Don’t threaten me with a good time
Dangote has slashed his fuel prices, but you should keep your expectations low
Good morning, Big Brains. I hope you had a great weekend. It’s another week to kick capitalism’s ass and look good while at it. I’m rooting for you!
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 4 mins
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Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:
Dangote wants to make fuel cheaper for you
UK isn’t messing with questionable AI tools
The Big Deal
Dangote wants to make fuel cheaper for you
While the rest of the world spammed you with “Happy New Month” broadcast messages, Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Refinery, gave you the perfect new month gift – a slash in fuel price.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has decided to take some burden off your pocket by slashing his refinery’s fuel price from ₦950 to ₦890 per litre. ₦890 might not sound impressive, but if the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) is to be believed, this is just the beginning of price cuts. The revival of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries is supposed to cause more drop in petrol prices.
Dangote Group says their price slash isn’t a random giveaway; they say we have global market trends and the recent dip in crude oil prices to thank for the little gift. But giveaway or no giveaway, the Dangote Refinery has also politely reminded petrol marketers to pass this discount down to you, the final consumer. But there’s a tiny chance that might not happen anytime soon.
Why is this a big deal?
Before we get into all the obvious reasons why a slash in fuel prices sounds better than everything else right now, let’s first get into why the discount rates might not take effect immediately.
According to PETROAN, this price cut won’t reflect immediately because filling stations still have stock bought at the old price, and they’re not about to sell at a loss. PETROAN’s president, Billy Gillis-Harry, has assured Nigerians that the new price will eventually take effect, but, we might need to exercise patience for now.
Now, to the 1,001 reasons why these price cuts are important – these prices affect everything from transportation to food prices. A consistent drop in fuel prices would mean a potential drop in the price of everything else.
For now, this sounds like wishful thinking. PETROAN has the final say over what Dangote’s cut would mean for Nigerians. And as always, we’ll be in your inbox whenever PETROAN decides our fate.
UK isn’t messing with questionable AI tools
Everybody swears that AI is the next best thing, but the UK has become the first country to put a permanent end to one of the dark ways AI has been abused – AI-generated child abuse content. The country announced on Sunday, February 2, that it would introduce strict laws targeting AI tools used to create and distribute sexualised images of children, and honestly, the rest of the world needs to take notes.
Under the new laws, possessing, creating, or distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material will now come with up to five years in prison. It’ll also be illegal to own AI-generated "paedophile manuals" (yes, that’s a thing), which are essentially step-by-step guides teaching predators how to use AI for child exploitation. Those caught with these will face up to three years behind bars.
UK’s Interior Minister, Yvette Cooper said the new law has been a long time coming. She also described AI-driven child abuse as one of the most disturbing crimes out there and pointed out that AI is making it dangerously easy for predators to manipulate children’s images, groom minors, and blackmail victims into further abuse. And if that wasn’t chilling enough, some AI tools can now "nudity" real-life images of children or swap their faces with existing exploitative content.
If you're wondering how bad things have gotten, just know that in a single month, analysts at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found 3,512 AI-generated child abuse images on just one dark website.
To fight back, the UK’s new laws will also target online predators who run platforms designed to share abusive content and give grooming advice. These offenders could now face up to 10 years in prison.
Cooper hopes other countries will follow the UK’s lead. Nigeria is still behind on the AI conversations, but the UK’s move could inspire extra caution here as well.
The Big Picks
Increase In Electricity Tariffs Expected Within Months: The Federal Government says Nigerians should brace up for fresh electricity tariffs in months.
EU Slams Trump Tariffs, Says Will ‘Respond Firmly’ If Targeted: The European Union on Sunday blasted US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and said the 27-nation bloc would hit back “firmly” if targeted.