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Dangote refinery begins production of petrol

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The facility to begin sale immediately

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery has concluded the test production of petroleum and will begin sale immediately.

KANO FOCUS reports that this will bring much needed relief to Nigerians currently experiencing excruciation petrol scarcity in towns and cities across the country.

It was gathered that all the parameters for certifying the suitability of any refining asset have been satisfactorily ticked by the superstructure owned by Africa’s richest person, Mr Aliko Dangote.

The country despite spending billions of dollars on turnaround maintenance of its four official refineries for over two decades has been unable to get them to work.

Nigeria which consumes about 66 million litres of petrol daily on the average, currently spends a huge chunk of its budget, exceeding $10 billion by some estimates on the importation of the road fuel every year.

The development is expected to save the country several billions of dollars in foreign exchange as well as enhance the local availability of the critical fuel heavily used by businesses and homes.

In the same vein, Africa’s largest oil refining facility, is on the brink of producing significant volumes of petrol and the fuel could be made available as early as this week, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

Describing it as a landmark moment with the potential to transform the global market for the fuel, the report quoting two sources, stated that that product testing has started in earnest.

The giant new facility near the commercial hub of Lagos is on the verge of producing large amounts of the fuel and will be able to process 650,000 barrels a day of oil when at full capacity, turning more than half of that into petrol.

The ramp up is likely to be welcomed within the country, given that the state oil company — Nigeria’s main importer of fuel — said its ability to supply gasoline is being disrupted by debt and rising prices, Bloomberg stressed.

Dangote’s production is expected to impact billions of dollars of trade in fuel markets regionally and beyond as Nigeria remains a global demand sink for the fuel, receiving almost 250,000 barrels a day in shipments last year, mostly from Europe, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa Ltd.

Key to the plant’s petrol output is a unit called a reformer, which produces blendstock for the road fuel. That has started operating, with petrol production expected to begin by the end of the week, one of the people told the international news agency. Another said petrol would be rolled out this week.

At full rates, the refinery is expected to be able to produce about 330,000 barrels a day of petrol, according to Randy Hurburun, senior refinery analyst at consultancy Energy Aspects Ltd. That’s more than 1 per cent of global demand for the road fuel, which is about 27 million barrels a day.

Still, those volumes are a long way off, with Energy Aspects forecasting about 90,000 barrels a day of production in the fourth quarter, increasing to almost 250,000 in the second half of next year. Key to raising output further is another unit called a residue fluid catalytic cracker.

The refinery has been gradually ramping up after years of delays. The plant’s owner, Aliko Dangote, said in July the plant was aiming to start petrol production from August.

In response to questions about the various steps involved in ramping up gasoline output, a spokesman for Dangote told Bloomberg “we are on track”.

In the same vein, a Reuters report said on Monday that the refinery had begun processing petrol after delays caused by recent crude shortages, quoting an executive of the company.

The $20 billion refinery began operations in January with output of products including naphtha and jet fuel. The refinery promises to ease oil producer Nigeria’s costly reliance on imported oil products.

“We are testing the product (petrol) and subsequently it will start flowing into the product tanks,” said Devakumar Edwin, a vice president at Dangote Industries Limited. He did not however say exactly when the petrol would hit the local market.

Edwin said state-oil firm, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Nigeria’s sole importer of petrol, would buy the product exclusively.

“If no one is buying it, we will export it as we have been exporting our aviation jet fuel and diesel,” Edwin said.

The delivery of petrol into the Nigerian market will ease NNPC’s struggle to supply the local market. The company is reeling with debts of $6 billion to oil traders for supply since January, Reuters reported.

This has affected its ability to supply the local market where fuel queues have persisted since July.

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UNICEF asks Kano Govt to declare state of emergency on polio, routine immunisation

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Mr Michael Banda

 

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Kano State Government to declare a state of emergency on polio and routine immunisation due to the resurgence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) in the state.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that with18 polio cases recorded across nine states, including three in Kano, UNICEF Acting Chief of Field Office, Michael Banda, emphasized the need for urgent action. “Polio knows no boundaries. An outbreak anywhere threatens children everywhere,” he said.

 

Senior Education Manager and Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Michael Banda, made the revelation during a media dialogue on polio and routine immunization in Kano.

Mr Michael Banda

According to Banda, Kano accounted for three cases uncovered in Warawa, Nasarawa, and Bunkure local government areas of the state, amid zero immunization and misconceptions against the deadly infection.

 

cVDPV refers to a type of poliovirus that arises from the oral polio vaccine (OPV), used in the prevention of polio.

 

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), on rare occasions, the weakened virus in the OPV can mutate and begin to circulate within a community, causing infections and potentially paralysis, similar to wild poliovirus.

 

Although Banda reminded that polio has been the leading cause of paralysis and death among children, he affirmed the disease is on the brink of eradication with vaccination of 3 billion children globally in the last 37 years.

 

The UNICEF boss, however, worried that the fight against polio is not over in some countries, including in Nigeria, because of low vaccination rates, thereby paving the way for polio outbreaks.

 

Banda explained that there is a collaboration with the Kano State Government through the Primary Health Care Management Board to broaden public knowledge on the potency of the vaccination.

 

He added that the media dialogue was targeted to solicit media support in raising awareness and mobilizing parents on the polio vaccination campaign in Kano ahead of World Immunization Week, beginning from 24th and 30th April 2025.

 

On her part, representative of Kano state Primary Healthcare Management Board, Hajiya Saadatu Ibrahim, identified challenges of hard-to-reach settlements, missing houses, zero-dose vaccination, and poor healthcare workers as major setbacks.

Hajiya Saadatu Ibrahim,

She reassured that the government has a renewed strategy to overcome the challenges, including a new method of recruiting immunization workers and the involvement of external supervisors

 

She said Kano State Government will immunize 4.1 million under five children.

 

A polio vaccination campaign is scheduled for April 24-30, 2025, coinciding with World Immunization Week. UNICEF is collaborating with the state government to raise awareness and mobilise parents.

 

 

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AGILE partners ICEADA in promoting girls education in 6 Kano LGAs

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Aminu Abdullahi

 

The ICEADA AGILE partnership, aimed at promoting girls’ education at the grassroots level, has organized an Activity Feedback Workshop and Quarterly Meeting to assess the successes and challenges of the project across six local government areas in Kano State.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the local governments areas include: Bebeji, Kiru, Karaye, Madobi, Rogo, and Warawa.

Prof M. B Shittu presenting IEC materials to Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Speaking at the event, Prof. M.B. Shitu, Team Leader and Project Manager, explained that the project was designed to engage key stakeholders in the selected local government areas to sensitize communities on the importance of enrolling girls in school.

Cross section of ICEADA/AGILE mentors

He noted that participants of the workshop are Community Engagement Mentors selected from the six local governments.

 

“Their role is to engage directly with community members to promote girls’ enrollment in schools,” he said.

 

“Part of their responsibility is to carry out sensitization and mobilization campaigns within their communities. Our main concern is increasing the enrollment and retention of girls in secondary education. That’s why we introduced the Community Engagement Mentors—to collaborate with parents and local organizations in support of girls’ education,” Prof. Shitu added.

Cross section of ICEADA/AGILE mentors

He also revealed that the project has recorded significant progress across the six LGAs, although a few challenges still persist and are currently being addressed.

 

“One of the aims of this workshop is to review the activities carried out in the last quarter and set new community goals to strengthen our campaign. We’ve also launched house-to-house awareness campaigns to tackle the issues affecting girls’ education in these communities,” he stated.

 

Participants expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress. Lami Idris, a Community Mentor from Karaye LGA, shared her experience.

 

“We are going from house to house to educate people on the benefits of girls’ education. One of the major challenges we face is the lack of schools in some villages. Some girls have to walk long distances to reach school,” she said.

Review meeting in session

Abdullahi Balarabe Kiru, Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kiru LGA, reported that data collected from the area showed over 40 girls are currently out of school. He affirmed that efforts are ongoing to address the issue.

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim presenting IEC materials to community mentors

In his remarks, Malam Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim, Communication Officer of the AGILE Project, disclosed that 130 new schools will be constructed in Kano State to tackle the problem of out-of-school children.

 

He also highlighted insecurity and the destruction of school infrastructure as major challenges facing the education sector.

 

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Governor Yusuf Distributes 10,000 Free JAMB Forms to Secondary Students

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The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has inaugurated the distribution of 10,000 free JAMB forms to Kano secondary school students.

During the flag-off of the distribution, the Governor, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Education, Ali Haruna Makoda, also used the opportunity to inaugurate the training of the 10,000 beneficiaries on the use of computer-based tests at various designated centers across Kano State.

On his part, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Education, Alhaji Tajuddin Gambo, said the Governor has promised to provide transport for the beneficiaries throughout the training session and urged them to ensure they pass the examination.

He said the government is willing to select the best schools for the beneficiaries if they pass the examinations.

One of the beneficiaries of the 10,000 free JAMB forms, Fatima Mukhtar Umar, expressed gratitude to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for issuing the free JAMB forms and promised not to disappoint.

In a statement by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s Special Adviser on Information, Ibrahim Adam, it was noted that the Governor used the opportunity to elaborate on the feats achieved by his government in developing the education sector in the last 22 months. These include the re-introduction of foreign and domestic scholarships, re-opening of 21 skills acquisition institutes, general renovation of primary and secondary schools, construction of new classrooms, provision of classroom furniture and writing materials, and the distribution of free uniforms to primary school pupils.

Other achievements, according to the Governor’s Special Adviser on Information, Ibrahim Adam, include the reduction of 50% of registration fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, cash conditional transfers to support girl-child education, and the settlement of registration fees for NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS, to mention but a few.

Ibrahim Adam said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf urged all the beneficiary students to make the best use of the opportunity and strive for excellence in their academic pursuits, saying that the future belongs to those who work tirelessly to turn dreams into realities.

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