The late Mrs Catherine Orji

By Iheonukara Okpara

Mrs Catherine Orji, nee Umenwa, the mother of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chy-Jenco Nigeria Limited, Chief Jude Orji, is dead.

The late Mrs Catherine Orji was reported to have died in her sleep at her country home in Obinagu, Urueze, Ekwulumili in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State on Friday 18 August 2026, after prolonged illness.

A devoted Catholic and a women leader, the late Mrs Catherine Orji, was a hardworking woman that broke her back to see that her children got the best of life.

According to a family source, late Ezenne Catherine Orji was philanthropist and a builder of future generations of young women who went through her guiding tutulage in their quest to have a wonderful family of their own.

” Mama Agatha was a mother and good inspirator of no match. We are profoundly grateful to her for the moral and motherly care she bestowed on some of us that passed through her life-changing guidance, ” one of the women who was part of those she impacted, told our reporter amidst tears.

A source in the family told our Reporter that plans are already in motion to give her a befitting burial on a date yet to be announced by her family..

In Abuja, where her first son, Chief Jude Orji, ( Osisikangwu Ekwulumili) lives, we gathered that, his home at Life Camp, has become a Mecca of sorts, as people from all walks of life are daily trooping in to pay their condolences.

The late Mrs Catherine Orji is survived by her children, grandchildren and other relatives.

*** Clarifies position on proposal to restore petrol subsidy

By Chidera Orji

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of applying a double standard in its petrol subsidy policy, alleging that petroleum companies receive generous fiscal incentives while ordinary Nigerians continue to bear the burden of rising fuel prices.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, made the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

He questioned the government’s decision to abolish petrol subsidies while continuing to offer tax credits, concessions and other incentives to investors in the oil and gas sector.

According to Atiku, Nigerians were told that removing the subsidy was necessary to reform the economy, but the government allegedly takes a different approach when dealing with major oil investors.

“Nigerians were told there was no alternative and that enduring this pain was the necessary price of economic reform. But when major oil investors knock on Tinubu’s door, the sermon changes,” he said.

Atiku specifically cited the Federal Government’s deep offshore oil and gas incentives framework, which he said provides eligible projects with production tax credits of between $3 and $4.50 per barrel, with additional incentives capable of taking the total benefit to as much as $11.50 per barrel under certain conditions.

He therefore questioned why government intervention was considered undesirable when aimed at helping consumers but acceptable when it benefits investors.

“So, what exactly is Tinubu’s objection: government intervention itself, or government intervention for Nigerians?” Atiku asked.

Atiku Questions ‘Subsidy-Free’ Claim
The former vice-president also challenged the Federal Government’s claim that petrol subsidy had been completely eliminated.

He referred to the audited accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which, according to him, recorded about N4.84 trillion in energy-security expenses and related shortfalls in 2023 and approximately N7.13 trillion in 2024.

Atiku said NNPCL had attributed part of the expenditure to the gap between the exchange rate used to determine the regulated PMS ex-coastal price and the prevailing exchange rate when import obligations were settled.

He questioned why such huge public funds were still being spent to bridge pricing gaps if Nigerians were already paying market-driven petrol prices.

“So, where exactly did the subsidy go?” Atiku asked, arguing that changing the terminology to “under-recovery”, “shortfall” or “energy security” did not change the fact that public resources were being used to cover the difference between the economic cost of petrol and its selling price.

‘We’re Not Returning to the Old Subsidy Regime’

Atiku also clarified his position on his proposal to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

He said his proposed intervention would not amount to a return to the previous open-ended and opaque subsidy system.

Instead, he said his administration would introduce a targeted and capped programme that would be transparently budgeted and independently audited, while linking the intervention to increased domestic production.

He also proposed measures aimed at expanding refining capacity, promoting competition and improving the purchasing power of households.

“You cannot subsidise capital and criminalise relief for citizens. You cannot offer cushions upstairs and call suffering downstairs reform,” Atiku said.

The ADC candidate further called for greater transparency surrounding tax credits, remissions and other incentives granted to petroleum companies.

He demanded disclosure of the beneficiaries of such incentives, the amount of government revenue forgone and the investments delivered in return.

Atiku also argued that Nigerian investors should have equal and transparent access to similar incentives.

He maintained that the success of economic reforms should ultimately be judged by whether they improve the living standards of Nigerians rather than by the level of hardship citizens are forced to endure.

His comments come days after he said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

President Bola Tinubu has, however, criticised Atiku’s position, describing the former vice-president as “ignorant of governance and the economy.”

Peter Obi

By Chidera Orji

The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has reiterated his support for the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that alleged mismanagement of the proceeds from the policy should not be used as justification for its reversal.

Obi made his position known on Monday while speaking at a conference organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The former Anambra State governor said the removal of petrol subsidy, in itself, was not necessarily the problem, stressing that the major concern was how the resources and savings generated from the policy were being managed by the government.

According to Obi, returning to the subsidy regime would amount to addressing the wrong problem, rather than tackling the alleged mismanagement and lack of accountability surrounding the funds saved from the policy.

He maintained that government must ensure that resources freed from subsidy removal are transparently managed and channelled into productive sectors of the economy, including infrastructure, education, healthcare and other areas capable of improving the welfare of Nigerians.

Obi’s latest comments come amid continued debate over the economic consequences of the petrol subsidy removal, which has contributed to higher fuel prices and increased the cost of transportation and other essential goods and services.

The Federal Government has consistently defended the decision to remove the subsidy, arguing that the policy was fiscally unsustainable and that the resources previously spent on subsidising petrol could be redirected to development projects and social interventions.

However, critics have continued to demand greater transparency over the savings from subsidy removal, particularly as Nigerians grapple with the rising cost of living.

Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has increasingly focused his political messaging on economic management, accountability, production and prudent use of public resources ahead of the 2027 general elections.

His latest position therefore places emphasis not on restoring the subsidy regime, but on ensuring that the government properly manages the funds generated from its removal and delivers tangible economic benefits to Nigerians.