General
NNPC Seeks Out-of-the-Box Ideas From New Recruits
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, has charged the newly recruited Graduate Trainees (GTs) to build the corporation to become the National Oil Company (NOC) of choice.
He also urged them to go the extra mile to achieving extraordinary results in the discharge of their duties.
According to a statement, Mr Kyari made the call on Thursday during a virtual platform session with the 1,050 GTs that were newly recruited by the corporation as part of their onboarding programme.
The GMD tasked the newly recruited employees of the corporation to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and help NNPC deliver on its mandate of crude oil exploration, refining, marketing, supplying and distribution of petroleum products as a key enabler of the national economy.
“This is a company you will love to work for. But more than that, you will stay here and build a very fulfilling career. I have been around here for 29 years, and I have enjoyed every moment of it,” Mr Kyari said.
He assured the GTs of top management support, describing them as excellent minds that represent the future of the NNPC, adding that the corporation believed in promoting gender equality.
“From top down of the corporation, gender inclusiveness is reflected,” he stated.
He urged the newly employed staff to uphold the NNPC core values of respect for the individual, integrity, transparency, accountability and professional excellence, assuring that the corporation was committed to their career growth and development.
Responding on behalf of the Graduate Trainees, Mr Safula Karanga from Gombe State, commended the GMD for the strong leadership he has provided for the corporation through the completion of the recruitment process and the several medical interventions to the 36 states of the Federation to combat the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Oluwatobi Ayo Yusuf from Lagos thanked the NNPC for the vision of providing a level playing field for all the participants in the recruitment process, describing it as the most fair and transparent recruitment that he has ever participated in in Nigeria.
On his part, Mr Onianwa Vin-Kingsley described the NNPC’s recruitment process as remarkable, urging other private and government institutions to always take a cue from the National Oil Company in order to inspire confidence in Nigerian youths that are the leaders of tomorrow.
Mr Onyeulo Ikenna, a first-class graduate of Chemical Engineering, stated that despite the rigorous online application for the NNPC job which almost deterred him from applying, he was impressed that he was employed without knowing any godfather anywhere.
Ms Enyi Ada, from Port Harcourt in Rivers State said her NNPC journey disappointed all her negativity about how recruitment processes were conducted in Nigeria, saying despite the coronavirus pandemic, the NNPC was able to conclude the process seamlessly.
She said: “We are a special people who have been onboarded at a challenging times like thi”.
For Mr Bolarinwa Simeon, a Civil Engineer, he noted that life was willing to give you whatever you want and noted that the entire NNPC recruitment process was transparent and credible from the computer-based test to the interview.
Another GT, Mr Suleiman Mahmud said his journey to NNPC was miraculous as he applied on the last day of the submission of application and after receiving his offer of appointment, his sick mother recovered from her age long ailment miraculously.
The 1,050 graduate trainees recently recruited by NNPC assumed duty virtually on Monday May 4, 2020, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which has limited travels, movements and physical contacts in office settings in line with the federal government’s directives.
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.”
