Sports
Group Cautions Alleged Saboteurs of Dangote Refinery, Promises Mass Action if Interference Continues
Joel Ajayi
A coalition of some civil society organizations has issued a seven-day ultimatum on individuals, group or cartel still engaged in any form of campaign of calumny, blackmail, and economic sabotage against the Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s energy independence.
This was made known in Abuja, Tuesday, in a statement issued during a press conference addressed by Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, national president of Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association in Nigeria (BAVCCA) and Husseini Abubakar, national president the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON).
The groups warned the supposed perpetrators of economic sabotage to henceforth cease every form of negative propaganda, false data dissemination, and sponsorship of anti-Dangote Refinery narratives across traditional and social media as well as stop lobbying for the continuation of fuel importation and the suspension or reversal of protective policies for local refineries.
The statement reads: “If, by 12:01 am on Tuesday, 25th November 2025, you have not desisted, we will have no choice but to begin a phased naming and shaming campaign at our national summit scheduled for Saturday 22nd November, 2025. We will release names, photographs, companies, bank records where necessary, and documented evidence of individuals and entities involved no matter how highly placed.
“For those of you hiding inside government circles, know this: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown in words and deeds that he is a President who positively impacts the lives of Nigerians and has zero tolerance for corruption and sabotage. We have already submitted detailed petitions to the Presidency, the EFCC, the ICPC, the DSS, and the National Assembly demanding immediate investigation into this conspiracy. Those found culpable will be removed, prosecuted, and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“The National Summit will hold in Abuja on 22nd November 2025, it is designed to expose the wrath in the oil sector and why petroleum importers wants to strangulate the local refiners, it also seeks strengthen public understanding of the energy sector through data presentations, practical content creation workshops, and an interactive town hall. Its key outputs, including a digital toolkit for creators, the Energy Truth Badge, and a live fact checking app, will equip thousands of online influencers to promote accurate information.
Supported by strong media partnerships and attracting over a million virtual participants, the summit aims to reshape national conversations with verified facts”.
They stated that Dangote Refinery is not Aliko Dangote’s personal property, but a national asset that Nigerians should defend with everything they have, and vowed that through their platforms, voices, protests if necessary, and votes, they would ensure that no cabal succeeds in turning back the clock on Nigeria’s progress.
They made a passionate appeal to President Tinubu to personally intervene through outright ban on fuel importation not just suspension of the 15 percent import duty, direct that only locally refined products be sold in Nigeria as long as local production exceeds demand, set up a special task force to investigate and prosecute economic saboteurs in the downstream sector.
“Fellow Nigerians, the battle for affordable fuel, stable economy, and true independence has entered its final stage. This is not Dangote’s fight alone – it is our fight. We will not relent. We will not surrender. We will win”.
They observed that as of today, the Dangote Refinery is loading and dispatching more than 104 million litres of refined petroleum products daily, over 57 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Jet fuel 20 million litres and 27 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) totaling 104 million litres of petroleum products, saying this volume exceeds Nigeria’s total national daily consumption of approximately 70–75 million litres.
According to them, “In plain language: We have more than enough locally refined fuel for every car, truck, generator, and factory in Nigeria. Fuel importation is no longer a necessity, it is now a choice. And that choice is being made only by those who profit from our collective suffering.
“Furthermore, we must address and debunk recent misleading claims, such as those from Festus Osifo, President of PENGASSAN, suggesting that the refinery’s output meets only about 40% of national needs. This is simply not true.
As of November 2025, the Dangote Refinery’s production is at 100% or more of Nigeria’s requirements, rendering such assertions outdated and inaccurate”, the coalition averred.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
Joel Ajayi
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.
Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.
In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.
The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.
In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.
At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.
According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.
“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.
Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.
He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.
The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.
He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.
“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.
Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.
The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.
According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.
The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.
It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.
The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.
He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.
“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.
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