Irked by the continued importation of fuel into Nigeria despite the operation of local refineries, a coalition of civil society and oil sector groups has announced a three-day peaceful protest.

The development was made known, in a statement was jointly signed by the trio of Comrade Adebayo Ogunseye for the Nigeria Civil Society Organisations Situation Room; Engr. Musa Ibrahim Danjuma for the Oil and Gas Workers Advancement Network; and Barrister Kingsley Chinedu Okafor for the National Coalition of Oil Assets Protection and Development, noting that the nationwide mobilisation became necessary following the disturbing and unpatriotic continuation of fuel import licences despite the existence and full operation of the world class Dangote Refinery and other local refining capacities in Nigeria.

The groups disclosed that the protest, tagged Occupy NNPCL, NMDPRA and National Assembly, will hold from Monday, May 18 to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and the National Assembly of Nigeria in Abuja.

They emphasized that the action was prompted by the continued issuance of fuel import licences despite the availability of local refining capacity, including the Dangote Refinery.

“This nationwide mobilisation has become necessary following the disturbing continuation of fuel import licences despite the existence and full operation of local refining capacity in Nigeria,” the statement said.

The groups also referenced reports that the Dangote Refinery has instituted fresh legal action challenging the renewal of import licences by industry regulators, arguing that such approvals undermine local refining and violate existing laws.
They accused unnamed interests of frustrating Nigeria’s drive for energy security, job creation and economic independence.

“It is unacceptable that Nigeria still spends enormous resources importing refined petroleum products while local investors face institutional bottlenecks,” the statement said.

The coalition listed six demands, including the immediate suspension of fuel import licences where domestic production capacity exists, public disclosure of licence holders, and a National Assembly investigation into alleged sabotage in the downstream petroleum sector.
They also called for a clear national policy mandating the use of locally refined petroleum products before import approvals are considered.

They stressed that the protest is not directed at the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but at what they described as entrenched interests within the petroleum sector.

“This protest is not against the administration. Some vested interests within the system are undermining the President’s vision for economic recovery and industrial growth,” the groups said.

The statement urged labour unions, youth groups, market associations and other stakeholders to participate in the rally.
“Nigeria must refine what it consumes and protect its economic sovereignty,” the coalition declared.

Chief Ambassador Eka Dickson A’adu, the Chief Executive Officer of Ekason Groups of Companies — a reputable conglomerate with diverse interests spanning commerce, real estate, trade, and community development — and a distinguished community leader of Benue State extraction, has risen with a heart full of gratitude and admiration to celebrate His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State, as he marks his 60th birthday — a golden milestone in the life of a man who has become synonymous with transformation, courage, and servant leadership. Chief Amb. Eka, a man who has long held the conviction that a governor who builds roads builds futures and a leader who bridges divides builds a people, found in Governor Alia the living proof of that conviction — a builder and a bridge-maker in the truest and most literal sense of both words.
In a heartfelt tribute made available to this publication, Chief Amb. Eka described Governor Alia as a rare breed of leader — one whose footprints are not found in the pages of press releases alone, but etched permanently in the concrete of roads, the steel of bridges, and the grateful hearts of millions of Benue people who can today travel with dignity, conduct business with ease, and look upon their state capital with well-deserved pride.
When Governor Alia assumed office on the 29th of May, 2023, the streets of Makurdi told a tale of neglect — potholed, waterlogged, and weary. Yet with the single-minded focus of a man on a divine assignment, he wasted no time. He simultaneously flagged off the construction of sixteen township roads within the Makurdi metropolis, a feat that stunned critics into silence and set the tone for what was to become a legacy of unparalleled infrastructure renewal. That number has since grown to over fifty road projects cascading across Benue State like arteries of progress — connecting communities, opening markets, and restoring the dignity of a people who had long navigated the indignity of impossible terrain. As a businessman whose operations span multiple sectors and who travels regularly across the length and breadth of the state, Chief Amb. Eka affirmed with firsthand authority that the roads now being laid in Makurdi, Gboko, and beyond are a testament to a governor who truly means business.
Beyond the roads themselves, Chief Amb. Eka was emphatic that the construction of modern underpasses and overhead bridges in both Makurdi and Gboko represents the boldest expression yet of Governor Alia’s transformative vision. The flyover at the High-Level roundabout in Makurdi and the underpass at Gyado Junction in Gboko were not merely engineering projects — they were declarations. They declared that Benue State had arrived on the map of modern infrastructure, that its cities deserved the same dignity afforded to any other state capital in the federation, and that the era of traffic gridlock strangling commerce and daily life was firmly over. For a state that had languished in infrastructural stagnation for years, these structures stand as enduring monuments to what becomes possible when leadership is purposeful, courageous, and unafraid to dream big. Every morning that motorists ease through those underpasses and over those bridges, they move through a corridor built from a governor’s sacrifice, commitment, and unyielding love for his people.
Chief Amb. Eka equally praised Governor Alia for understanding that great governance does not stop at the gates of the state capital. The Governor’s administration has pursued an ambitious programme to link virtually all Local Government Area headquarters across Benue State to Makurdi through quality, durable roads — roads that do not surrender to the first rains but are built to serve generations yet unborn. Of particular note, and one that Chief Amb. Eka described as touching his heart most deeply, is the ongoing reconstruction of the Oju-Awajir road. This vital corridor, which had for years condemned the people of Oju and surrounding communities to near-isolation, is being transformed into a modern thoroughfare worthy of the industrious people it serves. Its completion, he noted, will not only ease the movement of goods and persons but will unlock the enormous agricultural and economic potential of those communities, weaving them permanently into the fabric of Benue’s development story. “This,” he declared, “is governance with a conscience.”
To understand Governor Alia the builder, Chief Amb. Eka noted, one must first appreciate Governor Alia the man. Born on the 15th of May, 1966, in the quiet hills of Mbangur, Mbadede in Vandeikya Local Government Area, and educated across some of the finest institutions in Nigeria and the United States of America — including a Master’s degree in Religious Education from Fordham University, Bronx, New York, and a Master’s in Biomedical Ethics from Duquesne University, Pennsylvania — Governor Alia is a leader shaped by intellectual rigour, spiritual discipline, and a lifetime of humanitarian service. He did not arrive at Government House as a career politician seeking personal comfort. He arrived as a servant leader carrying the full and solemn weight of a people’s hope. His inaugural declaration — “You were waiting for Hope” — was not political theatre. It was a covenant. And on this, his 60th birthday, that covenant is being honoured visibly and verifiably on every newly tarred road, every standing bridge, and in every community now within reach of Makurdi and of opportunity.
Chief Amb. Eka Dickson A’adu himself is no stranger to the weight of responsibility and the demands of leadership. Hailing from a family with deep roots in the commercial and philanthropic life of Benue State, he has built Ekason Groups of Companies into a reputable institution serving the people of the state and beyond across multiple sectors. His business philosophy has always been anchored on one conviction: when the land prospers, its people prosper, and when its people prosper, enterprise thrives. It is from this vantage point — as a businessman, a community leader, and a proud Benue son — that he stands to celebrate Governor Alia, affirming that the Governor’s developmental strides have not only transformed the state’s infrastructure but have improved the business climate, reduced logistics costs, and opened fresh corridors of opportunity for entrepreneurs, traders, farmers, and small business owners across Benue State.
In his own words, Chief Amb. Eka closed with a solemn, public, and unequivocal pledge:
“Your Excellency, on this milestone birthday, I make this pledge publicly and unequivocally: I stand fully behind you. I pledge my unwavering support — moral, social, and material — for your re-election bid in 2027. Benue State cannot afford to interrupt a journey that has only just found its stride. The roads you are building must be completed. The bridges you have raised must be maintained. The vision you carry must be seen to its fullest fruition. May God Almighty grant you many more years of health, wisdom, and the strength to serve. Happy 60th Birthday, Your Excellency. The Heart of the Nation beats proudly because of you.”
— Chief Amb. Eka Dickson A’adu
Chief Executive Officer, Ekason Groups of Companies
Community Leader & Philanthropist, Benue State

The League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria (LOLPON) has defended former Minister of Petroleum Resource, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduke who is facing prosecution at UK court, saying nothing has been proven against her as the burden of proof has not been discharged. She was a minister during the reign of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

According the speech titled ‘A legal examination of the trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke and the imperative of justice under Nigerian and United Kingdom law’, delivered by LOLPON at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the essential elements of the alleged offences remain unestablished, because the material contradictions have created overwhelming reasonable doubt, adding that justice must be evidence-based, impartial and must not be presumed.

“We call on the United Kingdom judicial authorities to ensure that this matter is determined strictly in accordance with the law, free from bias, conjecture, or external pressure”.

Speaking further, the group said: The League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria (LOLPON) has undertaken a comprehensive legal review of the ongoing trial of Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, currently before a United Kingdom court.

“Our position is strictly legal, objective, and grounded in established principles of law.

“After a careful and dispassionate review of the facts available in the public domain, we state clearly and unequivocally that nothing has been proven against the Defendant. Allegations remain allegations. In law, they do not translate to guilt until proven beyond reasonable doubt. That threshold, as it stands today, has not been met”.

The group said under the Human Rights Act 1998 and Article 6(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights, every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that this is not symbolic, binding. It said the Defendant has consistently denied all allegations, and the burden lies entirely on the prosecution, and at this stage, that burden has not been discharged.

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“Failure to establish the elements of bribery under the UK Bribery Act 2010, a conviction requires clear proof of a financial or material advantage, a direct link to improper conduct, a clear intention to influence official decisions.

“However, critical gaps remain alleged bribe payers have denied making any payments, there is no conclusive linkage between alleged benefits and contract awards, no direct evidence of corrupt intent has been established, and this leaves the prosecution’s case legally fragile”, the group alleged.

Speaking further, the group said that both Nigerian and UK law require proof of the act and the intention.

“There is no conclusive evidence that the Defendant demanded, received, or intended to receive bribes in exchange for official actions. Without these, criminal liability cannot arise”.

It said, under Nigerian procurement practices and administrative culture, contract awards are institutional, not personal as so ministers do not act in isolation; stakeholder interactions between contractors and government officials are not unusual within regulated boundaries.

“It is also important to state that in certain operational contexts, contractors often provide logistical support within the framework of ongoing engagements. Such interactions, in themselves, do not automatically constitute criminal conduct under Nigerian law unless tied directly to proven corrupt intent”, the group added.