President Bola Tinubu has celebrated his 74th birthday in a low key in line with his tradition of marking the day based on the mood of the country.

In a special birthday message issued on Sunday morning to mark his birthday, the President emphasised that “consistent with my tradition of marking my birthday in line with the mood of the nation, I resolved to observe this year’s birthday low-key.”

Tinubu, while expressing gratitude for the opportunity given him to serve the nation thanked Nigerians for their show of love and prayers on his birthday.

The President assured that his administration will build a brighter future for Nigerians and generations yet unborn.

He also vowed to overcome challenges facing the nation with continued support of the Nigerian people.

The 11-paragraph special birthday message stated as follows:

“My dear fellow Nigerians,

“Today, as I clock another year on the journey of life, I’m filled with joy and gratitude for the opportunity to serve this great nation. I want to take this moment to thank Nigerians for their messages, show of love and prayers on the occasion of my 74th birthday. I thank all our citizens for their patriotism, solidarity and support for our administration.

“To those who have taken space in newspapers or paid for air time on radio and television to wish me well, I thank you immensely.

“I must thank my wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, for her kind and loving words. I also thank Vice President Kashim Shettima for all he said about me.

“Consistent with my tradition of marking my birthday in line with the mood of the nation, I resolved to observe this year’s birthday low-key.

“As I mark this special day, I am reminded of the challenges we’ve faced since we initiated our reforms. I’m glad that our sacrifices have not been in vain, as we can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, despite the temporary setback caused by the ongoing Middle East crisis.

“The credit for the positive outcomes we have achieved does not belong solely to me, our Renewed Hope team, or our government. We achieved the gains together.

“As we march towards the third anniversary of our administration, it is my deepest conviction that we shall succeed in building a brighter future for our citizens and future generations.

“We are determined to confront some of the challenges we face today, and with your continued support, we shall overcome.

“Let us continue to work together to build a stronger, prosperous and more resilient nation that will make Nigeria the pride of Africa.

“Thank you all, and happy 74th birthday to me!”

By Ruth Akpan

The Aristos Band has unveiled an ambitious lineup of projects for 2026, including international tours, a major album release, and the second edition of its flagship concert, “Life of the Party,” scheduled for December 17.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, February 11, 2026, during a media parley held in Lagos, where the band engaged journalists and stakeholders on its growth trajectory and future direction.

Speaking at the event, bandleader and Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Sodeke, said the new vision reflects the group’s commitment to expanding its global footprint and enhancing live music experiences for diverse audiences.

“We are focused on delivering bigger sounds, bigger shows, and bigger celebrations this year,” Sodeke said. “Our next concert will be significantly larger, and we are also working on projects that will connect us more with our fans both locally and internationally.”

Founded in 2006 and officially launched in 2008, Aristos Band has grown into one of Nigeria’s prominent live music groups, known for its dynamic performances across corporate events, weddings, and major social gatherings. The band has also performed internationally, with shows in the United Kingdom and Canada, while plans are underway to tour the United States.

Sodeke attributed the band’s success to its distinctive sound, which blends strong percussion elements with contemporary Nigerian music styles, allowing it to appeal to a wide demographic.
“Our strength lies in our ability to understand our audience and deliver exactly what they want, whether it’s a corporate event or a social celebration,” he said.

The band also highlighted its pioneering role in hosting a live-band concert, “Life of the Party,” which gained widespread recognition and later drew the attention of the All Africa Music Awards.

Addressing challenges faced over the years, Sodeke noted that building and maintaining a live band requires consistency, discipline, and strategic planning, especially in a competitive and evolving entertainment industry. He also referenced the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the band adapted by producing recorded performances that sustained audience engagement.
“We didn’t stop creating music during COVID. That period pushed us to innovate, and it helped us reach even more people,” he said.

On upcoming projects, Sodeke confirmed that the band is currently working on a full album expected to be released in conjunction with its December concert. He added that a series of pre-event activities and tours would precede the show to build anticipation among fans.

The Aristos Band currently operates with a structure of over 35 members, including performers, technical crew, and administrative staff, enabling it to deliver large-scale productions while remaining flexible for smaller events.

Despite economic challenges, Sodeke emphasized that the band remains committed to balancing quality with accessibility.

“We are a premium band, but we also understand the need to be flexible while maintaining our standards,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to fans for their continued support, assuring them of more innovative performances in the year ahead.

By Eric Elezuo

For the umpteenth time in as many days, the Dangote Refinery has adjusted the pump price of its petroleum products, with special considerations to the premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol. This has been the sequence since the America/Israel vs Iran War, which erupted on February 28, 2026; a situation that has called to question the ability of the 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery to sustain the country in times of crisis.

In a statement made available to newsmen, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery reduced its gantry price for petrol to N1,200 per litre and its coastal price to N1,153 per litre, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East that continue to shape global oil markets.

The adjustment however, marks a downward review in the company’s pricing structure, and is expected to influence fuel supply costs across distribution channels, including depots and retail outlets. It is however, a far cry in the original price of less than N900, which has been market value in Nigeria before the Gulf imbroglio.

Global oil prices have remained volatile since the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, which has disrupted crude shipments from the Gulf region.

The disruption has pushed Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel, forcing countries to explore alternatives to ensure energy security.

In Nigeria, the spike in global crude prices has translated into higher domestic fuel costs. Petrol, which sold for about N870 per litre before the escalation, now averages around N1,500 per litre in parts of the country.

The Dangote Refinery has repeatedly adjusted its petrol gantry prices in response to fluctuations in global crude markets, with multiple revisions recorded since the crisis began.

Across major filling stations nationwide, petrol prices have hovered around N1,350 per litre and above, contributing to rising transport costs and broader inflationary pressures.

With the latest reduction by the refinery, Nigerians expect a gradual easing of pump prices across filling stations.

As the world oil crisis escalates, many Nigerians believe that it is for a reason such as this that the country is privileged to have the Dangote Refinery within its shores. They maintain that the crisis in the Gulf should have little or no effect on the country as a result of two factors:

1. The refinery is sited within the confines of the Nigeria, and

2. The crude oil (raw material) is sourced locally

They argue that movement is not hampered on international waters or by belligerent activities as a result of the war.

“This crude is produced and sourced here in Nigeria. The refinery is right here in Nigeria. So what explains the dilly-dally in the price of the product as if we have to cross the Strait of Hormuz before making it available to Nigerian consumers,” an Energy expert queried.

He questioned the rationale behind Dangote’s back and forth journey on the price of fuel.

“I don’t think anybody has told us the truth yet. We have the crude, and we have the refinery, so why are we buying the product at exorbitant price, and blaming the war in the gulf for it,” he further noted.

But in defence of the foremost refinery, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Dangote Refinery, David Bird, raised concerns over Nigeria’s inability to supply sufficient crude oil to the facility, disclosing that deliveries under the government’s crude supply arrangement are falling significantly short of agreed volumes.

Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, Bird said the refinery, which is currently operating at its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, requires between 13 and 15 cargoes of crude monthly to meet domestic fuel demand. However, he said the refinery is only receiving about five cargoes, representing just about 30 per cent of expected supply.

He explained that the gap undermines the effectiveness of the Crude-for-Naira arrangement, a policy designed to supply crude to local refiners at international prices but without foreign exchange exposure.

According to him, while the initiative has helped stabilise Nigeria’s foreign exchange pressures, its implementation has been inconsistent, particularly in terms of both volume and crude quality allocation.

“We have been very vocal that there is an existing arrangement in place under the Crude-for-Naira programme commonly misunderstood as a pricing regime, it is not. It is priced at full international benchmark crude oil pricing, however, without the foreign exchange implication.

“That has been very successful in stabilising the FX and I think Nigeria and our relationship with NNPC and Dangote, we should all be very proud of that. That agreement, however, is not only just from volume but also a quality allocation perspective not being met.

“And our demand of the government is just to be transparent with that allocation methodology  because what we see under that agreement, we should be getting about 13 to 15 cargos a month and that’s what we could process to meet the domestic fuel requirements of Nigeria. Currently we’re only getting five.

“So that’s an underperformance against that pre-agreed volume contract. Second to that is quality. So Nigeria has a wide variety of crude grades all exported from different terminals and we have a preference,” he stressed.

Many Nigerians have divided on for and against the ability if Dangote to sustain local consumption especially in the midst of the crude crunch occasioned by the gulf crisis, others have exonerated the refinery, heaping the blames on the Federal Government-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL), which has failed in its duty of making the required quantity of crude available to the refinery.

It would be recalled that ever since the launch of the Dangote Refinery, the management has consistently been at loggerheads with many petroleum-associated groups over barefaced treachery and backstabbing.

Stakeholders have said that recent developments, especially the ongoing crisis among the gulf states, highlight the strategic importance of strengthening domestic refining capacity, which Dangote, as at today, chiefly represents.