Nigerian government sues senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over assassination claims

The Nigerian government has pressed charges against a senator who accused one of the country's top politicians of plotting to kill her.

In April, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, and Yahaya Bello, a former state governor, wanted to "eliminate" her. Both have denied the accusation.

Weeks before, Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused the Senate president of sexually harassing her - an allegation he has also denied.

The government has now filed charges with the High Court, saying Akpoti-Uduaghan's assassination allegation defamed Akpabio and Bello.

In the charge sheet, seen by the BBC, Nigeria's attorney general referenced a live interview broadcast by Nigeria's Channels TV last month.

In the interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke of "discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello... to eliminate me".

The attorney general said this statement, and others made in the same broadcast, could harm Bello and Akpabio's reputations.

Akpoti-Uduaghan has not responded publicly to the charges against her and no date has been set for her to appear in court.

The case marks the latest twist in a row that has engrossed Nigeria, raising questions about gender equality in the socially conservative nation.

Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of just four women out of 109 senators.

After accusing Akabio of sexual harassment in February, she was suspended from the Senate for six months without pay.

The Senate's ethics committee said the suspension was for her "unruly and disruptive" behaviour while the Senate was debating her allegations.

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan and her supporters argued that the committee was targeting her because of the allegations she had made against the senate president.

In March, she told the BBC she felt the Senate "operates like a cult". She also said that because her security detail had been removed, she feared for the safety of her two-year-old child.

By Wedaeli Chibelushi & Chukwunaeme Obiejesi, BBC

Related story: Nigerian Senate is run like a cult', suspended MP tells BBC

Nigeria's Dangote refinery agrees to export polypropylene with Vinmar

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals said it will partner with Vinmar Group, an international petrochemicals distribution company, to bring Dangote polypropylene to global markets.

Dangote’s $2 billion Petrochemical Plant in Lagos with 830MT tonnes capacity, began producing polypropylene in March, in 25kg bags for the local market.

"We’re pleased to partner Vinmar to introduce Dangote Polypropylene to the global markets," said Fatima Aliko Dangote, an executive director at Dangote Group at the launch of the facility on Wednesday.

Nigeria currently imports 90% of its annual polypropylene requirements amounting to 250,000 metric tonnes per year. The Dangote facility seeks to not only meet local demand but become a net exporter
Fully operational, the facility is set to become Africa’s largest polypropylene production site, producing from two polypropylene units with capacities of 500,000 mt/year and 330,000 mt/year.

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

Dangote could have made $120b from big tech, but he chose to build for Nigeria

 

The Nigerian government has praised billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote for prioritising national development over potential windfalls from global tech investments, in a tribute that stresses the importance of the $19 billion Dangote Refinery.

Speaking at the opening of the Taraba International Investment Summit 2025 in Jalingo, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Tinubu, stressed that business mogul Aliko Dangote could have chosen to channel his resources into lucrative international companies like Microsoft, Amazon, or Google.

“I want to celebrate the greatest black man in the last 300 years, who single-handedly established the largest single train refinery in the world..."

“He started this project in 2007/2008. If he had invested the $19 billion that it took him to set up the Dangote Refinery in Microsoft, in Amazon, in Google, he is going to be worth $120 billion now,"

“But he decided to invest in his own country. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we are mightily proud of you,” he said.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s economic transformation must start at the grassroots level and be powered by locally sourced resources.

Dangote Refinery

The Dangote Refinery, the largest single-train oil refinery globally and the biggest in Africa, marks Aliko Dangote’s most ambitious project yet. Dangote’s net worth doubled to $28 billion last year following the launch of the Refinery. This milestone not only boosted his wealth from about $13 billion but also solidified his position as Africa’s richest man.

Designed to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the refinery is expected to significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products, a long-standing issue in Africa’s biggest oil-producing nation.

Although delayed for several years, the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest, built by the continent’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, officially began production of diesel, naphtha, and jet fuel in January last year, followed by petrol production in September.

The massive facility surpasses the capacity of Europe’s 10 largest refineries. According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dangote's oil push in Nigeria is already starting to disrupt the European oil market.

Economists suggest that the Dangote refinery could potentially end the long-standing gasoline trade from Europe to Africa, which is valued at $17 billion annually.

By Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa

Related story: Dangote’s fight for Nigeria’s oil future continues as he vows to defeat the cabal

Germany, Nigeria to deepen cooperation in economy, migration

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described Nigeria as a key partner of Berlin in Africa. "We just want to deepen our cooperation," he said after talks with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, on Thursday.

"For both the European Union and Germany, the African continent is the continent of the future," Wadephul added.

There are "an incredible number of opportunities" to expand the economic cooperation with African countries, said the German minister, citing the example of rare earths, abundant in many parts of Africa.

Wadephul said that he wanted to encourage the German private sector to become more involved in Nigeria and used car manufacturer Volkswagen as a positive example of this.

Wadephul also highlighted the issue migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea and heading to Europe, specifically Germany.

"We have with Nigeria an ideal partner to discuss how we can tackle this problem. We agreed to cooperate very closely," he added.

'Nigeria is blessed with critical minerals'

Meanwhile, Tuggar emphasized that Nigeria is already Germany's second largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Nigerian minister held out the prospect of intensifying trade relations, particularly in critical raw materials. "Nigeria is blessed with a lot of critical minerals," he said.

Tuggar also announced closer cooperation in energy sector, including on renewable energies, and labor migration.

With over 220 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. "Projections show that by 2050 we'll have 400 million people," Tuggar said.

"What we are looking to do is not to export people but to export talent," he explained. "That's why we are looking to work with countries like Germany on structured solutions to job creation and to tackling the issues of irregular migration."

German-Nigerian relations

According to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Berlin views Nigeria as a key player in promoting stability and democracy in the broader region, as well as a country with significant economic potential.

In December, German President Steinmeier visited Nigeria with a business delegation. The German-Nigerian Binational Commission, founded in 2011, has working groups in business, energy, politics, culture, and migration. The commission last met in 2021.

New impetus was injected into cultural relations by the return of the first Benin Bronzes to Nigeria by then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in December 2022.

To combat terrorist threats, the German government is training and equipping Nigerian security forces and contributing to transnational stabilization projects.

Energy partnership

Nigeria is Germany's second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified energy cooperation as a key focus area for bilateral economic relations.

The German-Nigerian Energy Partnership, established in 2008, expanded in 2021 in line with the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy with the opening of a hydrogen office in Abuja.

Priorities of development cooperation with Nigeria include sustainable economic development, vocational training, employment, rural development, expanding renewables, and healthcare.

By Dmytro Hubenko, DW

Video - Nigeria considers mandatory voting law

Lawmakers in Nigeria have proposed compulsory voting to tackle low turnout. With over 93 million registered voters, the country leads Africa in numbers, but only 27 percent showed up for the 2023 elections, the lowest turnout since 1999. Critics, however, warn that the bill could punish citizens rather than restore trust in democracy, citing deeper issues of insecurity and electoral distrust.

CGTN