General
FG Showcasing Projects Nationwide to Silent Critics—Minister
By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, has explained why the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to showcase the various projects it was carrying out across the country.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Segun Adeyemi, in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday, the Minister said the new move was mainly to silent critics of this government.
Some Nigerians have asked for projects started and completed by President Buhari since assuming office in 2015 with answers not forthcoming.
But speaking in Oyo State on Tuesday, the Minister said, “The response of this administration to criticism is simply to continue to do more and more work and also to continue to showcase what we are doing.
“There is only one way you can get the electorate to vote for you; by delivering on your promises; by embarking on projects which touch their lives and that’s what we are doing and that’s why we are so confident that our re-election will be very easy.”
Mr Mohammed, on Tuesday, inspected the construction of the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway in continuation of his tour of ongoing Federal Government projects across the country.
At the event, the Minister also said, ”On Monday, we commissioned three projects in Osogbo, aimed at controlling the decades-long flooding that has claimed lives and property in the town.
“Today (Tuesday), we are inspecting the ongoing construction of the Oyo-Ogbomoso Road, which is one of the roads being constructed with a part of the N100 billion Sukuk loan.
“As we are here, other Ministers are also inspecting and commissioning key infrastructural projects across the country.”
Mr Mohammed described the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway as very significant because it is the link between the South-western part of the country and the North and the main carriageway for heavy-duty vehicles since the collapse of the railways.
He assured that there will no longer be a funding challenge for the execution of the Oyo-Ogbomoso road project, in view of the creative approach to funding adopted by the present administration.
“I think you must have listened to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing late last week during the inspection of some roads in the South-East when he said funding will no longer be a challenge to many of our critical roads.
“This is because the N199 billion Presidential Infrastructure Fund has been put in place and the critical roads like this (Oyo-Ogbomoso road) will benefit from the Fund,” the Minister said.
While briefing the Minister on the project, the Federal Controller of Works in Oyo State, Mr Omotayo Awosanya, said the project, which was awarded in 2010, is now 58% completed due to the commitment of the present administration to delivering the project.
“When it was initially awarded, there was no proper funding until this present regime when funding improved. We are lucky this project is benefitting from Sukuk Loan , in addition to what the budget can provide,” he said.
Mr Awosanya said so far the sum of N26 billion had been paid to the contractor, out of the contract sum of N47 billion.
He said if the current funding template is sustained, the project – originally scheduled for completion in 2013 – will now be completed by the middle of next year.
While conducting the Minister round the Asphalt Manufacturing Plant for the project, Mr Harel Vaknin, the Project Manager of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), the contracting firm, said all the materials used for the project are being sourced locally, adding that over 600 people have been gainfully employed in the course of executing the project.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
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.
