The Labour Party lawmaker Ozodinobi made the call at the House floor while supporting the motion raised during the House plenary on Wednesday by the House Minority Leader, Kingley Chinda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State.

A House of Representatives member representing Njikoka/Anaocha/Dunukofia Federal Constituency, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi, has called for Nigeria’s exit from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The Labour Party lawmaker Ozodinobi made the call at the House floor while supporting the motion raised during the House plenary on Wednesday by the House Minority Leader, Kingley Chinda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State.

The lawmakers had in the motion called on President Bola Tinubu’s government to reverse the recent hikes in the prices of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol and liquified petroleum gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas.

The lawmaker said it was high time the Nigerian government pushed aside the international standard of selling crude oil.

It urged the government to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery at a reduced foreign exchange rate.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s administration recently approved N70,000 new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers but the current increase in prices of petrol and food items have made the minimum wage meaningless to the extent that N70,000 does not last the earners three days.

Ozodinobi said, “I want to draw the attention of all of us that in the recent past, the federal government gave a minimum wage of N70,000 per month, and just a week or two ago, there was an increase of fuel price.

“I’m telling you from personal experience, my driver, I approved his transport of N3,000 transportation a day, has come up with the bill of N6,000 transportation just to come to work.

“All these things are affecting the entire state of our people. We cannot transport food from our constituencies or our constituents cannot transport their produce from the farm to markets with a much lesser cost.

“The increase of food prices in this country, somebody who is earning N70,000 per month, his N70,000 cannot last him for three days in this country, in the same government, the same policy.

“I want to thank God for the life of Aliko Dangote who has through other investors, come up with a refinery. I want us to pressurise the government, because not all countries that produce petroleum are in OPEC.”

According to him, “We need to review our OPEC policy. We mustn’t be in OPEC because the only thing that will solve this problem of petroleum increase is to use what we have to solve our problem.

“In other words, I’m advocating that the NNPCL (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited), the government should, as a matter of policy, sell the crude oil we produce to Dangote at a reduced foreign exchange because their hands are tied, we will have to review the policies we have with OPEC. We mustn’t be there.

“We have crude oil. Dangote must be given our crude oil at a reduced foreign exchange, not on international standard.”

SaharaReporters had reported that the House of Representatives while calling President Tinubu’s government to reverse the increased fuel and gas prices, emphasised the need for urgent interventions, such as price relief, tax reductions, or subsidies, particularly to alleviate the burden on low-income households.

The lawmakers noted that Nigeria’s dependence on petroleum products and cooking gas as primary energy sources has made the recent price increases unbearable for ordinary Nigerians.

Social activist and former Nigerian lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has knocked the World Bank and the President Bola Tinubu-led government’s economic policies despite its harsh effects on Nigerians.

Sani said that the World Bank only wanted the hardship in Nigeria to extend to the next 15 years before Nigerians could reach the “promised land” of a healthy economic system that would favour Nigerians.

The former lawmaker who questioned how many Nigerians that would remain alive to enjoy the fruit of the World Bank in its promised land of economic boom, questioned how many African countries the World Bank had taken to the said promised land.

Sani in a post on his X account said, “The World Bank wants the hardship to extend to the next fifteen years before we can reach the promise land.

“I don’t know of how many people will be remaining at that time to enjoy the fruits of the WB in its promise land.
“The question is: How many African countries did the World Bank take to the promise land?”

SaharaReporters had reported that despite the rising hardship in Nigeria, the Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Mr. Indermit Gill, urged the President Tinubu-led Nigerian government to press forward with its ongoing economic reforms, despite the significant hardships they are causing for many Nigerians.

Speaking at the opening session of the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES30) in Abuja on Monday, Gill highlighted the importance of sustaining the reforms to pave the way for long-term economic growth.

He commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its efforts in unifying exchange rates, a step seen as crucial for stabilising the economy.

However, Gill acknowledged the tough conditions many Nigerians, especially the poor and vulnerable, are facing due to these changes.

He emphasised the need for the government to provide cost-effective safety nets to protect the most affected.

The minister made this known on Thursday during the commissioning of the Juhi-2 aviation fuel depot at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Nigeria has officially been removed from the global watchlist as its aviation rating rose to 75.5%, according to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.

The minister made this known on Thursday during the commissioning of the Juhi-2 aviation fuel depot at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Keyamo explained that the improvement follows the recent signing of the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction by the Federal Government, which had initially raised Nigeria’s aviation rating from 49% to 70.5%.

“This new status means that Nigeria is no longer on the watchlist, and airlines operating in the country can now access dry lease aircraft without any restrictions,” Keyamo said.

The minister also hinted at a surge in the number of aircraft entering Nigeria’s airspace, which may require Juhi-2 to expand its fuel depot capacity to accommodate the increased demand.

Patience Dappa, Chairman of Juhi 2 Limited, stated during the ceremony that the launch of the Juhi-2 depot is more than the completion of an infrastructure project.

According to him, it reflects the company’s commitment to excellence and innovation in aviation fuel management.

“As the largest airside jet fuel depot in Nigeria, this facility covers 46,000 square meters and holds a significant storage capacity of 15 million litres of Jet A1 fuel,” she noted.

Dappa emphasized that Juhi-2 is not just about its size but represents operational excellence, safety, and reliability. It features advanced filtration systems, a jet fuel discharge system that can load four bowsers at once, a modern laboratory, and top-tier fire prevention systems.

“This strategic asset is designed to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of jet fuel to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), MMA1, MMA2, and nearby airbases,” she said.

In a related development, in September, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) shed light on the reasons behind Nigeria’s reclassification to Category 2 status, which led to the suspension of Nigerian airlines’ operations to the United States.

Captain Chris Najomo, Acting Director General of Civil Aviation, in a statement, clarified that Nigeria’s airlines can only operate flights to the US upon successfully passing the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Programme and achieving Category 1 status, a prerequisite also applicable to other countries.

Najomo said, “The attention of the NCAA has again been drawn to a publication about the purported ban on Nigerian airlines by the United States. Due to the wrong impression such news could create, it has become expedient that we put this report in its proper perspective.

“Upon attaining Category 1, Nigerian airlines would be permitted to operate Nigerian registered aircraft and dry-leased foreign registered aircraft into the United States, in line with the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).”

Najomo provided historical context by revealing that Nigeria initially achieved the coveted Category 1 status in August 2010.

Subsequently, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a follow-up safety evaluation in 2014 to assess Nigeria’s continued adherence to international aviation safety standards.

Furthermore, Najomo noted that an additional safety assessment was undertaken in 2017, resulting in Nigeria’s successful retention of its Category 1 status.

However, he clarified that the US FAA introduced a significant policy change in September 2022, whereby countries previously classified as Category 1 would be de-listed if, after a two-year period, they lacked an indigenous airline operating direct services to the US or partnering with a US-based carrier.

He said, “Also removed from the Category 1 list were countries where the FAA was not providing technical assistance, based on identified areas of non-compliance to international standards for safety oversight.

“No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian registered aircraft within the two years preceding September 2022.”