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Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) gantry price by ₦85 per litre, pushing the wholesale price from ₦1,265 to ₦1,350 and signalling fresh upward pressure on petrol prices across the country. The latest adjustment, according to Petroleumprice.ng, represents a 6.7 per cent increase and comes as international crude oil prices and petroleum product replacement costs continue to climb.

The development is particularly significant as the new Dangote price is now above the current PMS landing-cost benchmark of ₦1,311 per litre, further complicating pricing decisions for depot owners and independent marketers.

The refinery had earlier maintained its Lagos gantry price at ₦1,265 per litre despite rising international market prices. However, the renewed surge in crude oil and replacement costs appears to have forced a reassessment of its pricing position.

The impact is already being felt in the wider market, with depot marketers across the country adjusting their prices and stock positions in anticipation of higher replacement costs.

Market operators said the pressure is also spreading beyond Lagos, with similar concerns emerging across major coastal trading hubs, including Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar.

However, actual depot prices vary from one supplier to another, depending on factors such as available stock, product source and prevailing market conditions.

The new ₦1,350 per litre ex-gantry price effectively establishes Dangote Refinery’s latest wholesale reference point, putting further pressure on depot owners and marketers, whose next pricing decisions will largely depend on how crude oil prices and international product replacement costs evolve.

With replacement costs already elevated, the latest Dangote adjustment could therefore translate into another round of price reviews across the downstream petroleum market if the international crude rally persists.

Recall that global crude oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel, reaching their highest level since July, as escalating military tensions in the Middle East raise fresh fears of disruptions to crude production and international oil shipments.

Brent crude, the global benchmark against which Nigeria’s crude is priced, rose 2.8 per cent on Wednesday to break above the $100 per barrel mark, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 2.9 per cent to $95.70 per barrel.

The latest rally has pushed both benchmarks more than 60 per cent higher than their levels at the beginning of the year, increasing concerns that a prolonged energy shock could drive up the cost of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, electricity generation, transportation and manufactured goods across the world.

The surge was triggered by a fresh escalation in the Middle East, following reports of strikes involving Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and another vessel near Kharg Island, one of Iran’s major oil export centres.

The development came amid reports of attempted missile attacks on a US Navy warship, raising concerns that the conflict could widen and threaten key oil-producing and shipping areas. (The Sun, but headline reworked)

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A Nigerian mother of five has been thrown into deep mourning after losing her twin sons to accidental poisoning.

According to a viral online post by Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze on Facebook, the bereaved mother, who works as a domestic cleaner, had been dealing with a rodent infestation in her home.

In an attempt to eradicate the pests, she laced bread crumbs with rat poison and placed them across her house.

Tragically, one of her twin sons found the contaminated bread, ate some of it, and shared the rest with his brother.

Both children suffered fatal poisoning and passed away.

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…As five secure fully funded US scholarships at Peter Eze Youth Connect

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has urged youths in the state to take advantage of employment, skills development and other opportunities provided by the Federal Government, stressing that access, preparation and meaningful connections are critical to unlocking their potential.

Mbah, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, made the call at the Peter Eze Youth Connect programme organised by the Federal Character Commission (FCC) in Enugu.

The event, held at the Enugu International Conference Centre and themed “Beyond Quotas: Unlocking Opportunities for Enugu Youths Through the Federal Character Commission,” attracted thousands of youths, entrepreneurs, farmers, graduates, professionals and development partners from across the state.

The governor described the initiative as a practical demonstration of what could be achieved when deliberate efforts were made to connect young people with opportunities.

He particularly commended the award of five fully funded scholarships to study in the United States to five Enugu youths, describing the gesture, sponsored by friends of Peter Eze in the diaspora, as potentially life-changing.

«“Five lives. Five families. Five young people whose possibilities may be completely different because somebody created a connection. That is what opportunity looks like. It is no longer an idea. It has a face,” Mbah said.»

The governor acknowledged the importance of federal character in ensuring equitable representation in recruitment and appointments but stressed that access to opportunities was equally crucial.

«“A quota tells you what you are entitled to. Access shows you what is possible,” he stated.»

Mbah cited recent opportunities that have enabled young people from the South-East to participate in technical and skills-development programmes in China, noting that their return with new knowledge and expertise could stimulate enterprise, employment and innovation in the region.

He said initiatives under the Peter Eze Youth Connect programme, including connecting young farmers to international markets, providing career and résumé guidance, and creating entrepreneurial networks, demonstrated how representation could go beyond putting names on lists to actually transforming lives.

According to him, the Enugu State Government considers its people its greatest asset and would continue to invest in education, skills, innovation and global competitiveness.

«“Our greatest long-term investment must therefore be in people, who are educated, skilled, innovative, productive and globally competitive.»

«“We want an Enugu where a young person can say, ‘I can build my future here, and from here I can reach the world.’”»

The governor also called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and international partners, with young people placed at the centre of development initiatives.

He commended Peter Eze for using her platform to create access and build bridges for young people, while also acknowledging President Bola Tinubu for providing a national framework through which citizens and states could connect with opportunities within and outside Nigeria.

Mbah pointed to some of the collaborations already taking shape in Enugu, including the concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, which he said would strengthen connectivity for farmers, exporters, businesses and professionals.

He also highlighted the partnership between the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Enugu State Government to transform the Federal Government’s Digital Industrial Park into an Enugu Talent City and Artificial Intelligence Institute.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran, declared that Federal Government employment opportunities were open to all qualified Nigerians and warned that such jobs were not for sale.

She said the commission would not allow any government agency to deny a state its fair share of employment opportunities, urging young Nigerians to apply for vacancies whenever they were advertised rather than assume that recruitment outcomes had already been predetermined.

Earlier, the convener of the programme, Mr. Peter Eze, urged youths to reject the belief that Federal Government jobs were already shared before vacancies were advertised.

Eze encouraged young people to prepare themselves, apply for genuine opportunities and report anyone demanding money or gratification in exchange for government employment.

The programme brought together thousands of young farmers, entrepreneurs, graduates, career professionals and development partners, reinforcing the message that when government institutions, the private sector and development partners deliberately create pathways to opportunity, Nigerian youths are positioned to become the ultimate beneficiaries.