Economy
Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai Desperate, Disoriented By Tinubu’s Reforms: APC
Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai Desperate, Disoriented By Tinubu’s Reforms: APC
Amaechi, Atiku, el-Rufai desperate, disoriented by Tinubu’s reforms: APC. The All Progressives Congress (APC) says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ex-minister Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, are united by a desperate desire to return to power for personal gain.
The party said the three politicians, who made critical remarks about President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies during Amaechi’s 60th birthday lecture in Abuja on May 31, are simply “frustrated rent-seekers clinging to a fading political relevance”.
While commenting on the state of the economy, Amaechi, who was the speaker of the Rivers house of assembly between 1999 and 2007 and also the two-term governor of the state from 2007 to 2015, said he is hungry.
“We’re all hungry; all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi had said at the event.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the APC, carpeted the politicians for blaming Tinubu for a problem they also failed to eradicate in almost 25 years their party was in control.
“The APC strongly rejects the baseless allegation that the APC government of President Bola Tinubu was ‘weaponising’ poverty by not eradicating the scourge in two years – a feat they themselves failed to achieve during a quarter of a century in power,” the statement reads.
Morka said the birthday lecture was turned into a “frenzied” gathering of “displaced rent-seekers who misused their time in office and are now disoriented by Tinubu’s reforms”.
“These three individuals have occupied Nigeria’s highest political offices between 1999 and 2023,” he said.
“In all 24 years, the trio, individually or collectively, could not and did not eradicate poverty in their states or the country.
“They did not even attempt to address, let alone tackle, the structural challenges and distortions that stifled the economy and worsened poverty over the years.”
Morka accused them of “mindless rent-seeking, selling national assets to cronies, wasteful spending, and sponsoring state violence”.
Reacting to comments by the former minister of transportation, the APC spokesperson said, “That’s about a quarter of a century of freeloading by Amaechi on state resources, with absolutely no record of attempting to combat poverty in his Rivers state or the country.”
“When Amaechi declared, ‘I am hungry,’ he must mean, and must be understood to mean, that he is hungry and desperate to return to his felt entitled dependency on state resources and patronage.”
Morka added that the former minister’s complaint about “hunger” barely two years out of office “underscores the depth of the self-serving motivations” behind his criticism.
The APC spokesperson said Nigerians can see through what he described as “disruptive politicking” from opposition figures, who are “losing their grip on the economy”.
He noted that Tinubu’s economic reforms have forced a departure from the rent-seeking model, replacing it with one that rewards “hard work, productivity, and innovation”.
Morka also blamed past administrations — especially the 16 years under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — for failing to allow the naira to find its real value.
“The erstwhile, artificially overvalued naira stifled local production, encouraged import dependency, and exacerbated poverty,” he said.
El-Rufai Desperate
“Atiku and Peter Obi, who are now vociferously criticising President Tinubu’s policies, amassed their wealth from the very import-dependent system they are desperately trying to preserve.”
He said Atiku, a former customs officer, and Obi, a successful importer, “reaped enormous benefits from the old system”.
“Their criticisms reek of special interest masqueraded as concern for the people,” he added.
According to Morka, by letting market forces determine the naira’s value, Tinubu is incentivising investment and economic growth.
“In two years, President Tinubu has demonstrated political will to tackle structural barriers to the country’s economic growth and development far more than any other president in Nigeria’s modern history,” he said.
Morka described the president’s critics as “beneficiaries of a corrupt and inefficient economic system” who are unsettled by reforms dismantling “their reckless plunder and exploitation of the economy”.
He said the removal of the fuel subsidy “ended massive corruption”, eliminated fuel queues, and attracted investments to the oil and gas sector.
According to him, the harmonisation of exchange rates has boosted competitiveness and revenue, enabling governments to invest more in infrastructure, health, education and social welfare. He noted that states now pay N70,000 minimum wage, up from N30,000, attributing it to Tinubu’s reforms.
“The president’s reforms are dawning a new day for Nigeria, now witnessing economic transformation never before seen in our country’s history,” Morka said.
“Our trade balances are seeing a drastic improvement, with a sharp decline in imports and a steep rise in exports.”
He said Nigeria recorded 4.6 percent GDP growth in the last quarter of 2024, the highest in a decade, despite the global oil price downturn.
He added that the reforms are laying a foundation for food security, industrialisation and sustainable growth.
He said the administration is focused on long-term prosperity, even if it comes with short-term cost-of-living challenges.
“Mr President is on course and will not be distracted by the selfish partisan rambling of some hardened political opportunists and economic exploiters,” he said.
“The best strategic interest of our economy and the good people of Nigeria must continue to trump any and all political or electoral calculations.”
Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Capacity, Destroys Site With 3 Storage Tanks in Rivers
The Nigerian Navy, through FOB BONNY, has dismantled an illegal refining site discovered in Promise Land Community along Nanabie Creek, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, further denying criminal operators the infrastructure required to process stolen crude oil.
Eereporter.com
The site was discovered on 30 September 2026 following credible intelligence and comprised one large cooking pot and 3 large storage tanks intended for illegal refining activities. On 2 October 2026, the Commanding Officer, FOB BONNY, Captain SMC Umeh, led a team to the location, where the illegal refining site and associated equipment were destroyed in accordance with established regulations.
The intervention represents a further disruption of illegal refining capacity within the Bonny area, particularly by removing infrastructure that could be used to process and store stolen crude oil. It also follows recent operations by FOB BONNY under Operation DELTA SENTINEL that uncovered substantial volumes of suspected stolen crude oil and associated illegal refining infrastructure within its Area of Operations
Oil
The Nigerian Navy has continued to strengthen surveillance and monitoring across the area to prevent the establishment or reactivation of illegal refining sites and deny criminal operators the infrastructure required to sustain crude oil theft and related activities.
ABIODUN FOLORUNSHO
Navy Captain
Director Naval Information
Nigerian Navy
Eereporter.com
NNPC Ltd Offers N66 Fuel Discount Throughout the Nation
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has unveiled a nationwide ₦66 fuel discount promotion for customers using the NNPC Fuel App.
Eereporter.com
In a post obtained from its X handle on Friday, the promotion, which runs from October 1 to 7, is being held across NNPC stations nationwide as part of activities marking the period.
“The ₦66 Discount Promo is ongoing & the excitement is already happening across our stations nationwide!
“All over Nigeria, our customers are getting in on the action & there’s still time for you to benefit!
The promo runs from 1–7 October on the NNPC Fuel App,” the post read.
NNPC said customers across the country have already begun participating in the promotion, with highlights from the first day showing activities at several stations.
“Keep fueling, keep transacting and keep your eyes on our pages,” the post read.
NNPC
NNPC also shared moments from the first day of the promotion and said more pictures and activities from stations across the country would be released.
The company urged customers not to miss the opportunity to participate before the promotion ends on October 7.
The ₦66 discount offer is available through the NNPC Fuel App during the stated promotional period.
Eereporter.com
President Tinubu Tells EFCC: You Have Justified my Confidence in You
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has applauded the efforts and performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country, stressing that it has justified the confidence reposed on it.
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He gave this commendation on Friday, October 2, 2026 in Awka, Anambra State at the commissioning of a new Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. The President pointed out that there are evidential proofs of the success of the Commission in convictions, recoveries and other landmark achievements
Represented by Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker, House of Representatives, Tinubu noted that “supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed on it is well founded. Without mincing words, the evidential proof of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered”
He affirmed that the strides of the Commission are in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
“When we came in three years ago, I highlighted nine major focal areas of my administration. Two of which are reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promotion of good governance. The anti-graft agency compliments this agenda as they are focused on accountability and transparency and appropriate deployment of resources”, he said.
At the commissioning, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede restated the commitment of the Commission to preventive frameworks in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country.
According to him, the Commission will continue its focus on making corrupt practices difficult by blocking avenues through which they may happen.
“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, it will be high on corruption prevention. It will engage government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies and communities. It will educate stakeholders, build relationships and mobilise the people to own the fight against all forms of corrupt practices in the zone”, he said
He assured Nigerians that the EFCC would not relent in the pursuit of its mandate, recalling the achievements of the Commission in the last 34 months and describing them as impressive progress.
“The pursuit of our mandate has been our dominant engagement and in the past few years, we have made impressive progress. Between October 2023 and July 2026, the Commission received 49, 673 petitions, investigated 39, 615 cases, filed 14, 476 cases in court and secured 10, 872 convictions. This gives a conviction-to-filing ratio of 75.1 percent. In the first half of 2026 alone, we recorded 1, 370 convictions from 1, 889 filings. The Commission also recorded recoveries of N1, 233, 612, 040, 411. 11, $684, 478, 457. 32, £373, 905. 78, €9, 343, 803. 66 inn addition to recoveries in other currencies”, he said.
He noted that at the institutional level, the Commission has made radical reforms that have been yielding optimal results as there are consequential improvements in the agency’s processes and procedures, which partly explains the impacts the EFCC has made and will continue to make in all the matrices of law enforcement.
“Reforms that have strengthened the Commission during the period include new guidelines on arrest and bail, a review of sting operations, the establishment of the Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, the Security Department, the Immigration and Visa Section and the Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre”, he said.
While charging Ndi Anambra on whistleblowing, the anti-graft czar said that the Commission has established channels through which members of the public can submit petitions and provide information. He noted that the Commission’s Eagle Eye App allows citizens to provide details of suspected wrongdoing and makes the provision of an informant’s personal details optional. “However, whistleblowing must be responsible and based on facts. It must not become an instrument for settling scores”, he said.
EFCC
He thereafter said that Anambra and Imo States deserve effective and responsive institutional presence as they are renowned for enterprise, innovation, commerce and an extraordinary culture of industry, adding that these legitimate activities must be protected from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, investment fraud, diversion of public resources and other forms of economic and financial crimes. “Therefore, our coming to Awka is beyond geographical expansion. It is about taking the mandate of the EFCC closer to the people and closer to the economic activities we are meant to protect”, he said.
In their remarks, His Excellencies, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State and Senator Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State said that they were pleased with the activities and management of the EFCC under the leadership of Olukoyede. They pledged their support to the Commission as it opened a new Zonal Directorate in their domain.
The commissioning of the new Directorate witnessed massive turn out of distinguished Nigerians, including members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations, community leaders, students, media among others.
Eereporter.com
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