General
Albinism Group Advocates Innovation to Bridge Disability Gap in Nigeria
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN) has called for increased innovation to drive sustainable development, which will help close the gap and destigmatise disability in the country.
This call was made by the president of the albinism group, Mrs Bisi Bamishe, at an event used to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on December 31, 2022.
The day was marked in Lagos at the weekend with a roadshow and talk on an inclusive environment for people with albinism.
Speaking at the event, she congratulated the community of persons with albinism in Nigeria for their active engagement, resilience, and positive contributions to the country’s socio-economic development.
AAN is the umbrella body of persons with albinism (PWAs). With the vision to attain a fair, secure, and socially inclusive society that empowers members and provides unfettered access to opportunities for self-fulfilment and dignity of human life.
She noted that the body’s mission is to unite and protect the rights and interests of persons with albinism against discrimination and marginalisation in society.
“Our choice of today’s gathering is to create awareness, as we aim to let the voice of persons with Albinism be heard about our aspirations and needs and make recommendations to the government.”
She said this spurred the theme of the day, Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world, and highlighted examples of how innovation and technology can be leveraged for this purpose.
Mrs Bamishe said, “Innovation can support disability-inclusive development in employment, transportation, education, health, and entertainment, among others. New technology can open job opportunities for PWAs.
“It is worth noting that innovation for disability-inclusive development can help reduce inequality and enable a disability-inclusive society in both the public and private sectors.
“On this special occasion, we honour together the significant contributions of persons with albinism in our state, local and national development.”
She also used the opportunity to reiterate the call for a better life for persons with albinism.
“We cry out against stigmatisation, marginalization and discrimination. We are being aligned and denied the right to live a normal life. Children at school are treated with no consideration for their disability while adults are denied access to jobs, and public facilities, among others.”
“Our members need to have adequate medical care. Many are dying of skin cancer due to a lack of preventive measures and prompt treatment for those suffering from skin cancer. We, therefore, solicit donations of sunblock lotion, hats, and UV protection umbrellas. Local production of sun lotion will be a greater advantage,” she stated.
Speaking further, she called for the creation of an inclusive environment by the Nigerian government for persons with albinism.
“We call on both government and enterprises to tap into the talent pool of persons with albinism.
“In the past years, persons with albinism have made active efforts to call the attention of the government to the need for implementation of disability law. This will surely ameliorate our hardship and suffering.”
“We want to appreciate our development partners in promoting opportunities for PWAs to participate in all spheres of life. Specifically, we say a big thank you to Sightsavers. However, we appeal for more support from development partners and the internationalisation community, help strengthen our abilities and make the rights of persons with disabilities a reality,” Mrs Bamishe added.
She also used the event to introduce the new executives of the association, which will help drive the much-needed advocacy for PWAs.
These are Mrs Bisi Lucy Bamishe, President; Hajia Mariam Ishaka, vice President; Mr Adeyi Onah Daniel, General Secretary; Mr Olushegun Abinbola, Assistant General Secretary; Mrs Elizabeth Omotola, Treasurer; Mr Abel Mvandega, Financial Secretary; Mrs Nonye Ugbaugwu, Welfare Officer; and Mr Ismaila S. PRO.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
