regular Loud. At Upper Mission, Benin City, a male suspect, Henry Okey (43), was arrested with a diverse cache of psychotropic substances consisting of Loud, Colorado, Swinol, and Methamphetamine.
A swift operation by operatives in Kano State on Thursday, 4th June 2026, led to the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect, Saifullahi Lawan at the Kafi area of Madobi, with 40 blocks of skunk weighing a total of 38 kilograms.

In a related development, operatives in Gombe State on Monday, 1st June intercepted 28-year-old Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi near the Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area of Gombe. The suspect was caught with 15,000 capsules of tramadol.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands and formations equally continued across the country in the past week.

Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Holiness Foundation Primary School, Saki, Oyo state; Dorras High School, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos; Ado Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra; and Army Day Secondary School, Kano state; among others.
Reacting to the string of successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers, men and women of the Taraba, Ebonyi, Imo, Edo, Kano, and Gombe commands for their resilience and vigilance. He also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. He re-emphasized that the agency remains fully committed to dismantling drug supply chains and will continue to target traffickers regardless of age, gender, or concealment methods.

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Real reason why we banned night vigils – MFM

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The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) has placed an indefinite ban on overnight vigils and ordered all church programmes to end by 8 p.m. daily, citing rising security concerns nationwide.

The new directive was contained in a circular dated June 5, 2026, sent to Regional Overseers and branch pastors. It takes effect immediately.

According to the memo, all services, meetings, and programmes at every level of the church must now close by 8 p.m. “for the foreseeable future.” Overnight vigils and late-night prayer meetings have been suspended indefinitely.

Where such gatherings are considered necessary, leaders are to restructure them into evening prayer sessions that must still wrap up by 8 p.m. at the latest.

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The circular was signed by Temitope A. Olawale, Director of Administration at MFM International Headquarters and Nigeria. He said the decision is a safety measure based on the current state of security in the country.

“The directives are purely precautionary and aimed at safeguarding the lives and well-being of our members in the face of the current security situation in the country,” the statement read.

MFM is known for its marathon prayer sessions and overnight programmes. The new rule marks a major shift for the church as insecurity continues to impact religious gatherings across Nigeria.

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