The Federal Government said on Tuesday that it was prepared to give a completely legal operating licence to the 650,000 barrels per day capacity Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

This was declared at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s Stakeholders’ Consultation Forum on Midstream and Petroleum Host Community Development Trust Regulations in Abuja.

The federal government’s NMDPRA, however, clarified that although it had given the $20 billion refinery a pre-commissioning permit, the Dangote refinery would shortly receive a fully operational licence.

The Dangote refinery was opened by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023. In April of this year, the plant began supplying automotive petrol oil, sometimes known as diesel, to the local market. It has yet to release Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.

Speaking at the forum in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, told industry players and other stakeholders that the authority would issue a fully valid operating licence to the refinery very soon.

Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, pointed out that currently, only three refineries have valid licences.

“We have issued three refineries with three valid licences. We awarded Dangote refinery even in their pre-commissioning and sooner than later they will have full commission and a valid licence to also operate,” he stated.

He also stated that about 15 gas facilities across the country have valid licences, while more are undergoing processing.

The NMDPRA boss said there are 1,199 facilities with valid licences in the downstream, while more than 176 operators hold gas import permits.

Ahmed said 130 depots have valid licences, while 69 hold valid coastal vessel licences, adding that NMDPRA has licenced 9,464 retail outlets as of 10 am on April 30, 2024.

“In the gas processing facility within the midstream, there are about 15 of them with valid licences. And much is under processing.  If you go to the downstream sector, in the gas state of the downstream, more than 1,199 facilities have NMDPRA valid licences.

“More than 176 operators hold gas import permits. On the liquid licencing side of the downstream, there are 130 depots with valid licences and coastal vessels with more than 69 valid licences as of today. And in the retail outlets, we have 9,464 licenced retail outlets as of 10 am today, April 30,” Ahmed stated.

He explained why locations in the midstream and downstream arms of the oil sector were included as part of host communities, stating that emissions and effluence affect them.

Ahmed said the authority organised the forum for stakeholders to ventilate their ideas and propose measures that would further enable the NMDPRA to relate better with host communities in the mid- and downstream arms of the oil sector.

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, says investors are now showing interest in the electricity sector because the federal government increased electricity tariff for Band A customers.

On April 3, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

The commission said customers under the category, who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily, will now pay N225 per kilowatt (kW), starting from April 3, up from N66.

Appearing before the senate committee on power on Monday, Adelabu said the federal government could not afford to pay subsidies on power anymore.

“The government will be needing about 2.8 trillion to subsidise electricity this year, and we look at the government budget itself, we look at the provision for subsidy, we discover and confirm that the government could not afford to pay,” he said.

“This government budget is 28 trillion naira. N2.8 trillion is a subsidy for power separately. It is over 10 percent of the budget, which is not realistic for us to ask the government to pay.

“For this sector to be revived, the government needs to spend nothing less than $10 billion annually in the next 10 years. This is because of the infrastructure requirement for the stability of the sector, but the government cannot afford that.

“And so we must make this sector attractive to investors and to lenders. So for us to attract investors and investment, we must make the sector attractive, and the only way it can be made attractive is that there must be commercial pricing.

“If the value is still at N66 and the government is not paying subsidy, the investors will not come. But now that we have increased the tariff for A Band, there is interest shown by investors.”

Adelabu said more than N1.3 trillion is being owed to generating companies.

“There has not been funding for this subsidy. And this has culminated into each debt yearly now for the operators in the industry, especially the generating companies and the gas supply companies,” he said.

“As of the last estimate, we said 1.3 trillion naira is being owed to the five generating companies, while the legacy debt of the gas supply companies stood at $1.3 billion in 2023.

“The total tariff, the total subsidy for the tariff, was supposed to be N720 billion. The government only funded N400 billion living a total of over 300 billion brought forward to 2024.

“And at the current pricing regime, we estimated that it will retain the tariff at current rates.”

Adelabu added that the high indebtedness is the reason the government removed subsidies on electricity tariff.

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates claims he is collaborating with the federal government (FG) on an identity technology platform to facilitate tax collection.

Gates spoke during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

In a statement, Gates mentioned that technology would facilitate tax collection and improve payment efficiency, according to Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential aide.

“We are working with Mr. Wale Edun, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, on digitisation,” Gates said.

“Before you came into office, there were a few things attempted in identity management. But they have been very scattered. There have been multiple identification systems.

“Now, there is a plan to take that technology called MOSIP and use it for this identification platform so that people can get digital benefits. We are providing support for that, and we can provide more support.

“With MOSIP ID, there is potential application in all government payment programmes.

“It helps with payment efficiency and bank accounts, and eventually, when everyone is using that, it makes tax collection easier.

“That benefit will take a few years. However, there will be more bank accounts, more financial inclusion, and effective government payment programmes.”

Also the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the businessman said Nigeria has the capacity to manage “this system and related-technological systems as the nation brims with talented youths”.

In his remarks, Tinubu said his administration will look into the technology proposed and work on it further.

He said technology is a potent weapon against corruption and financial impropriety in public service.

The president reiterated his unwavering commitment to providing reliable technology that will support a national consumer credit system and many other critical interventions for all Nigerians.

He said resistance is often expected when efforts are made to strengthen systems and forestall malfeasance.

“Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology,” Tinubu said.

“There is always the initial resistance.

“Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit. The nation will receive the benefit.”

Recounting how he deployed technology to enhance the revenue base of Lagos state during his time as governor, Tinubu said his administration must invest in technology, especially as the state aims to achieve a trillion naira revenue target.