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Rising Subsidy Will Stop States From Paying Salaries – Governors

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The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, an umbrella body for the 36 governors of the federation across party lines, has lamented that the subsidy on petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), has placed a huge financial burden on the states.

The NGF, made this known in a memo forwarded to the House of Representatives.

The memo is in response to the call for memoranda by the House’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Volume of Fuel Consumed Daily in Nigeria, which is investigating the actual amount of PMS the country consumes daily.

The memo, which was signed by the Head, Legislative Liaison, Peace and Security, NGF, Fatima Usman Katsina, for Chairman of the Forum, was titled ‘Findings on the Volume of Fuel Consumed Daily in Nigeria,’ dated July 1, 2022, and addressed to committee’s Chairman, Abdulkadir Abdullahi.

The governors referred the House to a November 2021 report by its National Executive Council’s ad hoc committee interfacing with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation on the appropriate pricing of PMS in Nigeria, which was chaired by Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, and had governors of Edo, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, and Ekiti, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Accountant-General of the Federation, Group Managing Director of the NNPC and the Permanent Secretary, MBNP.

The memo partly read, “Although the operating environment has significantly worsened since the report was released, with NNPC now consistently reporting zero remittance to the Federation Accountant as profit from joint venture, production sharing contract, and miscellaneous operations, the position of the forum remains generally the same.”

The NGF recalled how the report noted that the “federation (FAAC) net oil & gas revenues have been declining since 2019 and are projected to decline significantly in 2022 by between N3bn and up to N4.4bn unless action is taken now.” The memo read, “The following are some of the major findings relating to the volume of fuel consumed in the country:

“Remittances to the Federation Account Allocation Committee have continued to shrink as NNPC recovers shortfall quite arbitrarily from the Federation’s crude oil sales revenue. FAAC deductions for PMS subsidy are above 2019 levels, even without adjusting for the reduced purchasing power of the naira due to inflation and FX rate deterioration.

“An analysis of the average monthly PMS consumption by states showed that a third of the country accounts for over 65 percent consumption of PMS. The analysis showed that the following States of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Abuja, Delta, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Adamawa accounted for 65 percent of PMS consumption in the country. Most states with high PMS consumption either have borders with neighboring countries or are in close proximity, this has been an avenue for smugglers to benefit from profitable arbitrage opportunities in PMS pricing.

“Households directly consume only about 25 percent of the PMS that is consumed nationally, with the remaining three-quarters being consumed by firms, MDAs, transport operators or smuggled to neighboring countries where the PMS price is nearly three times what it is in Nigeria; and of the PMS consumed by households, the richest 40 percent of households account for over three-quarters of the PMS purchased by households, while the poorest 40 percent of households purchased less than 3 percent of all PMS sold in Nigeria.

“In the current fiscal regime, remittances to FAAC would continue to shrink as NNPC recovers this shortfall from the Federation as a result of crude oil price recovery. The report recommended a PMS pricing structure that addresses regional arbitrage and smuggling of PMS and provides additional revenue to the Federation Account. There is a significant market opportunity for additional export revenue streams for Nigeria to be had given the price parity with our neighboring countries.

“Privatisation of the three government refineries as is, or after their full rehabilitation if affordable and viable, and expediting the licensing procedure for modular refineries will reduce the recurring government expenditure on refinery maintenance and increase the country’s refining capacity.”

The governors also noted that there were also economic risks highlighted in the report. “Fiscal pressures are threatening Nigeria’s recovery, as rising prices continue to push millions into poverty,” they stated.

The memo further read, “Rising prices are pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty. Rising inflation between 2020 and 2021 is expected to have pushed an additional 5-6 million Nigerians into poverty. Food insecurity is increasing in both poor and non-poor households, with some adults skipping meals. Because inflation is high, even if it remains stable, it will continue to push many more Nigerians into poverty.

“Fiscal pressures are growing unsustainably with the PMS subsidy significantly reducing the flow of revenues into the Federation Account. Thirty-five out of 36 states are likely to see transfers from the federation fall (in nominal terms) between 2021 and 2022, with the average decline projected to be about 11 percent. Most states are already experiencing fiscal stress, with 30 out of 36 states recording fiscal deficits in 2020, including Lagos and every oil-producing state except Akwa Ibom.

“With the projected decline in gross distributable federation revenues in 2022, fiscal deficits and debt burdens will grow even larger and faster. This will mean that transfers from the federation will not be enough to cover even salaries, and certainly not recurrent costs, which are growing in nominal terms.

“With the coming into effect of the Petroleum Industry Act, gross oil & gas revenues could be (much) lower than currently projected because of the new fiscal terms and the earmarking of deductible revenues specified in the PIA, and that could reduce net oil & gas revenues even further.”

The NGF stated that greater accountability and transparency around oil and gas revenues “are the only immediate options for easing the pressure on government finances and maximizing socially responsible profit gain.”

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Medical Doctor Remanded For Allegedly Issuing Fake Medical Report To Blogger Just Adetoun

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A medical doctor (name withheld) has been remanded in prison for allegedly issuing a fake medical report to help a popular blogger, Adetoun Onajobi, also known as @justadetoun, evade police arrest.

The Ogun State Police Command has also filed a six-count charge against the blogger, who is currently on the run, following a complaint lodged against her by the state.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN.

According to the statement, Adetoun, an internet personality, has for years been accused of bullying, harassment, and using offensive language against individuals online.

The controversy escalated after boxing champion Anthony Joshua was involved in an accident in Ogun State.

Adetoun allegedly posted videos claiming that there was no ambulance service anywhere in the state and further accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of being in Ghana partying and impregnating women instead of attending to the boxer’s welfare.

Ogungbade described the claims as false, malicious, and misleading, stressing that Ogun State has multiple state-owned and state-supported ambulance services.

He added that the allegations posed a public safety risk by misinforming residents about available healthcare resources.

As a result, the state reported Adetoun to the police for alleged violations of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.

The police reportedly invited her for questioning on January 5, 2026, after issuing a notice on January 2. However, she failed to appear and allegedly went into hiding, despite earlier boasting that she had evidence to substantiate her claims.

Even while in hiding, she reportedly released another video claiming she was ill and unable to honour the police invitation. Subsequently, her lawyer submitted a letter to the police attaching a medical report from a Lagos-based doctor, stating that she was medically indisposed.

Police investigations later revealed that the medical report was fraudulent. The doctor who authored it allegedly confessed that he never met, examined, treated, or revived Adetoun, contrary to the claims in the report.

The doctor has since been arrested, charged, and remanded for fraudulent medical documentation and obstruction of justice, while investigations continue to identify other accomplices. Adetoun remains at large.

Ogungbade questioned why someone who claimed to possess evidence could not present it to law enforcement or publish it publicly, adding that forging medical records raises serious concerns about her credibility.

The statement further alleged that Adetoun had previously bullied a woman sweeping an estate in Lagos and unlawfully filmed and shared images of the woman’s underage child on social media.

 

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Ogun Police Command File Six-Count Cyberbullying Charge Against Activist Just Adetoun

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The Ogun State Police Command has filed a six-count cyberbullying charge against Activist Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Just Adetoun, declaring her evasive after repeatedly failing to honour police invitations.

The charges, now pending before the Abeokuta Division of the Federal High Court, arose from allegations that Onajobi used social media and other internet-enabled platforms to publish what the command described as false accusations against the Ogun State Government and to bully Governor Dapo Abiodun, contrary to the Cybercrimes Act.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, the command said the suspect was invited for questioning on January 2, 2026, but failed to appear.

“On 2nd January, 2026, the Ogun State Police Command invited Adetoun Onajobi for an interview to allow her to respond to allegations arising from her online bullying of the Ogun State Governor,” the statement read.

According to the command, Onajobi, through her lawyer, claimed she was medically indisposed and unable to attend the interview, attaching a medical report allegedly issued by a medical doctor.

“Rather than honour the police invitation, the suspect, through her lawyer, wrote to the Police claiming she was medically indisposed and unable to attend the meeting,” the statement said.

However, the command said investigations later showed that the medical report was false.

“Discreet investigations by the Police confirmed the falsity of the claims contained in the medical report,” the statement noted.

Babaseyi said the doctor who issued the report was arrested and admitted that the document was fabricated at the suspect’s instruction.

“The doctor subsequently admitted that the entire medical report was a ruse, crafted at the direction of the suspect, Adetoun Onajobi, during a phone conversation between them,” the statement stated.

Following the admission, the doctor was arraigned before a magistrates’ court in the state.

“Consequent upon this revelation, the doctor was arraigned before an Ogun State Magistrates’ Court for conspiracy, uttering a false document, and obstructing the course of justice,” the statement added.

Babaseyi said Onajobi has since avoided all efforts to reach her.

“The suspect, Adetoun Onajobi, has remained evasive and has rebuffed every invitation extended to her by the Police. Her current whereabouts are unknown,” he said.

The spokesperson said the command would exhaust all lawful means to ensure she is brought before the court.

“Having reneged on her prior undertaking to honour police invitations, the Command will exhaust all lawful means to apprehend and produce her before the Court to answer the charges already filed against her,” the statement read.

The command also stressed that freedom of expression has limits under the law.

“Constitutionally protected activities such as free speech have lawful limits and do not grant immunity from criminal conduct,” the statement said.

It was earlier reported that the command confirmed inviting Onajobi following a petition over a series of videos she posted on her social media platforms criticising Governor Abiodun’s performance in office.

In the videos, the Ogun State-born activist accused the governor of abandoning victims of a road accident involving Nigerian-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, who lost two friends and trainers when their vehicle collided with a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December 2025.

Onajobi alleged that the state government had “no single functional ambulance” and claimed that while emergency medical services were lacking, the governor preferred “spending public funds on parties rather than addressing urgent public needs”.

She also alleged that although the state could not procure a functional ambulance, it was able to purchase SUVs for local government chairmen in December 2025.

The command said investigations were ongoing and that other suspects connected to the alleged dissemination of false information were being trailed.

 

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JUST IN: FCTA, FCDA Workers Begin Strike, Shut Down Offices

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Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority commenced an industrial action on Monday, shutting down government activities across Abuja.

Our correspondent, who visited the FCTA Secretariat at 8:10 a.m., observed a heavy security presence at the entrance, with personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force stationed at the gate. Workers were barred from entering the premises.

The strike is expected to affect all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils and parastatals, effectively grounding official activities within the Federal Capital Territory.

A security personnel who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, “Staff of FCDA, FCTA are not allowed into the office premises because of the strike.”

The action followed an earlier announcement by workers on Friday, in which they declared plans to shut down government offices across the FCT and its area councils.

The decision was taken by the Joint Union Action Congress, which directed workers in all cadres within the FCT to withdraw their services, citing what it described as the authorities’ “failure to address long-standing labour and welfare demands.”

It was gathered that the decision followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCTA management, which the unions said was met with silence despite a series of meetings held during the period.

The ultimatum, which took effect from January 7, 2026, was contained in a statement dated January 8 and signed by the JUAC President, Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Saleh. Copies of the notice were also forwarded to the Minister of State for the FCT, the Chief of Staff, the Head of Service and the Director of Security Services.

According to the unions, unresolved issues include outstanding promotion arrears, stalled promotions and the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries. They also alleged that the administration had failed to remit workers’ pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions.

JUAC also raised concerns over the conduct of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as a failure that reportedly affected most of its candidates.

Details later….

 

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