General
Amaechi, Rivers APC Not Behind Oshiomhole’s Woes—Eze
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has asked critics to leave Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, and the Rivers State chapter of the political party out of the crisis facing the suspended national chairman of the party, Mr Adams Oshiomhole.
In a statement, the erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) described the crisis facing the former Governor of Edo State as “self-inflicting woes,” stressing that Mr Amaechi should not be dragged into it.
He expressed satisfaction over the court’s validation and elongation of Mr Victor Giadom’s stay in office as acting national chairman of the APC.
The party chieftain felicitated with Mr Giadom, describing the court’s action as a step in the right direction for the service of justice and a fantastic alternative to addressing the avalanche of crisis rocking the party across the country.
He said the court’s action has laid to rest all speculations and uncertainties about the leadership of the party and the legitimate occupant of the party’s national chair, which has been in unnecessary contention since the exit of Mr Oshiomhole.
While calling Mr Hillard Eta and few members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to respect court pronouncements and orders, Mr Eze cautioned Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, an appointee of Mr Oshiomhole that any further statement not approved by Mr Giadom will be an affront to constituted authority and will no longer be tolerated with kid’s glove anymore.
He averred that the rush by Mr Oshiomhole and others to visit several courts scouting for court judgement in order to overturn the judgement given to Mr Giadom will end in futility.
The politician pleaded with Mr Eta and others to support Mr Giadom to enable him reposition the party on the path of true progress, stressing that the APC is a party built on justice and rule of law.
“The problem with those that have been promoting crisis in APC through erstwhile national chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is their ignorance of whom Victor Giadom is, thereby attributing what he is doing to Amaechi.
“Chief Giadom is a full-fledged man who knows his onus so far political intricacies are concerned. Though he is a principal in Amaechi’s political college, he has distinguished himself as a political Iroko capable of handling his own political destiny on his own,” he said.
Accordingly, the party stalwart cautioned Mr Joe Igbokwe, Mr Oshiomhole and those they represent to leave the Minister out of the current situation in the APC, stressing that Mr Amaechi is very preoccupied and busy with national assignments and delivering on every mandate touching on his office with visible results across the country.
He said those who have taken time out to understudy Mr Giadom are aware that he is the unsung political bulldozer from Rivers State capable of crushing all the undemocratic elements trying to destabilize the APC and appealed to all and sundry to respect and support him to salvage the party from the mess that Mr Oshiomhole and those pushing him have put the party into.
The party chief counselled his brother-in-law, the Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodinma, to distance himself from any act in the Edo APC crisis capable of rubbing dirt on his image and urged him to channel his support to Mr Giadom to recover all the losses of the party.
Mr Eze thanked God for reviving his good friend, Mr Abiola Ajimobi and pleaded with those prompting him into political eclipse to leave him out of APC imbroglio oiled by the former Governor of Edo State and his cohorts so that he can properly recuperate.
He called on party faithful and Nigerians in general to remember Mr Ajimobi in prayers for his quick recovery.
The party chief maintained that Mr Giadom has come to stay, stressing that those scheming for his removal should stop wasting their time and invest same on meaningful ventures.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has issued a data protection compliance circular to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to promote public trust through data-driven governance.
The compliance directive is contained in Circular No. 59805/S.I/74, dated 27 July 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr George Akume, according to a statement by the Head, Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, Mr Babatunde Bamigboye.
The initiative forms part of a continuum of regulatory measures that will be vigorously pursued as Nigeria advances towards the decisive frontiers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The circular drew the attention of MDAs to a statement of President Bola Tinubu, where he said: “Data is the new oil”.
Mr Akume then directed all Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies to capture the information rigorously and safeguard it under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act).
The circular also directed MDAs to ensure full compliance with the NDP Act, Regulations, Guidelines, and Directives issued by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in relation to the processing of personal data.
To this end, the Circular directs MDAs to, designate suitably qualified officers as Data Protection Officers (DPOs) to oversee data protection compliance and advise management on all matters relating to the lawful processing of personal data, ensure that the names and contact details of their designated DPOs are communicated to the NDPC for registration and official records; engage licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs), where required, to facilitate compliance with the NDP Act and support the conduct of statutory compliance audits.
It also directed them to provide adequate budgetary allocation for data protection compliance activities, including capacity building, awareness programmes, deployment of appropriate technical safeguards, and periodic compliance audits; and submit all mandatory Data Protection Compliance Audit Returns and other statutory returns to the NDPC within the timelines prescribed by law.
The circular further states that “Permanent Secretaries, Accounting Officers and Chief Executive Officers of all MDAs shall be personally responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with the Circular and the provisions of the NDP Act.”
The National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Mr Vincent Olatunji, expressed the commission’s commitment to supporting data-driven governance.
Mr Olatunji maintained that data accountability is pivotal to achieving the eight Presidential Priorities. To provide full technical support to MDAs for the purpose of achieving compliance, the commission has constituted a regulatory clinic.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Yellow Card, a global stablecoin infrastructure provider, has raised $40 million in a strategic funding round to accelerate its international expansion and strengthen its digital payment infrastructure.
The funding round attracted investments from SC Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of Standard Chartered, Sony Innovation Fund, Polychain Capital, Blockchain Capital, and other strategic investors. With the latest raise, Yellow Card’s total equity financing has now exceeded $120 million.
The company said the fresh capital will be used to scale its Global US Dollar Accounts, an end-to-end dollar account designed for businesses, while expanding the stablecoin payment rails that connect businesses to markets around the world.
Yellow Card’s chief executive, Mr Chris Maurice, described the investment as a strong endorsement of the company’s long-term vision, noting that the company has spent years building infrastructure that allows businesses to move money globally without relying on traditional correspondent banking systems.
He added that the next phase of growth will focus on helping banks connect directly to stablecoin payment rails, enabling faster and more efficient cross-border transactions while expanding access to US Dollar services for businesses.
SC Ventures chief executive, Mr Alex Manson, said stablecoins are becoming an important part of global payments, but noted that widespread adoption will depend on reliable infrastructure and practical use cases.
He said Yellow Card has built the payment rails businesses across Africa need to move money efficiently across borders and expressed confidence in the company’s ability to expand both within Africa and internationally.
The investment also marks growing interest from global institutions in stablecoin-based payments. Sony Innovation Fund said its backing reflects confidence in Yellow Card’s ability to build digital payment infrastructure for emerging markets.
Mr Austin Noronha, Managing Director at Sony Ventures-US, said the company believes Yellow Card is creating the technology needed to help banks, financial technology firms and enterprises move money faster and more securely.
He added that the company looks forward to supporting Yellow Card as it expands beyond Africa into Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Yellow Card said the funding will also support the wider rollout of its Global USD Accounts, which allow businesses to hold U.S. dollars, manage treasury operations, swap stablecoins, and collect or make payments in local currencies across more than 50 countries.
The company noted that the platform is already being used by major customers, including Visa and Western Union.
Founded to simplify cross-border payments through digital assets, Yellow Card has processed more than $10 billion in transactions across its network. The company supports over 50 currencies and holds licences, authorisations and registrations in 22 jurisdictions across North America, Europe and Africa.
Yellow Card has also established strategic partnerships with global payment companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Coinbase as it positions itself as a key infrastructure provider for international digital payments.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved a $4.5 billion arrangement for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited aimed at strengthening the country’s external reserves and freeing up funds for infrastructure.
This is part of the refinancing of the $3.3 billion Project Gazelle Pre-Export Finance Facility through a new $4.5 billion facility named “Project Gazelle 2”.
The approval allows NNPC Limited to refinance the outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 billion under the original 2023 facility, while unlocking an additional $3 billion in liquidity to strengthen the country’s external reserves and support ongoing fiscal and infrastructure priorities of the government.
NEC’s approval followed a presentation by the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which was presented by the Chairman of the Council, Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscoring the importance of the project.
NEC observed the significance of unlocking additional liquidity to the federation, among other benefits, pledging its support for the actualisation of the initiative.
The Finance Minister explained that the refinancing has been structured on more favourable terms than the original facility, including a reduction in the volume of pledged crude oil from 90,000 barrels of oil per day to approximately 78,750 barrels of oil per day – a 12.5 per cent reduction.
He noted that under the new arrangement, an additional 11,250 barrels of oil per day for the federation will be released, while there will be a reduction in the pledged crude volumes by the state oil company.
Mr Oyedele added that while accessing additional liquidity on improved terms, the arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures.
“The arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures,” he said.
VP Shettima called for a responsive, scalable, and data-driven social protection policy to tackle multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
According to Mr Shettima, government policies are often heard before they are seen, speak through the price of food, condition of hospitals, records in schools, strain on families, the confidence of those who invest their labour in the nation’s future, and, very importantly, the ambitions of state governments.
He implored members of Council to ensure that every decision they make assure the citizens “that their government is paying attention to the pulse of the nation and is resolved to respond with competence, compassion and purpose.”
