₦airaland Forum

CodeTemplarr:
Three headlines about russia and immigrants in leas than 24hr. WriterNG.

I don’t it is free. Nairaland is earning money to push it. You can see that all the news has useless sources.

@Seun, propaganda has reached Nairaland. Just so difficult to get objective news nowadays, especially when related to geopolitics.

BlackViper:
The ads said Alabuga Start sought “talented people from all over the world,” especially women between 18 and 22. The ads also endorsed the benefits of a work-study program in fields such as catering or hospitality. In one video, an African woman arrives in Alabuga and begins work at a restaurant, where she waits on a young Russian man. She later returns to the restaurant as his pregnant wife.

Yet if Russia open door for Nigerians, half of the country will empty. Propaganda don’t work on poor Africans.

onuman:
But the 3 Gourges dam is only the 27th largest dam in the world.

It’s the Three Gorges Dam and it’s by far the largest dam in the world.

Just one year? If you try this one in China, 20 years minimum.

muyico:
Congratulations to Dangote bcus enriching his pocket not Nigerians

He is a businessman, why will he put money in other people’s pocket. And FYI, he is doing more for Nigeria and creating jobs for more Nigerians than single person alive today.

Nigeria, long known as Africa’s biggest importer of refined petroleum products, has ceded that position to South Africa, marking a dramatic shift in the continent’s energy landscape.

The development follows the operational ramp-up of Aliko Dangote’s massive oil refinery, which began large-scale production in 2024 and is already reshaping trade flows across sub-Saharan Africa.

The $20 billion Dangote Refinery, situated on the outskirts of Lagos, boasts a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world.

Its gradual increase in output has significantly cut Nigeria’s reliance on imported petrol, disrupting the long-established pattern where the continent’s top oil producer sent crude overseas to be refined and reimported at high cost.

According to energy consultancy CITAC, Nigeria imported 3.1 million tons of refined petroleum products in the first quarter of 2025, a sharp drop compared to previous years. In contrast, South Africa brought in 4.2 million tons over the same period, cementing its new status as Africa’s largest fuel importer.

“Nigerian imports are dropping as a result of the continued operation of Dangote,” said Elitsa Georgieva, executive director at CITAC. “Since the beginning of this year, South African imports have been consistently highest in sub-Saharan Africa.”

The refinery’s impact reflects a broader ambition across the continent to boost domestic refining capacity and reduce dependence on foreign supplies.

Countries like Uganda, Angola, and Mozambique have launched projects aimed at increasing local processing capabilities.

Yet, even with vast oil reserves, translating ambition into operational output has proven difficult, a reality Dangote’s lengthy journey demonstrates well.

The Dangote Refinery faced multiple delays, cost overruns, and logistical challenges before finally coming online. But its operation represents a milestone for Nigeria’s energy security and trade balance.

For decades, the country paradoxically relied on imported petrol despite producing over 1.3 million barrels of crude oil per day. That dynamic has begun to change, even if modestly, with Dangote’s facility absorbing more of the country’s domestic crude and reducing the need for costly imports.

Still, this progress comes at a time when South Africa finds itself increasingly reliant on fuel imports. Despite once possessing substantial refining infrastructure, nearly half of the nation’s refining capacity has been shut down since 2020 due to industrial accidents, ageing equipment, and a chronic lack of investment. According to Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa’s state-run logistics firm, imports now supply more than 60 percent of the nation’s fuel demand.

To make matters worse, the country’s largest refinery, Sapref, a joint venture between Shell Plc and BP Plc, was idled in 2022. While the government purchased the facility in 2023 in hopes of reviving it, no timeline for a restart has been confirmed.

With local refining largely stagnant, traders such as Glencore Plc and Vitol SA have seized the opportunity to ramp up deliveries to South Africa. CITAC projects that the country will import around 15.5 million tons of refined products in 2025, nearly twice as much as Kenya (8.9 million tons) and more than double Nigeria’s projected imports of 6.4 million tons.

This has made South Africa an increasingly attractive market for global fuel suppliers. Swiss commodities giant Gunvor was among those shortlisted to acquire Shell’s downstream retail network in South Africa, signalling growing international interest in the country’s fuel distribution sector.

“South Africa’s infrastructure is mature, but its refining shortfall is now attracting foreign traders who can bridge the gap,” said one industry executive familiar with the negotiations.

Despite losing its title as Africa’s top fuel importer, Nigeria stands to benefit significantly from the rise of the Dangote Refinery. Reduced import dependency could bolster the naira, ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves, and improve trade balances. For the Nigerian government, which has historically subsidised fuel imports at great fiscal cost, this represents a potential turning point.

For South Africa, the import surge brings both risks and opportunities. While it ensures fuel availability in the short term, reliance on foreign supply exposes the country to price shocks, currency volatility, and supply chain disruptions.

Source: https://businessday.ng/energy/oilandgas/article/dangote-ends-nigerias-reign-as-africas-biggest-petrol-importer/

heniford2:
Is coming Russia will receive it like never before be watching

Nothing can change the tide of the war as it is unless NATO is prepared to put boots on the ground. Aside this, nothing, that’s the absolute truth.

As India and Pakistan traded missile strikes over the weekend, and the world watched with horror as the two nuclear-armed neighbours erupted into open conflict, military analysts spotted something curious. Pakistan, it seemed, had used Chinese jets to shoot down India’s planes.

Last week, India launched missiles at Pakistan, in retaliation for a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April that killed 26 people. The conflict escalated with mutual strikes and drone attacks.

Pakistan claimed to have shot down several Indian air force fighter jets with Chinese-made missiles fired from Chinese-made J10-C jets. The Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar told parliament the Pakistani-flown fighters had taken down India’s French-made Rafales. Dar said he had informed the Chinese and they were pleased. China’s social media celebrated.

Supporters of the Pakistan People's Party throw flower petals and celebrating ceasefire.
From missiles to ceasefire: how India and Pakistan pulled back from the brink
Read more
The use of J-10Cs by Pakistan would mark the first time the Chinese planes – and the PL-15 missiles they were carrying – have been used in combat anywhere in the world, giving military analysts a rare glimpse of their capabilities, and China’s military, the PLA, a crucial test case.

“Any state producing or buying weapons is keen to see how the product does in real conflict. Tests and exercises can tell most about capabilities of weapons, but the ultimate test is often combat,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

China is a crucial ally of Pakistan. Sipri estimates that it is Pakistan’s biggest military weapons supplier, providing more than 80% of its stock from fighter jets to navy vessels and missiles.

Andrew Small, a Berlin-based senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, said China gets particular benefit from seeing its weapons used against western equivalents. “It gives them a chance to assess their performance under far more complex and challenging conditions than usual, and with Pakistan this is not just about the fighter jets themselves, it’s about the missiles, the radar systems, and the whole technology spine of the Pakistani military, from electronic warfare capabilities to satellite systems.”

It’s not just western arms that China’s planes are being tested against. India has the support of both China’s biggest rival, the US, and its closest ally, Russia, which supplies 36% of India’s arms imports.

But analysts says it has provided a wake-up call about China’s military capabilities as it threatens to annex Taiwan.

“We may need to reassess the PLA’s air combat capabilities, which may be approaching or even surpassing the level of US air power deployments in east Asia,” Shu Hsiao-Huang, an associate research fellow at the Taiwan defence ministry-linked Institute of National Defense and Security Research, told Bloomberg.

Under the rule of Xi Jinping, China’s military has been modernising and expanding, with a goal to be capable of an air and land invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

Hu Xijin, the former editor of the nationalistic Chinese state-linked tabloid Global Times, said the incident showed Taiwan should feel “even more scared”.

Part of China’s contingency planning is an expectation that the US military and potentially others would be involved in defending Taiwan.

Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center, said the two combat theatres were not directly comparable, as a Taiwan invasion would probably involve more input from the navy, marines and army than this month’s limited conflict between India and Pakistan.

“And technically, India did not use American weapon systems during this round,” Sun said. “But the surprising victory of Chinese J-10 and PL-15 [missiles] will force people to reconsider the military balance of power in the event of a Taiwan contingency.”

The apparent success of the J-10C against the Rafales also boosts China’s reputation as a manufacturer and seller of weapons. While China is the world’s fourth largest arms exporter, more than half goes to Pakistan and the rest is mostly to smaller developed nations. It must work around US sanctions.

The share price of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which makes the J-10Cs, soared on the news.

Small said Pakistan was often seen as a showcase for Chinese weapons.

“A good performance demonstrates to others the benefits of maintaining a close partnership with Beijing as PLA capabilities advance, especially given the rumours that China provided Pakistan, one of its closest strategic partners, with versions of the PL-15 missiles that have a longer range than the usual export variant,” he said.

Wezeman said the shooting was too limited to draw a lot of firm conclusions about the state of China’s military, which has also been mired in corruption scandals in recent years.

“That said, the clash seems to support a general assessment that Chinese weapons are proving to have become a match for western weapons.”

China’s military and government have neither denied nor celebrated the J-10C claims. The foreign ministry said when asked that it was “not familiar” with the J-10C situation.

But on Tuesday China’s vice-foreign minister Sun Weidong met with Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi. “China welcomes and supports Pakistan and India achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire,” a foreign ministry statement said.

“China is ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/14/pakistans-use-of-j-10c-jets-and-missiles-exposes-potency-of-chinese-arms

Iweakbro:
This is a non-factual take. Are you a little kid? Go to YouTube and check China Uncensored, so you can learn the effect of the tariffs on Chinese companies whose market was the IS.

I won't trust a channel like that on anything

DenreleDave:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-shoots-down-pakistan-air-forces-awac-all-about-the-surveillance-jet-2721855-2025-05-08

Another Indian propaganda. No other independent source has confirmed this happened. At least one will mentioned it.

On the contrary, there has been a few independent sources that two Indian fighter
(the French Rafale) jets were downed a few days ago.

Nodogragra4me:
It like YOu dint know that India is a leader in IT ..GLOBALLY ...From Google to virtually all leading global It driven firms

You don’t know what you are talking about. Google is an American company and how does it have anything to do with India.

Can you please tell me one core IT technology that India owns or make?

omoredia:
India is the leader in terms of IT. Pakistan won't last a hi-tech war

Lol! Leader kwa? How are they leader and don’t have any core technology in IT. They are just a glorified IT service Centre.

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two U.S. officials told Reuters, marking a major milestone for Beijing's advanced fighter jet.
An Indian Air Force spokesperson said he had no comment when asked about the Reuters report.

The performance of a leading Chinese fighter jet against a Western rival is being closely watched in Washington for insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets - bringing down at least two.
Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.
Both officials said Pakistan's F-16 aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab, were not used in the shootdown.
Delhi has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes and instead said it carried out successful strikes against what it said was "terrorist" infrastructure inside Pakistan.

World powers from the U.S. to Russia and China have called for calm in one of the world's most dangerous, and most populated, nuclear flashpoint regions.
In France, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation (AM.PA), opens new tab and the MBDA (AIR.PA), opens new tab, (BAES.L), opens new tab, (LDOF.MI), opens new tab consortium, which makes the Meteor air-to-air missile, could not immediately be reached for comment on a public holiday.
While Reuters reported on Wednesday that three Indian planes went down, citing local government officials in India, this marks the first Western confirmation that Pakistan's Chinese-made jets were used in the shootdowns.
Pakistan’s Defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told Reuters on Thursday that the J-10 was used to shoot down three French-made Rafale planes, which were newly acquired by India.
Altogether, Pakistan says it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat.

CLOSELY EYING
The Rafale and the model of the J-10 used by Pakistan are both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the leading edge of combat aircraft.
Western analysts and defense industry sources said the live use of some of the advanced weapons that could be deployed in future major power conflicts would be scrutinized in minute detail, but emphasized it was too early to draw firm conclusions.
"Air warfare communities in China, the U.S. and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't," said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/pakistans-chinese-made-jet-brought-down-two-indian-fighter-aircraft-us-officials-2025-05-08/

SIRTee15:
China only import raw materials from other countries. They don't need your finished products because they can produce whatever it is cheaper and faster if not better.

No country can develop by exporting raw materials. I think say na by joke western countries are crying. China has eaten away all their manufacturing capacity, even Germany is now sweating despite being an industrial machine.

It’s not true to say that China only imports raw materials from other countries. Like any economy, China cannot produce everything domestically and therefore imports a wide range of finished products from nations with technological expertise or a competitive advantage. In fact, many of China’s top imports from countries like Japan, South Korea, and the European Union are advanced finished goods, not raw materials. China tends to focus its production efforts on items where it faces export restrictions or where it can gain strategic control, but it remains a major buyer of finished products globally.

Similarly, the idea that countries cannot develop by exporting raw materials is also not entirely true. Many nations that are heavily reliant on raw material exports have built strong, stable economies. A few notable examples include: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Canada, Indonesia, etc.

Wimkeh:
Abeg oh. Don’t give China your dollar oh.

China will not import anything from you oh. They’ll only export and collect your dollar.

Yet, China imported more than $2.5 trillion of products from other countries last year. Only less than what US imported which is more than $3 trillion. No other country even come close, no other country imported up to $1 trillion.

Yes, China export a lot but the fact that China doesn’t import is a fallacy.

ManOfSon:
Please sir, read me correctly. I'm not saying that China doesn't have the expertise to fix our electricity needs. Far from it. What I doubt is the incentive for them to do so when we're also the largest market for their generators. There's nothing simplistic about my concern. You don't call someone to come help you fix a problem that this same person is benefitting from. We don't even have to go too far. We've tried this with steel at Aladja & Ajaokuta - telling those we buy steel from to come help us build our own steel industry. How's that going? It's not true that only China can help fix our power sector. I'm not buying that at all. It speaks to some level of naivety and lack of awareness.

I understand your point, but I believe the reasoning is flawed. The fact that you’re renting a car from a dealership doesn’t prevent them from selling you a car if you want to buy one — just like a company in China selling semi-trucks for transporting goods doesn’t stop China from helping Nigeria build a cargo railway, if that’s what they need. These are entirely different markets. Similarly, the sale of portable generators to individuals in Nigeria has nothing to do with a corporation working with the government to develop power generation stations, transmission, or distribution infrastructure. That’s why I mentioned earlier that this line of thinking is a bit simplistic.

Your reference to Ajaokuta Steel Company also isn’t really applicable here. The project wasn’t completed for several reasons — including Nigeria’s default on contractor payments, change of governments and their priorities, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had been providing both technical support and partial funding. None of these factors align with the usual conspiracy theories often thrown around. Today, most of the steel used in Nigeria is imported from China and India, and the technology at Ajaokuta is now outdated. Without a complete overhaul, the plant simply won’t be competitive in the current global market.

When it comes to building power infrastructure, many countries, especially in the West, have the technical capacity to handle such projects in their own environments. But executing the same scale of work in a country like Nigeria, with its complex security challenges and logistical hurdles, is a different matter entirely.

For large-scale power projects in Nigeria, you don’t just need technology — you also need reliable logistics, a strong supply chain, secured project financing, technical expertise, and most importantly, the willingness of skilled professionals to work in often remote and unstable areas. As of 2025, only China has the combination of scale, capacity, and political willingness to handle all of that.

Celestialsword:
They do not have military bases in all countries of the world but they have embassies in nearly all countries of the world.

Military bases are sited close to some countries to checkmate their excesses, because dangerous weapons are in their possession.

The military bases has economic value to America because they are protecting their interest

Especially in Asian countries most of who sponsor terrorism throughout the world.

If not for America support many weak and small countries would have been overpowered wiped out from the map of the world.

I believe having so many military bases is a big and expensive challenge to US. They are too costly to maintain and could eventually be unsustainable. The US currently have about 500k troops across Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa when it is not actually in any war. Just imagine how much it cost to maintain all those troops and the equipment that are just seating there redundant or see very limited action. I haven’t even mention all those fleets they have on the ocean with thousands of navy personnel on rotation and equipment and jets that have to constantly maintained. You can see why the US defence budget is so big— more than the next 10 countries combined. This is a world power problem, it happened to Rome, the Dutch and the British empire, the US is feeling it. As a world power, you get stretched trying to main your power around the world and it can get exhausting. It seem Trump is trying to do something about it. You just can’t keep spending resources on something that brings very little value to you while other countries are just free loading.

China unlike the US currently don’t have that problem, they spend their budget to build new military infrastructure and equipment. That’s why they are building new fighter jets and increasing their fleets at a rate faster than any country right now. If things go on like this, it’s just a matter of time before they close the gap.

Crafteck1:
Una like to post nonsense....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YaPgVomKhw?si=vL61Cysu5HCF6ryF

I won’t trust that source. If someone or an organization is all negative about a product, company or country all the time, they are probably not objective and I won’t consider them a reliable source.

ManOfSon:
I'm sure they can find some smaller European or Latin American countries that have put problems like this behind them without needing help from China. I'll probably try to do some research on this myelf but countries like Egypt, Brazil & even Rwanda don't have this problem. Was it China that helped them all? Looking at it objectively, how can you call upon the person making profit from your problem to come help you fix the same problem? Does it make sense?

I understand your point, but it's too simplistic. China is the manufacturing hub of the world, and it makes sense that we import portable generators from them. The demand for generators will remain, even if we achieve reliable electricity, because of the growing needs of various sectors.

To be candid, no other country has the same level of motivation, resources, expertise, and capacity to address Nigeria’s electricity challenges as China. They are the leaders in this field, with no close competitors. Nigeria can keep signing contracts with companies like Siemens, but when the time comes to actually implement large-scale solutions, they will have to turn to those who are capable of delivering.

For example, China added more than 300,000 MW of electricity in just one year – roughly 50% of the total global additions for that period. To put that into perspective, Nigeria’s total installed capacity is about 10,000 MW, Rwanda’s is around 500 MW, Egypt’s is about 60,000 MW, the UK’s is 120,000 MW, and Brazil’s is 250,000 MW. China’s annual addition alone is more than the total installed capacity of most countries, including Nigeria.

To get results, we need to work with those who have the capability to make it happen. Simple as that!

ManOfSon:
I hope one day that this complete lack of awareness afflicting African rulers comes to an end. A disproportionate percentage of all electric power generators imported into Nigeria are from China. But somehow the same China is being looked upon to solve a problem that will hurt their economy if it is solved.

Who do you think they can partner with to help solve Nigeria’s energy problem?

Axis313:

China again?
China wey no get joy.
God will help you,you go owe them money as per the deal,na to dey seize your valuable government's assets be the next thing wey go be on their mind.

So who do you think they should work with?

incogni2o:
China should just bow and negotiate rather than just playing save-face

Why should they do that? They are not Cowards.

AmiableMosquito:
Although accurate, this feels like a Dangote sponsored news article.
That's me kidding by the way.

I think we should do better in Africa. Governments want to earn more by exporting and earning in dollars, yet want the refineries (especially the private ones) to lower their prices after sourcing for crude overseas. That's not a fair expectation.

Nigeria is not doing Dangote any favours. If the country denies Dangote access to raw materials and undermines its operations by importing products from abroad despite domestic production capabilities, why would any company invest here? For example, if you continue to import steel, why would anyone plan to invest in building a steel plant locally? It doesn't make sense.

Lush100:
This is bound to happen.

This is to force companies that depend (have factories) on China to move back to U.S.

How will that happen? Most of those companies also sell their products in China and to many other countries. If they move to the US, how will they compete in the rest of the markets.

Nonybb:
Joke of a country. They export what they don't have and import what they have. Dangote is about gloating and self praise. He bucket those millions of Dollars, not ordinary Nigerians or for national interes

Critical thinking is lacking in Nigeria. With her youths thinking like this, that country has a big problem.

mrvitalis:
None oga... Lack of constant electricity can't make a company fold it's impossible bros

Do you have any education at all? Just trying to understand your thought process.

jaxxy:
Survival, mutual respect. Depends on them.

We've been hearing a lot of vague rhetoric, especially from the mainstream media over the past three years, about concepts like survival, mutual respect and democracy. But what do these terms really mean in practice? Take mutual respect, for example—how is it defined? If a group of countries decides to place weapons near another nation's border to contain it, one side might see that as justified, while the other views it as a strategic threat.

Achieving victory in this battle is nearly impossible. Russia is not going anywhere—they will remain in Europe, and they see this as an existential threat. Because of that, they have more at stake in the long run than the Europeans and are willing to endure significant losses, including people and financial resources.

The only scenario that could shift the tide of this war is if European nations directly engage with their troops, fully committing to war—at the cost of millions of lives. However, if Europe enters a war in its current state, the consequences would be devastating, both economically and politically. Massive divisions would emerge across Europe and within individual countries, as the justification for war would become increasingly difficult—especially as casualties mount, such as children in Germany losing their lives. The recovery could take decades, and European leaders understand this reality.

As I’ve said before, what is the endgame for Europe? If they seek "mutual respect," they must sit down with Russia, define what that truly means, and ensure both sides understand and accept it. Simply repeating these words on TV or after every meeting holds no real value.

Gboss247:
Are you aware that naira been a weak makes Nigeria products one of the cheapest globally?

How is this related to my comment, sir?

jaxxy:
There no monopoly over violence. I believe Russia already knows that.

So what the endgame?

jaxxy:
Russia must commit to peace.

Just repeating what you hear on TV. If was that easy, it would have happened 3 years ago. Europeans will have to learn how to live with the Russians.

mrvitalis:
No company has left Nigeria due to lack of electricity none... Not even one

Many companies have folded due to lack of electricity. They just put it as high cost of production. Heavy industries relies in cheap electricity without which they will be uncompetitive. It is one of the reason our manufacturing industry is in a state of comatose.